Traditional Chinese Folk Performance, Storytelling, and Artistry with Henry Tang

Hello tea friends! On this very special episode of Teatime with Jesse, we have Henry Tang, a traditional Pingshu performer. 

This was such a treat to watch! Watch the full episode of Teatime with Jesse, we have Henry Tang, a traditional Pingshu performer:

We talk about life in Beijing, traditional storytelling, how folk performers differ from modern performers, standup comedy, and my time as an apprentice. Sip on some white tea while we go down memory lane and Henry performs a traditional romance piece!

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#whitetea #chineselanguagelearning #apprenticeship #traditionalfolkart #performingarts #pingshu #pingshuperformers #foreignerinchina #foreignerinbeijing #teatimewithjesse #jessesteahouse #yourchineseteaguy #gongfucha #kungfutea 

0:29 Welcome to Jesse’s Teahouse

0:38 Meet Henry Tang, traditional Pingshu performer

01:17 Meet Henry Tang (in Chinese)

01:51 Three Treasures Tea

2:50 Jesse got into tea while in Beijing

2:54 The Maliandao Tea Market is the biggest tea market in China

3:36 Did you have a special tea that you liked growing up?

4:27 Henry is going to share a Ping Xu performance

4:40 It’s hard to find a translator

5:44 Henry performs three kingdoms

8:29 What is three kingdoms

9:40 Around 2000 years ago…

10:13 Each storyteller has their own style

12:40 My original idea for Jesse’s Teahouse came from China

13:30 What does a traditional Beijing teahouse look like

20:16 If you know the technique, you can adjust style for any kind of performance

21:10 Storytelling isn’t accurate

21:28 Ping means analyze, shu is “story”

21:55 You have to add the storytelling element

22:27 A one man show is harder than a two man show

23:30 Playing different characters as a one man act

24:05 Pingshu performers should try standup

25:11 One hour each week, doing a whole story

26:30 How the Internet has affected storytelling

26:55 Why Pingshu stays alive

27:30 You can’t do Pingshu in a restaurant

28:25 The environment of the performance is very important

29:34 Pingshu is immersive

30:20 What is the thing that makes live performance special

31:02 A person who tells jokes to others is a comedian. A person who tells jokes to themselves is crazy.

32:24 Practice makes perfect

32:39 What are these robes?

33:38 Comedians wear this in China

34:00 It’s retro

37:40 Performers used to ask for payment during the show

39:04 Traditional folk artists being perceived as “beggars” from street performing

42:54 Women overcome an extra obstacle in traditional storytelling

44:09 Teaching versus performing

45:00 Prior generation performers don’t always want to teach

45:42 Don’t steal jokes

48:20 Teaching styles in performing arts

48:50 Your teacher is watching you silently

50:26 Standup comedy culture

51:05 Getting a foundation for performance

53:00 Joe Wong started comedy in class

54:46 What are the benefits of an apprenticeship

58:45 Storytelling isn’t just performance, it’s networking, communicating, and managing relationships

59:30 Henry brought