The traditional performance art of crosstalk is making a
comeback with the help of crosstalk specialist, Guo Degang.
He performed at the PLA Opera House on January 11 and 12, 2006.
Although the performance wasn't formally advertised, many turned up
and jammed the box office trying to get tickets. Tickets were sold
for 20 yuan (US$2.4), but had a black market value of as much as
300 yuan (US$36). Response was so good that the theater decided to
add another performance on January 25.
Guo doesn't belong to an official group or troupe, and has never
performed on TV. But attending his crosstalk performance is
becoming increasingly trendy in Beijing, especially for young
executives and school children who load their MP3 players with his
works.
He might not be mainstream, but Guo was able to command 25
encores on January 11, adding some three hours to the originally
scheduled two-hour performance.
Traditional crosstalk
Crosstalk,
xiangsheng in Chinese (literally, "face and
voice"), is a traditional form of comic dialogue that came about in
China's imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Crosstalk, usually
performed by two people, also can be performed by one person or
even a group of people.
The performers will try their best to make fun or take advantage
of the other/s with the skillful play of words, a technique that
brings to the fore the craft and wit of the Chinese language.
In the old days in Tianjin, Beijing, and elsewhere, temple fairs
and street markets were where crosstalkers performed. More famous
performers were invited to perform in teahouses and
theaters.?
Guo said that, in those days, "the average crosstalker could
earn more than the total earnings of ten rickshaw pullers".
Crosstalk pieces draw on every aspect of Chinese culture, from
history and folk tales to contemporary social issues. Although
there are hundreds of pieces in the traditional repertoire, they
are usually edited to suit the times and the audience.
The critical junctures in development
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), the art was criticized
as decadent and belonging to the old society. Lots of crosstalk
works were lost during this time.
Crosstalk has also seen a dramatic decline in recent years with
fewer scripts and performers. Few live shows are performed at
theaters, and only the really famous performers are invited to do
their thing on TV. Even then, it's usually only once a year during
the Spring Festival Gala.
Their dilemma is the same as that faced by other practitioners
of traditional Chinese folk art; in a rapidly developing society
where people have more and more entertainment choices, traditional
art forms are increasingly unattractive.
Guo arrived in Beijing from Tianjin in 1995 to embark on his
crosstalk career, only to find that the art form was on the
decline.
The rejuvenation of crosstalk
In 1995, Guo chanced upon a teahouse where he found several young
people performing crosstalk.
Being a crosstalker himself, he couldn't resist taking to the
stage. Gradually, more and more people came to the teahouse to see
him perform. He soon found himself playing to audiences numbering
more than 100 in a teahouse that could only accommodate 80.
As his popularity grew, Guo pondered the future of his art.
"Traditional crosstalk is at least half an hour long, but
performances are no longer than five minutes on TV, which kills
much of the story. TV is part of the fast-food culture and
crosstalk is a face-to-face art form -- it needs interaction, and
is not suited to TV," Guo said.
He was determined to bring it back to its roots, the teahouse
and theater.
In 1996, Guo and some young crosstalk actors founded Deyun
Crosstalk Association aimed at returning crosstalk to teahouses and
theaters. Over the next ten years, the association organized
countless performances in teahouses across Beijing. Despite their
growing popularity, Guo ensured that ticket prices were kept low to
make the art form accessible to everyone. Tickets to his
performances are still 20 yuan today.
Guo said that training to be a crosstalk actor requires an
inordinate amount of hard work. In the old days, children who
wanted to learn crosstalk had to live in the crosstalk master's
home. Only after seven or eight years of rigorous training were the
more talented ones allowed to perform with their masters on stage.
It would take about another sixteen years before young actors
forged styles of their own. Guo added that a crosstalk actor didn't
usually find fame and fortune until well into his 40s.
To preserve the art form, the association has recorded more than
600 traditional crosstalk pieces,?while? the Complete
Collection of Chinese Crosstalk recorded by?all famous
crosstalk masters, from the fourth to the eighth
generations,?only contains 400 pieces.
And in keeping with technology and modern times, the association
set up a?BBS site (
http://www.guodegang.org/bbs/?u=350)
on the Internet where fans can download recordings and discuss
performances with actors.
Guo hopes that this means a revival for the dying art form, and
that through the association's efforts, more young people will
learn to appreciate it and perhaps train to be crosstalkers
themselves.
(China.org.cn by Chen Lin, February 3, 2006)
