Wu Jau-nan (; 14 January 1926 – 14 October 2018) was a Chinese

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 ...

comedian based in Taiwan. He was officially recognized by the government of Taiwan as a "national treasure". He was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

and the

Golden Melody Award The Golden Melody Awards (), commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan-languages popular and traditional music in ...

for Lifetime Contributions. Before becoming a comedian, he ran a food stall in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

where he created and popularized the dish

Mongolian barbecue Mongolian barbecue () is a stir fried dish that was developed by Wu Zhaonan in Taiwan in 1951. Meat and vegetables are cooked on large, round, solid iron griddles at temperatures of up to 300 °C (572 °F). Despite its name, the dis ...

Creation of Mongolian barbecue

Wu was born in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, on 14 January 1926. He graduated from the with a degree in economics. He fled to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

when the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

took over mainland China in 1949, and opened a

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

stall in ,

in 1951, where he created the popular dish

. He originally wanted to call the dish "Beijing barbecue", but because of political sensitivity with the city, which had just recently been designated as the capital of Communist China, he settled with "Mongolian barbecue" instead, even though it had no direct connection with Mongolia. Wu's food stall became very popular, and even attracted foreign diplomats and wealthy businesspeople as customers despite being a cheap eatery. However, it was later destroyed by flooding during a

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

, in which Wu nearly drowned. When he exited the restaurant business to develop his xiangsheng career, numerous imitators emerged to capitalize on the popularity of the dish he created, which was later also introduced to the West.

Xiangsheng career

Wu began performing

in 1951 and later exited the restaurant business as his popularity grew. Performing on radio and on stage, he became one of the most famous xiangsheng actors in Taiwan. He frequently partnered with , and their radio show became an iconic memory in Taiwan. Wu moved to the United States in 1973, where he continued to perform xiangsheng as well as

Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

. He also developed a brand of

beef jerky Jerky is lean trimmed meat cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. The word "jerky" derive ...

. In 1983, the xiangsheng master

Hou Baolin Hou Baolin (; November 29, 1917 – February 4, 1993) was a Chinese xiangsheng performer. He was one of his generation's most popular and influential xiangsheng performers and was mentor to many later xiangsheng performers. His apprentices includ ...

took him as a disciple, inducting him into the formal lineage of the art. Wu trained many students of his own, notably , Lang Tzu-yun, , , and

Fan Kuang-yao Fan Kuang-yao (born 3 May 1975) is a Taiwanese actor and xiangsheng performer. He has been nominated for three Golden Bell Awards and won once in 2005. Selected filmography *''Lust, Caution'' (2007) *''Night Market Hero'' (2011) *''Amour et Pâ ...

. Lang Tzu-yun founded the performing arts troupe Spring Sun, for which Wu has written. Wu received many awards including the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award from the

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

in New York City, the Xinchuan Award () of Taiwan and the Outstanding Artist of Asia Award. In 2009, Wu was given the

for lifetime contributions, which was followed by an honor bestowed at the first Taipei City Master of Traditional Arts Awards ceremony in 2010. The government of Taiwan formally named him a "living national treasure" in 2011.

Personal life

He was married until his wife's death in 2009. They had one son, Wu Manyu. On 14 October 2018, Wu Zhaonan died from

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis. Although Irwin and Rippe cautioned in 2005 that the use of "multiple organ failure" or "multisy ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, aged 92. A memorial service was held at the

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei. The monument, surr ...

in Taipei on 2 November, which was attended by many dignitaries including

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...

Hung Hsiu-chu Hung Hsiu-chu (; born 7 April 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. As a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), she has served the party as a Deputy Chairperson and Deputy Secretary-General. Hung was first elected to the legislature in 1990, and was the Vi ...

and

Jason Hu Jason Hu (; born 15 May 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the mayor of Taichung as provincial city in 2001-2010 and as special municipality in 2010–2014. He is a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), and has been the Vice Chairman of the pa ...

, as well as Wu's disciples including Lang Tzu-yun and Liu Erjin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Zhaonan 1926 births 2018 deaths Taiwanese xiangsheng performers Taiwanese male comedians Taiwanese people from Beijing Male actors from Beijing 20th-century Taiwanese male actors Taiwanese emigrants to the United States Taiwanese restaurateurs Deaths from multiple organ failure Chinese xiangsheng performers Chinese male comedians 20th-century Chinese male actors