Catch Award-Winning Comedian Ian Badenhorst in Beijing This Sat, Jul 11

Katie Coy, Managing Editor | Jul 10, 2026 3:43 am | Add a comment | 0 reads

South African comedian Ian Badenhorst will be hitting up Beijing this Saturday, Jul 11, with the comedy club version of his hit show My Life in China. Based in Shanghai, Badenhorst is a veteran of China's English-language comedy scene, having spent more than a decade in the industry where he's worked alongside numerous big international comedians who have visited China.

Badenhorst has also made history as the first foreign entertainer to get a full-time visa for performing English stand-up comedy, paving the way for other international comics to pursue comedy as a full-time career. In 2025, he toured sold-out theaters nationwide with the Spicy Comedy All Stars, while his solo show My Life in China has earned praise from audiences and industry professionals for its relatable take on cultural differences, marriage and adapting to life in a new country.

Ahead of his headline show in the capital, we caught up with Badenhorst to chat about his journey into stand-up, making comedy history in China and what audiences can expect this coming Saturday.

How long have you been doing stand-up for, and what first got you into comedy?

I've been doing stand-up comedy for just over ten years, and I've been headlining for about three of those.

I've always been into entertainment, and I was a comedy producer for five years. I started performing because all the comedians I produced shows for insisted that I was funny enough to get on stage. In 2015, I made a New Year's resolution to do stand-up comedy before the end of the year, so on December 30, 2015, I got on stage for the first time.

For those unfamiliar with you, how would you describe your style of comedy?

The comedy that I do in China—which has been adjusted a lot for an international audience—is story-driven and anecdotal, as well as observational, with big act-outs and quite accessible humor. My personal sense of humor, though, is as I would describe it: quick-witted and a little dark sometimes. But this show is very positive.