In the past year, some visitors to the National Center for the Performing Arts have been puzzled over program schedules that list five venues, because they could only find four of them inside the giant egg-shaped structure in Beijing.

The fifth, it turns out, is a few miles to the east on the Second Ring Road. More unique than its location is its exclusive devotion to the art of comedy.

The Beijing Comedy Theater opened on July 16, 2015, with a bang.