MUZI MUZIChinese Matrix

Xiangsheng (Crosstalk)

One sets up the joke, the other plays the foil

Introduction

Telling, mimicking, teasing and singing: the comic word-play of Beijing and Tianjin

Xiangsheng is the comic quyi form that draws laughter through telling, mimicking, teasing and singing, performed in Beijing speech as a solo, a duo or a group piece; in the duo one performer leads the jokes and the other plays the foil. It formed in Beijing around the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns of the Qing, earlier going by names such as 'imitation' and 'behind-the-wall play', then flourished in Beijing and Tianjin, where Tianjin crosstalk is known for sharp satire and fast pace. Its masters include Zhang Shouchen, Ma Sanli, Hou Baolin and Ma Ji, and its signature pieces include Promoted Three Grades at Once, Lord Guan Fights Qin Qiong and Snatching the Jacket. Its southern relatives Dujiaoxi (V-68), Xiaorehun (V-38) and the Southern Min Dazuigu (V-37) are also on the national list.

Timeline

Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns of the Qing to present
1860 · OriginXiangsheng formed in Beijing in the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns; in the Tongzhi and Guangxu years Zhu Shaowen, stage name Qiongbupa, performed in the open at Tianqiao, and most later performers trace their lineage to him.1927 · EvolutionIn 1927 the xiaorehun performers Jiang Xiaoxiao and Bao Lele took Fruit Jokes to Shanghai, and southern comic storytelling grew from there into dujiaoxi and huajixi.1950 · EvolutionIn 1950 the Beijing Crosstalk Improvement Group was formed, and writers such as Lao She helped revise and write pieces, raising the art's standard.2008 · ImpactIn 2008 xiangsheng entered the second national list (V-47), nominated by the China Broadcasting Art Troupe, the Beijing Song and Dance Theatre and Tianjin; dujiaoxi (V-68) entered in the same batch.
  1. 1860OriginXiangsheng formed in Beijing in the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns; in the Tongzhi and Guangxu years Zhu Shaowen, stage name Qiongbupa, performed in the open at Tianqiao, and most later performers trace their lineage to him.
  2. 1927EvolutionIn 1927 the xiaorehun performers Jiang Xiaoxiao and Bao Lele took Fruit Jokes to Shanghai, and southern comic storytelling grew from there into dujiaoxi and huajixi.
  3. 1950EvolutionIn 1950 the Beijing Crosstalk Improvement Group was formed, and writers such as Lao She helped revise and write pieces, raising the art's standard.
  4. 2008ImpactIn 2008 xiangsheng entered the second national list (V-47), nominated by the China Broadcasting Art Troupe, the Beijing Song and Dance Theatre and Tianjin; dujiaoxi (V-68) entered in the same batch.

Heritage Listings

  1. 2006National list1st batch · V-37 Dazuigu · no. 273 · nominated by Xiamen · Fujian
  2. 2006National list1st batch · V-38 Xiaorehun · no. 274 · nominated by Hangzhou · Zhejiang · 2011 extension: Changzhou · Jiangsu
  3. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · V-47 Xiangsheng · no. 740 · nominated by the China Broadcasting Art Troupe · Beijing Song and Dance Theatre Co. and Tianjin
  4. 2008National list2nd batch · V-68 Dujiaoxi · no. 761 · nominated by Huangpu District · Shanghai · and Hangzhou · Zhejiang