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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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 some props!
01:02:42 When you know the basics, you can do anything!
01:04:48 Jesse apprenticed with Master Ding for a few years
01:08:20 It’s always too good to have more tea friends and performers on the pod!
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