Chang Baofeng

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Chang Baofeng, Male, Manchu, from Tianjin, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue) (Ⅴ-47). The tradition is documented in Tianjin. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue) in Tianjin: In the performance texts of paired xiangsheng the performers are divided into two, jia and yi: jia is responsible for setting up the jokes (dougen) and yi for playing along and supporting them (penggen). Xiangsheng (crosstalk) took shape in Beijing around the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reign periods of the Qing dynasty, and afterwards spread widely through the broad northern regions of China, with the Beijing-Tianjin area being by far the most active; to this day it has been transmitted down to the ninth generation.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Chang Baofeng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue) in Tianjin. Within the documented technical tradition of Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue) in Tianjin: Xiangsheng is one of the most widely disseminated and best-loved of all Chinese narrative-and-musical arts, distinguished by its humour and satire and full of dramatic quality. Xiangsheng performance was originally divided into two kinds: that performed inside a curtain was called "anchun" (hidden spring) and consisted mainly of ventriloquism-type programmes, while that performed in public was called "mingchun" (open spring) and consisted mainly of language-based programmes. The performance forms belonging to "mingchun" are the single-mouth xiangsheng (dankou) performed by one person alone, the paired xiangsheng (duikou) performed by two people, and the group xiangsheng (qunkou) performed collectively by three or more people; of these, paired xiangsheng is the most common. Judged by the actual conditions of performance, paired xiangsheng can further be divided into several types such as "one-heavy" (yitouchen), "mother-and-child gag" (zimugen) and "running passage" (guankou); in recent years there have also appeared new performance forms with a strong comic colouring, such as costumed xiangsheng (huazhuang xiangsheng) and xiangsheng sketches. The traditional repertoire of xiangsheng is extraordinarily rich. Those preserved after being worked over and tidied up mainly include single-mouth works such as "Three Promotions in Rank" (Liansheng Sanji), "Pearl, Jade and White Jade Soup" (Zhenzhu Feicu Baishuitang), "Melting Wax on a Hairpin" (Hualaqian'er) and "The Little Immortal" (Xiao Shenxian); paired works such as "Boasting of a House" (Kua Zhuzhai), "A Funeral Gathering" (Baishihui), "The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast" (Manhan Quanxi), "Yellow Crane Tower" (Huanghelou), "Guan Yu Fights Qin Qiong" (Guan Gongzhan Qinqiong), "A Mixed Talk on Theatre" (Xijuzatan) and "Guessing Lantern Riddles" (Da Dengmi); and group works such as "Pulling Apart a Horse Jacket" (Pa Magua) and "Diamond Legs" (Jingang Tui). Tianjin xiangsheng forms a school of its own: it leans heavily on speech, is marked by satire, is lively and boisterous, and is rich in humour. Works with a strong satirical edge such as Zhang Shouchen's "Genzhengbu", Xiao Mogu's "Yafen Dai" (The Bag of Toothpowder), and Ma Sanli's "Kai Zhouchang" (Opening the Congee Mill), "Mai Guapiao" (Selling Fake Tickets) and "Mai Hou" (Buying the Monkey) are the representatives of Tianjin xiangsheng. Wen'gen (cultivated-gag) xiangsheng in Tianjin also has a long historical tradition, and one after another many different schools of performance have emerged there. Taking the traditional xiangsheng work "Wenzhang Hui" (The Literary Gathering) alone, there are several performance scripts, by Zhang Shouchen, Ma Sanli, Su Wenmao and others, each of which has its own distinctive style when performed on the stage. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Tianjin satirical pieces": Tianjin xiangsheng is speech-led and satirical, typified by Zhang Shouchen's Ministry of Comedy and Little Mushroom's Tooth Powder Bag. "Ma Sanli's signature routines": Ma Sanli's three best-known routines, whose spirit was carried on by his son Ma Zhiming. "Several scripts of the Literary Society": The literary-style tradition produced several distinct scripts of The Literary Society by Zhang Shouchen, Ma Sanli and Su Wenmao. "Chang Baoting and the Chang school": Chang Baoting inherited the crisp, generous Chang school manner and became a leading reformer of traditional xiangsheng.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Chang Baofeng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue), with Tianjin as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue) in Tianjin: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Tianjin as its declared area, and Tianjin Qu Yi Troupe as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Changbaofeng (Tianjin) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Changbaofeng · China ICH Official Archive