Light in the early, dark days of the pandemic

Jia says on the spot she felt her character, though caring about the man's plight, might also be preoccupied by one other little matter－not being paid by the customer.

"So I improvised, adding one detail: picking up his phone and scanning the transaction QR code to make sure I was paid. Xue couldn't stop laughing as she monitored the filming."

Jia, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, had her entree to show business as a crosstalk performer. In that role she appeared in CCTV's Spring Festival gala, the country's most watched television show, in 2010.

With more popular variety shows ranging from Top Funny Comedian to Ace vs Ace, Jia became a top-ranking comedian, which in turn led to Hi, Mom, adapted from a comedy sketch by Jia in 2016 with the same title.

However, Jia insists that in the film world she is still a novice.

"If you have a movie dream you need to pull out all the stops to pursue it. Audiences will see how earnest you are. Never quit your dream, and never forget to constantly check yourself: Are you remaining 100 percent committed?"

On how to become an excellent comedian, Jia says, there are no shortcuts. Instead, one needs to rely on accumulating experience over weeks, months and years.

"Sometimes I worry about whether my acting is good enough to make people laugh. The only thing you can do to prepare for this is constantly to adjust and polish your performance and script, treating every performance with utmost seriousness."