Another shift since the last comedy boom, which took place in the 1980s: The tools available for stand-up acts to cultivate their fan base have grown, explains Brian McKim, editor and publisher of online comedy source Sheckymagazine.
In the southern China boom town of Shenzhen last month, four young women started up their own reporting team for a "shanzhai television station" that spoofs local news and uses a camera tripod fashioned from a fanstand and a toilet plunger.