Al Rudaisat at a university soccer competition in June 2022. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In line with traditional Chinese values that emphasize the close teacher-student and master-apprentice relationship to pass on their knowledge and skills fully, Bo recalls being strict with him on several occasions.

"I made him cry once because he was responsible for an error, which was honestly just a minor mistake in spelling when announcing the contents onstage; as soon as he got backstage, I lectured and criticized him," Bo says, expressing the belief that only by treating everyone in the cross-talk profession equally, regardless of appearance or background, can the students understand and meet the requisite skills and standards.

In the cross-talk club, Bo and Al Rudaisat are master and apprentice, but outside it, they are like family. During traditional festivals, such as Dragon Boat or Mid-Autumn, Bo always invites his apprentices to celebrate alongside his family. Considering the dietary needs of Al Rudaisat, who is Muslim, Bo also carefully selects and prepares traditional Chinese dishes that are halal for the student.

"Hard work always pays off, and now Musab is comfortable showing himself onstage," Bo says.

"Musab is a great comedian; he saved our comedy show once. Since then, it has changed the way he is perceived in our club," Liu says, describing how Al Rudaisat's calm and collected demeanor had prevented a "potentially disastrous outcome".

"I forgot my lines, and the entire audience sank into an awkward silence for a couple of seconds, but fortunately, Musab's solid fundamentals and flexibility in his understanding of cross-talk reignited the atmosphere," he says. "The audience didn't even notice my mistake."

From then on, Liu and the others in the cross-talk club no longer viewed Al Rudaisat as a "foreign practitioner"; instead, Liu says: "We removed the 'foreign' label and started viewing him just like every other fellow comedian here. As his partner, I hope he can continue to be a qualified Chinese cross-talk comedian, accepted and understood by all."