What should you do when you just want to say hello to somebody? You can make a phone call or text a greeting. But the easiest way to keep in touch with people in China is probably by sharing a joke with them through your cell phone. That's what millions of Chinese do everyday.

Among a recent flurry of jokes or wisecracks I've received and reposted was this one from a fellow parent concerned about rising education costs: A student tells his father that he wants to join his school's musical band and he needs to buy his own musical instrument. "Son, we're poor," his father says, giving him a chopstick. "Why don't you try to be a conductor?"

Last weekend, my boss sent me a joke on how anger had affected the lifespan of some famous Chinese people. While laughing at its cleverness, I wondered why he would send me a joke which basically implies the smartest person will neither annoy nor be annoyed by others.