Wang Jianguo, 31, another participant of the show, from Jinzhou, Northeast China's Liaoning province, used to be a screenplay writer. He packed it in to be a full-time stand-up because he wants to "show" what he writes, but he admits that it is exhausting to create a constant stream of new jokes.

"There is no master-apprentice system," he says.

Veteran cross-talk performer Yu Qian, who has over 30 years' experience on stage, joined Rock and Roast as a guest. Cross-talk, known as xiangsheng, is a traditional Chinese stage comedy form, especially popular in northern China.

"Xiangsheng emphasizes playing with words, but stand-up comedy focuses more on an interactive atmosphere and is more impromptu," Yu says.

"When the same joke is told to different audiences, the effect will be thoroughly different. I came here to look at the possibility of combining the genres.

"Though xiangsheng and stand-up comedy come from different cultural backgrounds and have their own distinctive path of development, the highest-level performers of the two genres share a resonance because they all naturally 'play' with the rigors of everyday life in their own styles," says the 50-year-old cross-talk performer.

"Personality should be nurtured in stand-up comedy, but to cultivate potential talent and benefit the growth of the genre, some systematic training methods-just like those of xiangsheng-can also be adopted," Yu suggests.