De Yun She Opens Shanghai Theater, Blending Northern Xiangsheng with Southern Culture

De Yun She, China's leading crosstalk troupe, opened its first permanent theater in Shanghai yesterday, marking a landmark for northern folk art to take root in the southern metropolis.

Founder Guo Degang and partner Yu Qian, joined by four generations of performers, inaugurated the venue at Qunzhong Cinema on Sichuan Road N., Hongkou District.

The debut week shows sold out immediately, with more than 120,000 people marking "want to see" online, showing strong local enthusiasm.

Guo said De Yun She has staged large shows in Shanghai for nearly 20 years and finally has a permanent home, according to the report by Shanghai Morning Post. "Shanghai audiences are educated and love xiangsheng. The city is highly inclusive," he noted.

The opening puts to rest long-running questions over whether northern-style xiangsheng would suit Shanghai's taste.

Years ago, a high-profile debate likened northern xiangsheng audiences to "garlic eaters" and Shanghai's elite to "coffee drinkers," implying a cultural divide.

Today, the new theater features a coffee area and sells coffee cups in the shape of a garlic, turning the old stereotype into a symbol of cultural integration.

Performers will adapt content to local young viewers, adding Shanghai-style jokes and impromptu interactions without forced localization, Yu and young stars such as Qin Xiaoxian and Meng Hetang said.

The theater's launch signals the growing popularity of traditional crosstalk in Shanghai and deeper cultural fusion between north and south China.