Xiangsheng, or comic cross-talk, is a traditional form of performance, which has served as one of Chinese people's major entertainments. But this Qing dynasty art form is now in danger of finding itself on the fringes of Chinese culture. An experimental Xiangsheng club is making its efforts to push forward the faltering footsteps of this cultural casualty.
A somewhat commonplace theatre in Beijing Dongcheng District's Cultural Centre has become a must-go for many Xiangsheng lovers. Every Saturday evening, a two hour Xiangsheng show takes place within its simply decorated environs, with a simple sign announcing its weekly transformation into the Xiangsheng Weekend Club. Usually, the audience begins to roll in at 7 o'clock or earlier for a better view of the stage, but the show starts at 7:30. The third floor venue can hold about 500 audience members, but it's not unusual for latecomers to have to stand and watch the show. Emphasizing the club's makeshift set up, the backstage for the show can be found on the floor below, in what is actually a large meeting room. Nothing but a long table and several chairs are seen in this room, since a comic cross-talk performance doesn't require much in the way of make-up and costume.
Established in October 2003, this Xiangsheng Weekend Club has so far presented over 60 shows. Every show features some veteran cross talk artists, along with some younger and less famous exponents of this traditional art. Audience attendance has grown steadily, to attract both dilettantes and Xiangsheng experts. The educated enthusiasts appreciate the humor and language-based wisdom of Xiangsheng routines, and never hesitate to provide audible aural appreciation, when performers pull off some particularly impressive verbal gymnastics. For those who have never seen Xiangsheng before, it can best be described as stand-up comedy for two, with a lead comedian and his support dazzling the audience with their machine gun wit, comic imitations, and passable singing.
Wu Bin is a regular performer at the club, and recently took the highest award at a national Xiangsheng competition with his performing partner. Wu says that this accomplishment can largely be attributed to their practice and performance at this local club. When they first presented their comic routine, the audience offered some helpful feedback, so that they could modify their performance for later dates.
"It's very relaxing when we perform here. It's different from recording for the TV shows. In those cases we have to face the director or the camera, something which can easily make us feel restrained. But the atmosphere here is so wonderful that we really enjoy performing face to face for our audience. "
Wu's idea is also shared by Song Dequan, secretary of the club.
"The club has staged 69 performances so far. We've seen a number of excellent Xiangsheng performers emerge from here. Of course, we can never guarantee that the works we present are all perfect. But we can polish our performances here by returning the art to the stage, a place where we make our performances near-perfect through communication with the audience."
At a show on January 15th, Wu Bin and his partner, Li Weijian, presented two shows, one a traditional piece and the other a newly created short story. As the last pair of the evening, Wu and his partner made the audience frequently burst into laughter with their skillful presentation. The first routine was something of a compulsory classic for cross talk comedians. Wu says that it originally took them half a year to prepare this work, with hundreds of resulting performances in the intervening twenty years. The new piece was taken from a popular Internet joke, which they have adapted to make it more suitable for the stage. The good thing about performing here is that the audience is not that demanding, although many certainly have a high appreciation of the art. Wu refers to a similar performance at one of Beijing's major theatres.
"For instance, if we perform at Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities, the ticket price may be as high as 280 RMB. As a result, many of the audience mainly go to the show to see whether it's worth the money they paid rather than enjoying it. But the ticket here is only 20 RMB. And you can watch at least 7 routines, with famous artists often appearing on stage. So people tend to regard the show as very worthwhile, and the effect of the ticket price turns out to be very beneficial. "
Wu said this is also the reason why this is the place that Xiangsheng performers prefer to first air their new productions. Apart from the relaxing effects of a cheap ticket, the audience is also demographically diverse, meaning good and varied feedback for performers.
Ms. Wang came to the show with her boy friend. The young couple lives near to the venue, but this is their first time to see live comic cross talk.
"We seldom have the chance to be so close to the Xiangsheng performers, although there are many new faces for us tonight. I really love the show here and it feels better than watching TV. "
Since the popularity of the Xiangsheng Weekend Club owes a great deal to cheap ticket prices, you may wonder how the club can afford to pay the artists and cover its expenses. Meng Fangui is a famous Xiangsheng performer and vice chairman of the club. He tells us that the performers don't ask for money, and receive only 200 yuan each to cover transport cost. Some veteran artists even refuse to pocket this modest sum. The club is not a profitable enterprise, but more like a voluntary organization where the old masters dust the cobwebs off their routines and the young artists spin together their new techniques. The club's ultimate purpose is to serve the general public and develop the art of Xiangsheng, and it has already turned down offers that would lead to its commercialization.
"It's not that we don't know about marketing. In fact we well understand the rules and secrets of it and we have our own ways to make money. Here we only want to make some contributions to the development of Xiangsheng." For cross-talkers like Song Dequan and Meng Fangui, Xiangsheng is the most important thing in their lives, so they had to do something to assist in its rejuvenation. Besides the Xiangsheng Weekend Club, its second floor backstage hosts a salon on Xiangsheng writing and performing every Saturday afternoon to encourage creativity in both amateurs and professionals. And for Song Dequan, Xiangsheng's lowest ebb is already abating.
"People from the Xiangsheng circle are now working hard in different ways. I have every reason to believe that the best has yet to come for Xiangsheng. "
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Producer: Gao Qian 
Established in October 2003, this Xiangsheng Weekend Club has so far presented over 60 shows. Every show features some veteran cross talk artists, along with some younger and less famous exponents of this traditional art. Audience attendance has grown steadily, to attract both dilettantes and Xiangsheng experts. The educated enthusiasts appreciate the humor and language-based wisdom of Xiangsheng routines, and never hesitate to provide audible aural appreciation, when performers pull off some particularly impressive verbal gymnastics. For those who have never seen Xiangsheng before, it can best be described as stand-up comedy for two, with a lead comedian and his support dazzling the audience with their machine gun wit, comic imitations, and passable singing. 
At a show on January 15th, Wu Bin and his partner, Li Weijian, presented two shows, one a traditional piece and the other a newly created short story. As the last pair of the evening, Wu and his partner made the audience frequently burst into laughter with their skillful presentation. The first routine was something of a compulsory classic for cross talk comedians. Wu says that it originally took them half a year to prepare this work, with hundreds of resulting performances in the intervening twenty years. The new piece was taken from a popular Internet joke, which they have adapted to make it more suitable for the stage. The good thing about performing here is that the audience is not that demanding, although many certainly have a high appreciation of the art. Wu refers to a similar performance at one of Beijing's major theatres. 
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