Those Who Left and Those Who Stayed: Zhao Benshan’s Comedy Sketches in the Spring Festival Gala and Their Impact on the Regional Stereotypes of North-East China

This chapter focuses on a household name in China, Zhao Benshan, and his North-East China-themed comedy sketches on the national stage. Using a mixed method approach, we analyse his Spring Festival Gala comedy repertoires by using semiotic and discourse analysis as well as focus group interviews. In particular, we study the detailed ways with which Zhao Benshan uses signs to construct the humour and representations of Dongbei and the power dynamics behind his comedy texts and performance. Finally, we investigate to what extent his work impacts audiences’ north-east regional stereotypes. Our findings suggest that Zhao’s comedy repertoires have a significant influence on building audience’s north-east regional stereotypes, and his down-to-earth performance orchestrates well with the official discourses of previous administrations on anti-corruption, urban–rural disparity, and building a harmonious society.