Comedy is on the rise in China, and one of its unlikeliest stars is a cross-dressing performer known as Xiao Shenyang, or "Little Shenyang." The 29-year-old comedian has a reputation for gender-bending costumes and occasional vulgarity. Little Shenyang appeared in last year's Lunar New Year gala show organized by state-run CCTV. While his jokes were scrubbed clean of sexual innuendo that night, the fresh-faced youth did wear a skirt - calling it a "Scottish kilt." Little Shenyang was an instant hit with the show's 600 million–strong audience.

中國喜劇方興未艾，其中最有傳奇色彩的明星之一便是男扮女裝的小沈陽。這名29歲的喜劇演員以性別顛倒的著裝以及不時的粗俗之舉而出名。去年，他現(xiàn)身中國中央電視臺春節(jié)聯(lián)歡晚會，當晚雖沒有“黃段子”，這名新人還是穿了一條裙子——他稱之為“蘇格蘭裙”。于是，在這臺晚會的6億多觀眾面前，小沈陽一炮走紅。

In person, Little Shenyang is modest, even polite, making it hard to imagine him telling off-color jokes, prancing about in full makeup and sequined hair clips, squeaking, "I'm all man!" In an interview with NEWSWEEK, he denied that his unconventional stage persona had any homosexual message. "It's just a performing style to make people laugh, to be closer to real life," he says.

私底下，小沈陽很謙遜，甚至彬彬有禮，讓人很難想到他會講下流笑話、化著濃妝帶著閃亮的發(fā)卡在臺上蹦蹦跳跳，同時高喊：“我是純爺們！”在接受《時代周刊》記者采訪時，他否認自己的非正統(tǒng)舞臺形象有任何同性戀暗示。他說：“這只是逗笑形式，為了更貼近真實生活?！?/div>

The Little Shenyang phenomenon is mainly the provenance of China's post-80s generation. But it's also a throwback to earlier. Westerners sometimes perceive Chinese society - incorrectly - as sexually conservative. In fact, cross-dressing performers and gay culture had thrived in China for centuries.

小沈陽現(xiàn)象主要源于中國的80后一代。但這也可以追溯到更早。西方人誤以為中國社會在性方面很保守，而事實上，男扮女裝表演以及同性戀文化曾在中國盛行了幾百年。

"I don't know what is regarded as 'vulgar,' but I know audiences like my performances," Little Shenyang says.

小沈陽在接受采訪時這么說：“我不知道什么是‘俗’，但我知道觀眾喜歡我的表演。”