Chinese name 馬季 (traditional) Name Ma Ji Occupation Xiangsheng performer | Pinyin Chinese name 马季 (simplified) | |
Died December 20, 2006(2006-12-20) (aged 72)
Beijing, China | ||
Ode to Friendship / 友谊颂 - English subtitles - 1973 crosstalk (PART 1)
Ma Ji (traditional Chinese: 馬季; simplified Chinese: 马季; Pinyin: Mǎ Jì; 2 August 1934 – 20 December 2006), born Ma Shuhuai (traditional Chinese: 馬樹槐; simplified Chinese: 马树槐; Pinyin: Mǎ Shù Huái), was a xiangsheng performer in China. He was one of his generation's most popular and influential xiangsheng performer and was mentor to many later xiangsheng performers. His disciples include: Jiang Kun, Zhao Yan, Liu Wei, Feng Gong, Humor, Wang Qian Xiang, Li Zengrui, Hanlan Cheng, Liuxi Yao, Peng Ziyi, Wong Chi Keung Wong, Yinzhuo Lin, Yao Xinguang, Hugh Lee, Zhaolong Jun, Xing Yingying Liu Lixin, Hou Guan-nan.
Contents
- Ode to Friendship English subtitles 1973 crosstalk PART 1
- Biography
- Famous works
- Dialogues
- Monlogues
- Death
- References
Biography
Ma Ji was born in Tianjin on 2 August 1934. After the Communists took over mainland China, Ma started to work in Xinhua bookstore. He joined the Central Broadcasting Recitation and Ballad Troupe as a professional xiangsheng performer in 1956. He studied under Hou Baolin and became a seventh-generation xiangsheng performer. He got his stage name Ma Ji from the film Mattie the Goose-boy, which is based on the poem of the same name by Mihály Fazekas.
As a notable xiangsheng master and performer, Ma Ji created his own art style and made great contributions to China's Xiangsheng art.
In the mid to late 1980s, together with his disciple Zhao Yan, he frequently travelled to Singapore on performance tours and proved to be very popular there as well.
Ma Ji was also a member of the 5th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Famous works
- "Ode to Mountain Climbers"
- "The Portrait"
- "Dispute of the Five Sense Organs"[1]
- Performed with many comedians together in “Five Officers Contend for Fame”[2]
Dialogues
- Ode to Friendship
- Storm on the State
- Multistory Restaurant [3]
Monlogues
- “The Universal Brand Cigarette” playing a cigarette salesman with a bad product and satirizing newly rich Chinese preoccupation with brand names.[4]
Death
Ma Ji died on 20 December 2006 at Beijing, China. The cause of his death was myocardial infarction. His death, of a heart attack, was reported by Chinese Central Television (CCTV). He is survived by his son, Ma Dong.