Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures Zhuoyi Wang presented an invited talk at Syracuse University, hosted by the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, on Feb. 6. Wang framed the 2024 Chinese blockbuster Her Story (Hao dongxi) as a “stand-up film” and explored how it borrows stand-up comedy’s rapid verbal wit while navigating the political risks of “punching up.”
Wang situated the film alongside the rise of Chinese female stand-up comedians and the anti-feminist backlash they have faced, including the online weaponization of the term “women’s punches.” He argued that the film “pulls some of its punches” through ironic disclaimers and by redirecting its sharpest critique toward performative “feminist men,” while also “sheathing the blade” by embedding references to COVID lockdowns, tightening information control, and the decline of investigative journalism within a feel-good story of women’s alliances as spaces of care, healing, and muted resistance.
Posted February 16, 2026
