soeaking,imitating,teasing,and singing are the basic skills of Xiangsheng
1 min readXiangsheng,sometimes translated as crosstalk,is a traditional Chinese comedic performance in the form of a dialogue between two performers or more,even a solo monologue.
The language,rich in puns and allusions,is delivered in a rapid, Bantering style.Xiangsheng is one of China’s foremost performing arts,and is typically performed in the Beijing dialect.
Xiangsheng rose as a performing act during the Ming Dynasty. From the Qing Dynasty to the 1920s,Xiangsheng gradually developed to become a style of comedic monologue.Later Xiangsheng came to be performed as a dialogue and sometimes even in groups of three or more.
The earliest Xiangsheng comedian known by name is Zhang Sanlu,who performed in the mid-nineteenth century.
After the PRC was established in 1949,Xiangsheng became more and more popular.Today,it’s heavily featured in the CCTV New Year’s Gala program and countless other performance shows in China.Jump into a cab in Beijing,and chances are your driver will be listening to a radio broadcast or an old tape of a crosstalk performance.
These days,more and more foreigners are becoming interested in studying the art of crosstalk.Some foreigners can master the art and their performances are real eye-poppers for Chinese audiences, such as Canadian Mark Roswell,who goes by Da Shan.He has been a famous TV host in China for many years.
