Zhou Libo (周立波) rejects an offer to appear at CCTV's Chinese New Year Gala

One of Shanghai's funniest says he's not ready to take the national stage yet, preferring to hone his craft at home

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Zhou Libo confirms rumors that he declined an inviatation to perform at the CCTV Chinese New Year Gala show and explains why he's staying put in Shanghai.

When speaking about comedy in China, names like Zhao Benshan (赵本山) and Guo Degang (郭德刚) quickly come to mind. But the city has become enamored with a Shanghainese-language comedian who has a biting wit that only Shanghai’s hubris could have produced -- Zhou Libo (周立波).

I’d like to help improve Shanghai’s GDP, so you will have to come to Shanghai if you wanted to see my show.

— Zhou Libo

Since his sudden rise to fame last year, the “Shanghai-style clean talk” (海派清口) comedian has become a household name -- and not only in Shanghai, but across China as well. Directors of CCTV’s Chinese New Year Gala show, China’s biggest television event celebrating the Year of the Tiger, took notice of Zhou Libo's popularity and recently approached the 42-year-old Shanghai native to perform at the event.

Although the show would give Zhou Libo the opportunity to be seen by almost one billion television viewers, he turned down the offer saying, “I can only be responsible to my Shanghai fans, I am not ready to be responsible to the people of the whole nation.”

Many consider the CCTV’s New Year’s Gala show as a stepping stone to nationwide recognition, and are astounded that Zhou Libo rejected the offer and continues to insist that he’ll only perform on Shanghai stages.

“I am a stand-up comedian, not an actor. Stage is where a comedian belongs,” says Zhou Libo in response to his critics. “Just being on the New Year Gala doesn’t make one a real artist. If I agreed to go on the show for the fame, then I’d be being irresponsible person to my Shanghai audiences.”

Frequently performing at the Majestic Theatre in Shanghai, Zhou Libo explains why he doesn’t book shows in other parts of China: “My jokes involve many Shanghai-related linguistic, historical and cultural references, so I don’t expect folks outside Shanghai to find me as funny.”

Zhou Libo is a true Shanghairen at heart, “I’d like to help improve Shanghai’s GDP, so you will have to come to Shanghai if you wanted to see my show.”