Dubbed as a Chinese Charlie Chaplin, Hou Baolin (1917-1993) is regarded as the most important master of Xiangsheng (crosstalk), a traditional Chinese verbal art that involves comical dialogues peppered with sarcasm and irony.

Hou, a native of Beijing, was born into a poor family. He learned about Peking Opera at the age of 12, but later switched to Xiangsheng, which he inherited from Zhu Kuoquan. Hou was the most renowned practitioner in the development of the art of Xiangsheng.

Hou performed at Gulou and Tianqiao in Beijing and in l940 made a name for himself in Tianjin. From then on Hou performed for 20 years with his partner, Guo Qiru. Hou lived in a turbulent period in Chinese history. After the founding of new China, the social status of folk artists rose considerably and Hou joined the Quyi Art Troupe of the Chinese Broadcasting Recitation and the Ballad Troupe. Enthusiastically, Hou plunged into the cause of reforming Xiangsheng by discarding the dross and selecting the essentials to make the content more wholesome.

Hou's contributions to the art of Xiangsheng were varied. First of all, Hou took the lead in purifying scripts by getting rid of vulgarities and re-edited many traditional scripts for the stage. Secondly, he stressed theoretical research in Xiangsheng during production and performance. Hou made friends with scholars and co-authored A Collection of Articles on the Art of Xiangsheng and other works. Thirdly, Hou wrote some 30 scripts, the most representative of which are Marriage and Superstition, A Miraculous Skill Brings Destruction, Lord Guan Fights Qin Qiong, Opera and Dialect, The Drunkard and The Opera Fan.

Shortly before his death, Hou said he hoped crosstalk would grow vigorously and that more performers would take his place.

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