Humour without borders: Meet China's first multilingual comedian
The interview follows Norah's path into stand-up and explores multilingual performance, cultural context, and women's place in comedy.
READ ORIGINAL ↗NORAH YANG
A multilingual comedian from Shanghai, performing across languages and cultures.
FAMILY BUSINESS — 2026 TOURSHOWS 演出
If I had to describe in one word: WHY?
- Why I do comedy
- Why I do comedy in English
- Why a Chinese comedian thought this was a reasonable life choice
I grew up in a loving family.
Which, like many Asian families, means love, support, and just the right amount of emotional chaos.
I love my parents. I also think they’re crazy. Both things can be true.
A chaotic upbringing and a lifetime of cultural misunderstandings led me to comedy.
Now it all makes sense. Ridiculous. Relatable. Possibly a little too personal.
Bring your loved ones or come alone — let’s talk some family business.
UPCOMING SHOWS 最近演出
SOLD OUT · PAST SHOWS
01
JUL 25SAT · 7:30PM
2026
2026
ShenzhenEnglish Special
Antuoshan Public Cultural Center
深圳
安托山文化中心
SOLD OUT
02
JUL 26SUN · 3:30PM
2026
2026
GuangzhouEnglish Special
Guangdong Arts Theatre
广州
广东艺术剧院
SOLD OUT
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The ComedianFull story →
ABOUT NORAH
Norah Yang is a Shanghai-based multilingual stand-up comedian who performs in English, Mandarin, Shanghainese, and Japanese. Beyond stand-up, she is a content creator with over 9 million followers across social media platforms, where she has also interviewed international celebrities including Timothée Chalamet, Scarlett Johansson, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
She started stand-up at the end of 2016, making her debut at Shanghai's Kung Fu Komedy Club. Since then, she has performed thousands of shows across China, the United States, Australia, Thailand, and Japan, and has opened for touring international comedians including Jimmy O. Yang, Mark Normand, and Kate Willett. In 2023, she founded SpicyComedy, a Shanghai-based stand-up comedy club. She is currently touring her stand-up comedy special Family Business, a show about family, identity, and growing up between cultures.
NORAH YANG · AS FEATURED IN
ARCHIVELaugh in Translation: Shanghainese Comedy Stands Up to the Mainstream
Norah discusses building Shanghainese stand-up, touring the dialect show in Australia, and using comedy to strengthen cultural identity.
READ ORIGINAL ↗Laughs without borders: Norah on unlocking cultural connection through stand-up comedy
Norah discusses performing in Shanghainese, Mandarin and English, and how comedy can bridge cultures and cross national boundaries.
READ ORIGINAL ↗Stand-up comedy brings laughter back to theaters in China
The report follows SpicyComedy's return to Shanghai theaters and Norah's work bringing audiences back while developing young stand-up talent.
READ ORIGINAL ↗Trilingual Comedian Norah on Cultural Exchange三语脱口秀演员诺拉谈文化交流
ノーラさんは東京で自身初のショーを開催し、チケットは数時間で完売。コメディを通じて中日両国、さらに世界の文化交流に貢献したいと語った。
READ ORIGINAL ↗The Art of Humor: An In-depth Conversation with Norah Yang and Menkyo幽默的艺术：深度对话中国脱口秀演员Norah Yang和门腔
SBS普通话电台对话Norah Yang和门腔，探讨澳大利亚多语言巡演、语言如何改变幽默表达，以及女性主义在舞台上的呈现。
READ ORIGINAL ↗MEDIA
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