Chi Zi [Photo/Courtesy of Xiaoguo Culture Company]

Do you reply to your fans' messages on Sina Weibo?

I reply to some. My fans are quite magical [interesting]. Whatever I post, some leave comments to ridicule me. There are familiar names who comment frequently and I interact with them, too. Just a few days ago, I posted a short video of me performing as a news anchor and a fan left a message: "In addition to talk-show performer, the requirement for a news anchor also turns out to be very low." And I replied to her with something like "Hahaha that's a good one!" I think this kind of relationship is very nice – they make fun of me and I can react.

What was your environment like growing up? Is your family pretty jokey?

Yes! But mainly it's me who's always joking around – my relatives all know that I'm a noisy and naughty boy. I grew up in Henan province, came to Beijing around seven to eight years old, then went to school until high school. After gaokao [the Higher Education Exam], I stayed at home, then I started in talk shows. So this has been my path.

Since I was little, my environment has been very free and my parents have educated me with their very free mindset. What I want to learn, I do; what I want to do, they support me – as long as I don't commit crimes. Like if I want to learn ping-pong, I go for it; if I want to learn taekwondo, I go for it. They wouldn't force anything on me, like, "You must learn piano." So the environment I've grown up in has been very free.

When you decided to skip university, were your parents supportive?

I can't say they were fully supportive… they considered it, then discussed. So it's not like "Whatever I say is right." Everyone analyses the situation rationally.

But you didn't think about doing a talk show at that time.

I didn't think about doing a talk show even when I started to do one. The better you are at something, the more you don't take it seriously. Everyone knows I have sense of humour and I know it too, so it didn't cross my mind to make a business out of it. It's quite a surprise – it all just happened, I think.

Do you think you express your true self in your shows?

It's pretty much my true self – there are actually not that many "performing" elements when I'm on stage. My offstage state is even crazier than that!

What's your plan for the future?

I don't think about things too far ahead; I just want to be an awesome talk-show performer, and my small goal is to be a DJ.

What are you like in private?

Like a psycho. I'm quite quiet when I'm alone or when I see complete strangers.

Is humour universal?

I think so, for sure. We all like to laugh and we all like things that can make us laugh. I think that's universal.

Describe yourself in three words.

Quick-witted, cool and out-of-the-box.