Mingliu Teahouse

Tianjin is the hometown of xiangsheng - Chinese crosstalk - and Mingliu Teahouse is its most famous stage, a small, wooden, lantern-lit room where generations of comedians debuted. The nightly shows run two comics per pairing, rapid-fire routines in the dialect that built the art.

Language barrier aside, the physical comedy and prop humor travel, and the audience's reaction is entertainment in itself. Tickets are cheap, the tea comes with sunflower seeds, and you will leave having seen China's funniest city at work.