The first xiangsheng artists were Zhang Sanlu and Zhu Shaowen, the latter's stage name being Qiong Bupa. Qiong used to perform in the entertainment quarter of Beijing known as Tianqiao. He always began with a ragged verse that started and ended with the same word (something like a palindrome phrase). Then he imitated the street hawkers' peculiar cries and sang some ancient songs. As the audience grew, he started his proper xiangsheng item. His stage name originated from a poem inscribed on a pair of bamboo clappers (a kind of percussion instrument) that he had used. The words on the clapper were, "Eating by begging from many houses and sleeping in ancient temple s. Never do anything against the law, and don't be afraid of seeing the emperor." Zhu's four apprentices all had similar-styled stage names.

Zhu and his two contemporaries, A Yantao and Shen Chunhe, formed the three earliest big categories of xiangsheng artists who passed on their skills to their disciples. Now, after over a century's development, xiangsheng art has ushered in its eighth generation of artists.

Since the late Qing Dynasty, xiangsheng art has made great advances in content and skills, and representative artists have emerged in different periods. For instance, in the late Qing period a group of artists whose names all contained the character "de" arose, including Yu Delong, Jiao Dehai, Zhou Deshan, and so on. People called them the Eight "Des" of Xiangsheng.

There were Li Dexi with the stage name of Wan Renmi and Zhang Shouchang (and his style of art) in the early 20th century. After the founding of the New China in 1949 , talented artists Hou Baolin, Ma Sanli, Ma Ji who was Hou's student, and Ma Ji's student Jiang Kun all displayed highly distinctive skills and have become very famous artists.

Categories of xiangsheng

The earliest form was performed by one person, and was called Dankou xiangsheng. Its contents were mostly jokes and humorous stories.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.