This Was Funnier in China

An American Comedian's Journey to Make China and the West Laugh With Each Other, Not at Each Other

A heartfelt, one-of-a-kind memoir chronicling the hilarious, absurd, and thought-provoking experiences of an American pursuing comedy in China, learning first-hand how humor does and doesn’t translate—and whether laughter transcends borders.

I marched onstage in a long robe beside my Shifu, under the curious eyes of a thousand Chinese comedy fans, armed only with a microphone and the goal to kill onstage or die trying.

Over the speakers, the host shouted: “Welcome to the stage: Master Ding Guangquan and his American disciple, Ai Jie Xi!”

When self-proclaimed American class clown Jesse Appell signed up to study Mandarin in high school, he never imagined that one day his name would be written into the traditional family tree of Chinese comedy. But when he first moves to Beijing to apprentice to the legendary Master Ding, a single show is all it takes for Jesse and his fellow comedy misfits to understand that book learning means bombing jokes.

To truly get the big laughs, he realizes he needs to know everything, like how long the fuse is on a thirty-cent firework, what card games coal miners play over Chinese New Year, and why comedy writers in Shanghai sometimes sleep in heart-shaped beds.

The result? Asking questions that might seem simple—if they weren’t being asked by an American caught in the breakneck whirlwind of a rising China.

“What do people here find funny?”

“How do you deal with hecklers?”

And, of course, the biggest one of all:

“Can I say that?”

From Jesse’s first forays into the traditional teahouse performance scene to being the only American cast member and writer on a Chinese version of Saturday Night Live, This Was Funnier in China captures an American's wide-eyed, enthusiastic experiences trying to build a world where we can all laugh together.

Refreshing, thoughtful and highly entertaining

I lived in Beijing at the same time as the author and knew him in his early days there, so I checked out the book just hoping to relive some good memories. But this story far exceeded my expectations. One of the most unique stories out there about China. Really well written, and the audio book narration is a true performance. Easily one of my favorite China books.

Lovely book

Engaging performance, well written. Funny, insightful and poignant. Some truly incredible stories that will stay with you. Listening to this book is like hanging out with a good buddy. Jesse’s mission to build cross-cultural understanding is the hopeful message we all need right now.

I'm not crying, you are!

I knew I would laugh. I knew Jesse was a good guy. but I didn't expect to cry, or take away valuable life lessons from enjoying the journey, to remembering who you are and holding on to that. this book was a nice way to support my tea guy Jesse. but in return, he's given me a mental support to keep at it, whatever "it" is, and to appreciate the people and experiences that got you there. genuinely thank you for this. and thanks for the great tea to drink while I listened!

Hilarious Cross-cultural gem

Jesse tells a stories and jokes alike with great timing and inflection. Being able to listen to him switch back and forth between Mandarin and English really made this enjoyable.

Hilarious, poingant, endearing, and... hopeful.

Jesse's reading of his book is something I'll be re-listening to over and over. When I listened to this audiobook, if someone else was in the room with me, they'd be drawn in and would find reasons to stay in the room to keep listening. Jesse is engaging, hilarious, and the book is a love story to Chinese culture's -- but honestly any culture's -- unique sense of self and humor.

I heard about the book initially because I love tea, and The Algorithm by which we all live our lives suggested his tea channel on Instagram years ago. I've been following ever since for his knowledge and humor. Thank you, Jesse, for this gem. Looking forward to the next one. (No pressure 😂)