Dashan
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Mark Henry Rowswell, CM (born May 23, 1965), better known by his Chinese
stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Dashan (), is a Canadian comedian and television personality popular in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Relatively unknown in the West, from the late 1980s through the early 2000s Dashan was one of the most famous Western personalities in China's media industry, where he occupied a unique position as a foreign national who had become a domestic celebrity, largely through his repeated appearances on
China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
(CCTV) during that period. Since 2012 Dashan has largely turned away from mainstream media to focus on solo performances in live venues, helping to introduce stand-up comedy to China.


Biography


Education

Rowswell attended high school at Nepean High School in Ottawa, Ontario. Rowswell began studying Chinese while attending the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in 1984. His original Chinese name, as given by his Canadian Chinese-language teacher, was Lu Shiwei () based on his surname Rowswell. Upon graduation from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
with a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese studies in 1988, Rowswell was awarded a full scholarship to continue Chinese language studies at
Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
.


Early television appearances

Rowswell first appeared on Chinese television to host an international singing competition in November 1988. The following month he was invited to perform a comedic skit on national television during the ''
CCTV New Year's Gala The ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'', is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese N ...
'', a variety program broadcast to an estimated audience of 550 million people. The name "Dashan" ("big mountain" in Chinese) comes from the character Xu Dashan () that Rowswell played in the skit, which was entitled ''Ye gui'' (). The skit propelled him to national stardom overnight because of his fluent Chinese and delivery. Due to the abrupt nature of Dashan's rise to fame, he has been called an "accidental celebrity". However, his subsequent longevity and continuing prominence in the Chinese media more than two decades later suggest something more substantial. Many foreign nationals appear regularly on Chinese television, and foreigners fluent in the Chinese language are no longer a rarity. Yet no other foreign national has come close to the level of recognition and popularity in China enjoyed by Dashan.


Xiangsheng

Following Rowswell's first appearance as "Dashan", he began formal study of
xiangsheng Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It is typically performed as a dialogue between two performers, or rarely as ...
( a traditional Chinese comedic performance) with his mentor, comedian Jiang Kun (). In December 1989, Dashan became the first foreigner to be formally accepted into the strict xiangsheng hierarchy as a member of the "9th generation", a move that caused considerable controversy in Chinese performing arts circles at the time. Xiangsheng is often called "the art of comedic language", and as such is regarded in China as a highly skilled form of performing art beyond the reach of most native speakers, much less a foreigner.


1990–2012


''CCTV New Year's Gala''

Through the 1990s, Dashan appeared frequently on national and regional television programs across China to perform xiangsheng and comedic skits, including several appearances on
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
's annual television program celebrating the
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
, ''
CCTV New Year's Gala The ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'', is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese N ...
'' (), in 1998 and 1999. This program is China's most watched annual television event, with an estimated audience of 900 million to 1 billion viewers. Appearances on this and other programs gained Dashan wide recognition throughout China. Dashan's public xiangsheng performances decreased in the early 21st century. In a 2005 interview with the ''Chongqing Evening News'', Dashan stated that he seldom performs xiangsheng due to the increased requirements that performers stick to a stipulated topic as well as exceeding audience expectations since his televised debut. In early 2009 Dashan made a return to the ''CCTV New Year's Gala'' to perform a xiangsheng skit in which he appeared together with
Ma Dong Ma Dong () is iQIYI's chief content officer and a veteran producer, director, and host. Before coming to iQIYI, he worked for China Central Television from 2001 to 2013, having previously hosted programs at Henan Television. Ma continues to h ...
(), son of the famous xiangsheng master
Ma Ji Ma Ji (; 2 August 1934 – 20 December 2006), born Ma Shuhuai (), was a Chinese xiangsheng comedian. He was one of his generation's most popular and influential xiangsheng performers and was mentor to many younger performers. His disciples include ...
(). The skit received 2nd Prize in the audience choice awards announced at the end of the
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
holiday. With this performance, Dashan became (at the time) the only foreign national to have appeared on the ''
CCTV New Year's Gala The ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'', is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese N ...
'' a total of three times. Dashan made a fourth appearance on the ''
CCTV New Year's Gala The ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'', is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese N ...
'' in 2011, in a skit introducing and performing with several foreign students studying Chinese at
Confucius Institute Confucius Institutes (CI; ) are public educational and cultural promotion programs funded and arranged currently by the , a government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic o ...
s. The skit had no accompanied Chinese performers and was awarded second prize in the audience choice awards.


Television host

With the move away from xiangsheng, throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s Dashan increasingly worked in a non-comedic role as a freelance host or presenter of many varied television programs and live events, especially those with an international focus and requiring a bilingual (English/Chinese) emcee. Dashan also hosted numerous educational programs. Most notable of these include the
ESL English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...
series ''Dashan and Friends'' () and ''Dashan's Adventures'' () and programs teaching
Chinese as a foreign language Chinese as a foreign or second language is when non-native speakers study Chinese varieties. The increased interest in China from those outside has led to a corresponding interest in the study of Standard Chinese (a type of Mandarin Chinese) as ...
for CCTV International, including '' Travel In Chinese'' ().


Dramatic acting

Dashan has occasionally delved into dramatic acting, often to portray other famous foreigners in Chinese history. In 2005, he played the lead role in a 24-part television series ''Palace Artist'' () broadcast by
China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
, as the 18th-century Italian Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione. In 2006 and 2007, Dashan performed the lead role in ''
Red Star Over China ''Red Star Over China'' is a 1937 book by Edgar Snow. It is an account of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that was written when it was a guerrilla army and still obscure to Westerners. Along with Pearl S. Buck's ''The Good Earth'' (1931), it ...
'' (), a stage play based on the life and work of the American reporter
Edgar Snow Edgar Parks Snow (19 July 1905 – 15 February 1972) was an American journalist known for his books and articles on Communism in China and the Chinese Communist revolution. He was the first Western journalist to give an account of the history of ...
. In 2007 and 2008 he starred in a Chinese stage adaptation of the French comedy ''
Le Dîner de Cons ''Le Dîner de Cons'' () is a French comedy play by Francis Veber. Story Pierre Brochant, a Parisian publisher, attends a weekly "idiots' dinner", where guests, who are prominent Parisian businessmen, must bring along an "idiot" whom the other ...
'' (''The Dinner Game'' in English, ), which toured across China and for which he was awarded the prestigious White Magnolia Award for best supporting actor.


Beijing Olympics

Dashan served as team attaché to the
Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ...
for the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in Beijing.


Cultural ambassador

In many instances, Dashan has transcended the role of celebrity performer to become a cultural ambassador between China and the West, both in an informal as well as official capacity. Dashan served as Commissioner General for Canada at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. During his official visit to China in February 2012, Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
announced: "For many years Mark Rowswell has used his extraordinary talents to build bridges of understanding between Canada and China. I am pleased to name this highly recognized and respected individual as Canada's Goodwill Ambassador to China."


Current work

In recent years Dashan has largely turned away from television to focus on solo performances in live venues and on social media.


Dashan Live

Since 2012 Dashan has been "on a mission to introduce
stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
to China", performing in small clubs and at universities across China. In June 2014 he announced his plan to develop a travelling show, the Burned Out, Washed Up, Never Say Farewell tour. This later became known as his solo comedy special ''Dashan Live'' (), which he has toured throughout China and to Chinese communities abroad. In 2017 Dashan was the only
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
performer at the 2017
Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
, the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia.


Narration

Dashan's distinctive voice has been featured in many Mandarin language
narration Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deli ...
and
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
performances, including the children's story ''
Guess How Much I Love You ''Guess How Much I Love You'' is a British children's book written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram, published in 1994, in the United Kingdom by Walker Books and in 1995, in the United States by its subsidiary Candlewick Press. T ...
'' as performed by
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia was co-founded in 1972 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, by the late Evelyn Garbary, Tom Miller, and Sara Lee Lewis who continues to serve as Managing Director. The Theatre moved to Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1987, purchasing a ...
, ''
Peter and the Wolf ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и Bолк, r="Pétya i volk", p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk, links=no) Op. 67, a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's s ...
'' as performed by the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
in Shanghai, an original Mandarin version of ''
The Carnival of the Animals ''The Carnival of the Animals'' (''Le Carnaval des animaux'') is a humorous musical suite of fourteen movements, including "The Swan", by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The work, about 25 minutes in duration, was written for private ...
'', performed with the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toronto ...
and modern Chinese poetry for the popular
WeChat WeChat () is a Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018, with over 1 billion monthly active users. WeChat has bee ...
channel "The Poem For You" (). On June 29, 2011, the
National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...
launched an
audio tour An audio tour or audio guide provides a recorded spoken commentary, normally through a handheld device, to a visitor attraction such as a museum. They are also available for self-guided tours of outdoor locations, or as a part of an organised to ...
that was recorded by Dashan. The tour features Dashan speaking in Mandarin about the gallery's Canadian art collection.


Endorsements and cameo appearances

Dashan's name and image can often be seen in commercial endorsements for various Chinese and international companies, including Canadian Ford automobiles starting in 2007 and 2008. Dashan is also active as a spokesman for several charity organizations, primarily involved with cancer prevention as well as environmental protection.


University of Toronto Governing Council

On April 30, 2014, Dashan was appointed to a three-year term as a member of Governing Council of the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, and was renewed for another three-year term in 2017. He also serves on the university's Asia International Leadership Council.


Awards

*In 1995, the
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
produced a documentary, directed by Guy Nantel , called ''Dashan, Ambassador to China's Funny Bone''. *In 1998, China's ''New Weekly Magazine'' chose Dashan as one of the "Outstanding People of the Past 20 Years". *In 1999, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine selected Dashan as one of the "Leaders for the 21st Century". *In 2000, the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
selected Dashan as one of "100 Alumni Who Shaped the Century". *In 2004, Dashan also received a rare "Special Recognition Award" from the Canadian Cancer Society for his work on a joint Canada-China cancer prevention program. *In 2004, Dashan was chosen as one of "Ten Outstanding Young Adults of Beijing". This marked the first time a foreign national has received this award, one of the highest honours granted by the Beijing authorities. *In 2006, Dashan was awarded the Key to the City of
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, in recognition, as a native of Ottawa, of his contribution to furthering understanding between the peoples of China and Canada. *In 2007, The Governor-General of Canada announced that Dashan had been appointed a member of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
, Canada's highest civilian honour in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement. The appointment had been in effect since October 5, 2006. *In 2008, Dashan was awarded the White Magnolia Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''The Dinner Game''. This marks the first time a Westerner has received one of China's most prestigious awards for the performing arts. *In 2009,
Thompson Rivers University Thompson Rivers University (commonly referred to as TRU) is a public teaching and research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees and vocational training. Its main campus is in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, and its name c ...
(Kamloops, BC, Canada) bestowed an Honorary Doctorate on Dashan recognizing his efforts to build global connections between cultures and economies through international education. The Honorary Doctorate was presented by TRU during its Convocation ceremony on June 26 at the Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, China. *In 2018, Dashan was awarded an honorary degree by the
University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
.


References


Citations


Sources

*


External links

* {{Authority control 1965 births Living people Canadian expatriates in China Canadian male comedians Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Chinese television presenters Comedians from Ontario Male actors from Ottawa Members of the Order of Canada Peking University alumni University of Toronto alumni Xiangsheng performers