Your current location:HOME >opinions >Popular Chinese crosstalk comedians bring laughter, cultural charisma to London 正文
TIME:2024-05-21 16:06:40 Source: Internet compilationEdit:opinions
Guo Degang is a popular Chinese traditional crosstalk comedian who has over 15 million followers on
Guo Degang is a popular Chinese traditional crosstalk comedian who has over 15 million followers on China's video-sharing platform Douyin.[Photo/Xinhua]
Thunderous laughter and applause almost blew off the roof of an auditorium in London's ExCeL Exhibition Centre on Saturday night, when a punchline by Guo Degang, a popular Chinese traditional crosstalk comedian, landed with an audience of thousands.
Along with Guo and his partner Yu Qian, a handful of comedians from the De Yun She Performance Group performed Xiangsheng, or crosstalk comedy, with both jokes about life anecdotes and traditional crosstalk episodes.
"Laughter is contagious and that is what makes the art form of crosstalk comedy powerful," said Guo, a leading character in both the performance group and the industry.
Guo and his group started their first overseas tour in Australia in 2011. Since then, they have performed in places including the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore. This was the group's second time performing in London.
"The outcome of our years of international tours has made me realize the enduring vitality of traditional art," he said, adding that such performances can help overseas Chinese overcome homesickness through "voices in their mother tongue" and introduce traditional Chinese culture to a broader audience.
"Ever since I started learning Chinese, I've been interested in Xiangsheng," Christian Elliott, an audience member who has been learning Chinese for more than five years, told Xinhua. He wanted to see how much of the show he could understand given that there is a difference "between knowing conversational Chinese and knowing 'full' Chinese."
Elliott added that such an experience can help him learn more about the Chinese culture, history and the way people from a different background think.
Saturday's show was also the first public appearance in London for a few younger-generation performers, among whom was Meng Hetang, who joined the group in 2008.
Meng said that young inheritors of time-honored art forms, like himself, need to not only adhere to and promote tradition, but also innovate to keep pace with modern times. He performed his recently-created episode during the show.
In recent years, crosstalk comedy is becoming increasingly popular in China, especially with young people. Guo alone currently has over 15 million followers on China's video-sharing platform Douyin, while other fellow performers have several million followers each.
With London being the first stop of its Europe tour this year, the group was expected to perform in cities including Glasgow, Paris, Milan and Madrid in the upcoming month.
Revealed: Brit tourist, 19, subjected to sex attack in Majorca 'was gang2024-05-21 15:17
IMF: Outlook for world economy is brighter, though still modest by historical standards2024-05-21 15:04
Girls Aloud poke fun at iconic clip where Cheryl insisted they would NEVER get back together2024-05-21 14:56
Weedkiller manufacturer seeks lawmakers' help to squelch claims it failed to warn about cancer2024-05-21 14:54
Burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police from the top of 60ft high roof during nine2024-05-21 14:53
Chinese president appoints new ambassadors2024-05-21 14:45
Charges against Trump and Jan. 6 rioters are at stake2024-05-21 14:39
ITV are quietly shelving a popular spin2024-05-21 14:09
College baseball notebook: Conference tournaments to decide NCAA automatic bids and many at2024-05-21 13:21
China's modified Long March2024-05-21 13:20
Mohammad Mokhber: Who is Iran’s acting president?2024-05-21 16:00
Wisconsin Republicans ignore governor's call to spend $125M to combat so2024-05-21 15:36
Company believes it found sunken barge in Ohio River near Pittsburgh, one of 26 that got loose2024-05-21 15:25
Man City vs. Real Madrid could hinge on the fitness of one player. Just ask Vinicius Jr.2024-05-21 15:11
Biden says Brown v. Board of Education ruling was about more than education2024-05-21 14:59
Belgian police shut down a far right conference as it rallies ahead of Europe's June elections2024-05-21 14:57
North Korea is buying Chinese surveillance cameras in a push to tighten control, report says2024-05-21 14:53
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 32,4142024-05-21 14:40
Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia2024-05-21 14:35
A London court rules against a Muslim girl who wanted to pray at a school known for strict rules2024-05-21 14:28