In Chiwi, Summer Xia takes you on a hilarious journey of becoming a ‘Chiwi,’ navigating life as a first-gen Chinese immigrant in New Zealand. Through sharp observations and personal stories, she explores family, identity, and belonging, all while challenging stereotypes and sharing her experiences with casual racism and her parents' obsession with grandchildren.
In her solo comedy debut A Lil Chiwi’s Adventure, Summer Xia takes audiences on a delightfully sharp, irreverent, and deeply personal journey through the overlapping — and sometimes colliding — worlds of Chinese and Kiwi culture. With warmth, wit, and a bold sense of humour, Xia explores what it means to find your identity when your life is shaped by multiple languages, expectations, and communities.
The show opens with a gesture both meaningful and cheeky — every audience member receives a small red envelope, a traditional hóngbāo, often given out during Chinese New Year as a symbol of luck and prosperity. As Xia notes with a grin, she’s the only Chinese person in the room, so Chinese New Year is officially whenever she says it is. This playful declaration sets the tone for the evening: Xia is our cultural interpreter, our comedic guide, and our mischievous host.
What follows is an hour of quick-fire jokes, well-observed storytelling, and cultural comparison delivered with ease and flair. She riffs on the difference between Marmite and soy sauce, Kiwi slang versus Chinese exclamations, and the metaphorical panda that looms behind every identity debate. These contrasts are never simplistic; instead, they serve as a launching point for a thoughtful examination of how identity is shaped, challenged, and redefined in the immigrant experience.
A standout thread throughout the show is Xia’s relationship with her family — especially her role as the dutiful daughter who both honours and questions the traditions she was raised with. She walks a fine line between affection and satire, sharing stories about navigating parental expectations, translating her Kiwi husband’s quirks to her Chinese parents (and vice versa), and the humorous — but real — cultural gaps that emerge around topics like weight, marriage, and grandchildren.
Her comedic timing is matched by a knack for physical comedy. A few well-placed dance moves add flair and exaggeration, while her use of silence, pauses, and facial expression draws laughs as effectively as her punchlines. The performance is structured almost like a comedic lecture and littered with mini TED Talks, complete with rhetorical questions, visual cues (real or imagined), and the kind of self-aware humour that makes the audience feel like co-conspirators rather than just spectators.
But Xia doesn’t shy away from more serious topics either. Casual racism, sexuality, birthing, bodily autonomy, and the unspoken pressure to conform — all find their place in the set, delivered with a matter-of-factness that cuts through potential discomfort and instead invites connection. There’s a recurring observation that language is more than just vocabulary. Words like “mahi,” for example, are loaded with cultural meaning, yet often reduced to single-word translations. Rather than the the usual "nǐ hǎo", Xia teaches the audience phrases they will actually remember, like niú bēi. In moments like this, Xia isn’t just telling jokes — she’s interrogating how meaning is made and shared across cultures, and how dirty words are just words when not your first language.
The show’s most touching moments arise when Xia reflects on her journey to feeling at home in her own skin. Her decision to move to New Zealand, marry a Kiwi man, and settle into a life that blends — but doesn’t blur — cultural lines is presented with both humour and heart. She acknowledges the distance between herself and her heritage, but also the new forms of connection she has forged — especially with fellow immigrants and people navigating similar journeys of identity and belonging.
There is also a clear love for live performance in the way Xia interacts with the audience. She regularly checks in, tweaks her delivery based on the room’s reactions, and plays with Kiwi expectations of what comedy should be. These moments are less about control and more about conversation — a subtle reminder that identity is never one-way traffic. Her show doesn’t just showcase the Chinese immigrant experience; it invites Pākehā and other Kiwis to listen, laugh, and learn, all while seeing their own culture through a different lens.
A Lil Chiwi’s Adventure is bold without being brash, insightful without being heavy, and full of joy without ever ignoring the challenges that come with living between worlds. Xia’s gift lies in her ability to weave these elements together seamlessly — to offer stories that are personal but widely relatable, and jokes that land not just because they’re funny, but because they’re true.
As her first solo outing, this show marks an exciting milestone in Xia’s comedic career. She’s clearly a performer with a sharp eye for detail, a generous heart, and a fierce desire to create space for stories like hers — messy, multicultural, and filled with contradictions. If this is where her adventure begins, we can only look forward to the places she’ll take us next.
A sharp, warm, and wonderfully unfiltered hour of comedy that celebrates the messy beauty of life between cultures. A Lil Chiwi’s Adventure is a must-see for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t fully belong — or for anyone who wants to understand what that feels like. Summer Xia is a fresh voice in Kiwi comedy, and she’s got a lot more to say.
A lil Chiwi's Adventure ran from 22 May - 23 May 2025 at Auckland's Q Theatre, Cellar.
You'll have to catch her next time.
Presented as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo, from 2 – 24 May 2025