Jesse Appell is the catalyst of LaughBeijing.

Jesse is the type of guy that made funny videos in high school and convinced his teachers to accept them instead of essays.

Somehow, this approach to life scaled, and he convinced the US State Department to send him to China on a Fulbright fellowship to research Chinese comedy.

Now, Jesse works full-time learning what Chinese people think is funny.

He does this by performing Xiangsheng, a traditional type of Chinese comedy.

He does this by making silly videos that sometimes go viral.

He does this by performing on Chinese TV.

He does this by performing bilingual improv.

Jesse writes the comedy beat blog for China Personified and the LaughBeijing comedy blog as well.

Because sharing the Chinese sense of humor with the West is a big part of LaughBeijing’s purpose, Jesse has done interviews with media outlets to share the project with the English-speaking world.

Jesse is a proud graduate of Brandeis University and has studied at programs such as HBA, CET, and IUP in Beijing. Jesse lives in Beijing with his pet octopus, Copernicus.

He can be reached by electronic mail. Snail mail letters accepted if wax seal remains unbroken.