Chinese Traditional Cross Talk

Usually, Cross Talk (Xiangsheng), a comic dialogue, features two men humorously sparring back and forth. By vivid and rich descriptions of characters and events, it is intended to express thought-provoking things behind the humor. Although cross talkers, now highly respected and recognized as folk artists, worship Dongfang Shuo of Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) as their forefather, it is in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that this popular plebeian culture began to prosper. In early years, street cross talkers in Beijing's Tian Qiao area included Qiongbupa (not-fearing poverty), Wanrenmi (adored-by-ten-thousand-people) and Li Dexi. They wrote and performed many popular pieces, making indelible contributions to the development of this art form. Although Beijing was home to the cross talk, the port city of Tianjin, with its proximity to Beijing, was a place where cross talkers must go to perform. Gradually, Tianjin became a place where any new pieces had to be first performed and recognized before being staged in Beijing. Many famous cross talkers all once performed in Tianjin for many years before their names were widely known across the country, including Ma Sanli, Hou Baolin, Zhang Shouchen, Chang Lianan, Chang Yukun, Chan Baoting, Bai Quanfu, Su Wenmao, Gao Yingpei, Fan Zhenyu, etc. Although Tianjin is not the birthplace of the cross talk, it is a city that once cultivated many famous cross talkers who has achieved artistic excellence of unique depth. The cross talk is loved by the people of Tianjin and has become a glamor of the city.