Ma Ji, a well-known Chinese crosstalk master, will never imagine so many tearful eyes around him, as he always drew peals of laughter from people wherever he was.

Ma, who died of heart disease at the age of 72 in a hospital in Beijing last Wednesday, was cremated at the city's Babaoshan Cemetery on Sunday.

Early at dawn, hundreds of people already gathered in front of the gate of the cemetery. Grandpa Liu, 73, got up at 5:00 AM so as not to miss the chance to bid farewell to his favorite performer.

"I have listened to his Xiangsheng (crosstalk or comic dialogue) for my whole life. I must come to see him off. It's the last chance," Liu said.

People started to flock in after the gate was opened. Some took photos of the condolence banners hung on the trees, some stood in silent tribute to the photo of the deceased, and some were placing their wreaths.

Grey-haired Cao Wenhan, a retired teacher from Beijing Normal University, came with his hand-made show board, which displayed 20 photos taken a decade ago when Ma Ji was giving a report at the campus.

"He is not only a great performer, but also a good man. He was always willing to satisfy others' demands, but seldom asked for something from others," Cao said.

By the time the hearse carrying Ma's body arrived, more than 1,000 people had assembled on the square in front of the mourning hall. They swarmed toward the carriage side, arousing a small surge after a long solemnity.

Many elderly people shed tears. "Please don't push and get into lines! Your feelings are understandable, but please!" a female staff member yelled, eyes brimmed over with tears.

People then gradually stood in lines and queued to sign their names on a commemoration book. Chen Guoyue, who suffered serious eyesight weakness, wrote the names of him and his friend in egg size, with his face so close to the paper as if they were stuck together.

"I have grown up with listening to his Xiangsheng. So many times have I listened that I can repeat some," Chen said.

Though not sure to say he hadn't missed any of Ma's comic dialogues, Chen was confident that he had covered at least 100. He even performed one of Ma's comic dialogues titled "Pulling out teeth".

Those endless laughs were still touching him today. "Ma Lao (Old Ma, a call to show respect) left us, together with laughs of a generation," Chen said.

Ma, born in 1934 in Beijing, began to learn Xiangsheng at the age of 17. He is regarded as an artist who combines the traditional with modern crosstalk art forms. His works reflected every-day life in China. Ma was good at satirizing social problems and praising heroes. He created more than 100 pieces of crosstalk works and published a number of books on crosstalk.

His departure also triggered worries over the ebb of the traditional art with thousands of years of history.

"I don't know whether we will have another Xiangsheng performer so persistent like him in the future," said sculptor Wen Yongli, who had worked day and night to devote a bust of Ma to the funeral.

"I want to tell him that we will never forget him," he added.

A blogger named "Bangbang" wrote on the Internet that he liked the comic dialogues of Xiangsheng masters like Ma Sanli, Ma Ji and Jiang Kun very much.

"But I witnessed the decline of Xiangsheng, and haven't listened to it for many years," he said.

"Another master has left us. I don't know when Xiangsheng can revive in China," he added.

Xiangsheng, a "language art", combines four basic techniques: speech, mimicry, comedy and song. Xiangsheng can be performed by one person or more, but the most common form is two persons.

It dates back to the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States (475-221 BC) when professional entertainers were first recorded.

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2006)