WHILE Errenzhuan (二人转) has gained in popularity over the past few years, not least as a result of comedians such as Xiao Shenyang, so has the Western equivalent of the ancient art form – stand-up comedy。

　　Stand-up comedy differs from Errenzhuan. It normally features a single person on stage, as opposed to a duet. Although music is sometimes included, other features such as dance are a lot rarer。

　　Instead, stand-up comedy is usually just one person, a microphone and the audience. Whether the comedian bombs or has people in fits of laughter is all down to his or her skill。

　　I never used to like the idea of stand-up comedy. It seemed too *forced for me. "I'll laugh when I feel like it," I thought. I don't want to have someone stood in front of me, pressuring me to *chuckle。

　　Stand-ups also have a reputation for *picking on their audience. If you sit close to the front of the stage, you'd better be careful. One cough or wrong move, and the comedian will pounce. Before long, you are the focus of all the jokes。

　　But a couple of years ago, I went to see a comedian who changed my opinion – British stand-up Stewart Lee. He is not hugely famous, but instead of jokes, he told very funny, often long stories about his life. His delivery was *dry, and he had a very quick wit. I soon began to appreciate just how hard it is to make people laugh on demand。

　　The great thing about stand-ups is that you hardly ever see two that are the same. There are so many different approaches, and people from all sorts of backgrounds can make people laugh in different ways。

　　For example, one of the most popular stand-up comedians in the world is Chris Rock. Rock is African-American, and uses his race, and the problems he faces because of it, as material for his routines. He turns a topic that is normally serious, into something funny。

　　"A black C student can't be a manager at Burger King, meanwhile a white C student just happens to be the President of the United States," he once joked about racism in the United States during George Bush's presidency。

　　That is the beauty of stand-up comedy. Just about anything can be turned into a joke。

　　Some classic stand-up lines

　　About a month into a relationship, a woman will look at you and go: "Promise me something. Promise.... you'll NEVER lie to me." "I promise," I say. And that's the first time we lie to you。

　　-Russell Peters

　　You gotta see English crime. It's hilarious, you don't know if you're reading the front page or the comic section over there. I read an article in the paper one day, in England. "Yesterday, some hooligans knocked over a dustbin in Shaftesbury." Wooooo. The hooligans are loose! I would hate to be a dustbin in Shaftesbury tonight。

　　-Bill Hicks

　　My favorite road sign is "Falling Rocks". What exactly am I supposed to do with that information? They may as well have a sign saying "Random accidents ahead", "Life's a lottery, Be lucky."

　　-Jimmy Carr