BEIJING, May 7 -- Comic laureate Zhao Benshan quietly enrolled at Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Graduate School on Monday in order to become a qualified CEO. It's no joke. The "King of Sitcom" is paying up to HK$550,000 (US$71,000) for an 18-day course that will also have classes in leafy Lausanne, London and New York.

    Zhao can afford it, according to daqi.com, which lists him as China's richest comedian. Among his many earners are TV and film appearances, numerous product endorsements and a company with a stable of well-known comedians.

    "I feel great," the Web site quotes him as saying. "I'm not well educated and I hope to learn how to manage an enterprise in a scientific way." Insiders say Zhao intends to make errenzhuan (singing and dancing with red hankies, followed by earthy skits) a global phenomenon. Good luck, he'll need it.

    The master's brightest pupil, Xiao Shen Yang, meanwhile, is learning that fame is a double-edged sword. Last month gossip hounds discovered him and his party dispute a bill for 1,100 yuan (US$160) at a restaurant in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. Portal Vodone had a 10-minute segment this week on the late-breaking news, poring over who said what. Xiao Shen Yang eventually paid up.

    (Source: China Daily)