Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Friends Afar

    Comedy to the power of two equals understanding

    By Tian Xiaoran and Wang Xiangyan | China Daily | Updated: 2025-07-17 09:30
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.

    Satoshi Nishida (right) performs xiangshengduring the International Humor Art Festival in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, in September 2024. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

    Two comedians are on stage, one dressed in traditional Japanese clothes and the other in a traditional Chinese robe, their repartee captivating the raucous audience.

    This performance of the Chinese comedic form xiangsheng, or crosstalk, featuring a Japanese performer and a Chinese performer, took place during the International Humor Art Festival in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, about 10 months ago.

    Unlike the Japanese comedians invited by the China Quyi Artists Association to perform manzai, a traditional Japanese double-act comedy, Satoshi Nishida performed an original xiangsheng piece with his Chinese partner.

    "This is how I break down cultural barriers between China and Japan," Nishida says.

    His efforts to do that began in 2002 when he was just 9 years old. Having no concept of the distinctions between China and Japan, he traveled to Dalian, Liaoning province, a friendship city with his hometown of Maizuru, Kyoto. He was part of a local brass band to participate in an activity commemorating the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

    One person Nishida encountered on that trip was an elderly woman who spoke no Japanese, and someone suggested that the best way for him to shatter this wall of mutual incomprehension was to learn the Chinese language.

    Encouraged by his mother, he did exactly that after returning to Japan. A fan of movie star Jackie Chan, his mother had once considered learning Chinese.

    To learn Chinese, he engaged a teacher from Dalian, and he learned through daily conversations with the teacher as they wandered around Kyoto.

    "I wasn't aiming to gain a qualification or pass any exam," Nishida said. His sole motive was to connect with Chinese people.

    In high school, he won a scholarship to study in China, which he took up in 2012 at Beijing Language and Culture University.

    In Beijing, it dawned on him that, by learning Chinese from someone in Dalian, he had been left with a thick accent and his speech heavily larded with dialect common to that city.

    "In Dalian, they call a cabbage gadabai, whereas in Mandarin it's called baicai, so I couldn't make myself understood at the vegetable market."

    Artistic aspiration

    To improve his Mandarin, a teacher suggested Nishida attend weekly classes at the university given by Ding Guangquan, an exponent of xiangsheng. Ding performed xiangsheng with his apprentice, much to the delight of classroom audiences.

    Nishida's linguistic ambitions eventually transformed into artistic aspirations, and Ding encouraged him to memorize the piece Writing Red Couplets by the xiangsheng master Hou Baolin.

    Nishida spent six months committing the piece to memory, but as efficient as that rote learning turned out to be, it had one serious deficiency: he had next to no idea of what the script meant.

    So he dug deeper into the cultural context of xiangsheng, such as studying the couplets for Writing Red Couplets and their meanings, and attended Lantern Festival activities for Guessing Lantern Riddles, the second piece he has learned.

    His passion for Chinese culture eventually earned him Ding's approval, and he became an apprentice in 2014. While continuing his academic pursuits, Nishida gained experience as a xiangsheng performer by learning from the maestro and taking part in charity performances.

    After gaining a master's degree in 2019, Nishida decided to work as a Japanese-language teacher at Beijing Language and Culture University. He became a core member of Cross-Cultural Crosstalk, a project led by the Chinese xiangsheng performer Yan Jiabao that brings together comedians from various countries to perform xiangsheng in Beijing. On stage, xiangsheng thus serves as a bridge between diverse cultures.

    Bridging cultures

    "We draw inspiration from cultural differences to modify traditional pieces or create original ones," Nishida says.

    In March, three members of the group performed an adaptation of the traditional xiangsheng piece Drinking Game, exploring traditional festivals throughout the year. Nishida, with a Canadian performer, listed the holidays of their respective countries, and a Chinese performer reacted with curiosity and amusement, questioning why certain days deserved celebration.

    Hearing about some very quaint cultural differences gave audiences not only plenty to laugh about but also provided them with some insight into how other people think and see the world.

    "Expressing cultural differences between countries through comedy shines a light on the world we all live in, and in a way, I think how we did it was something only our team could have achieved," Nishida says.

    Nishida says his exploration of Chinese culture through xiangsheng has also influenced the way he teaches Japanese.

    In teaching a text about the conflict between Japanese dietary culture and table manners, he draws on videos of rakugo, a traditional Japanese storytelling form. In the rakugo piece Toki Soba, a character audibly slurps noodles, an act regarded as appreciative in Japan but seen as rude in many other cultures.

    "This way I am keen for my students to understand the text at the level of words but also to grasp the nuance of culture with their senses, just as my master taught me," Nishida says.

    Last month, he was awarded honorary membership by the China Quyi Artists Association.

    He plans to remain in China, deepen his connections with Chinese people and inspire others to appreciate Chinese culture by pursuing their own passions, he said.

    "Unless you overcome the barriers of culture, there is no way to truly understand the thoughts of the people in that country. I think I have demonstrated the importance of integrating into another culture. I hope more people will follow that example."

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    色婷婷综合久久久久中文字幕 | 新版天堂资源中文8在线| 亚洲AV无码日韩AV无码导航 | 中文字幕日韩一区| 精品久久久无码中文字幕天天| 中文字幕精品一区| 99久久无色码中文字幕人妻| 蜜芽亚洲av无码精品色午夜| 免费看成人AA片无码视频吃奶| 熟妇人妻不卡中文字幕| 久久影院午夜理论片无码| 人妻无码中文久久久久专区| 精品无码一区二区三区电影| 最近中文字幕大全中文字幕免费| 久久中文字幕无码专区| 精品久久久久久无码人妻蜜桃| 无码GOGO大胆啪啪艺术| 亚洲精品无码专区久久久| 一级片无码中文字幕乱伦 | 中文字幕视频在线| 亚洲中文久久精品无码| 中文字幕无码久久久| 久久人妻少妇嫩草AV无码蜜桃| 99无码熟妇丰满人妻啪啪| 国精品无码一区二区三区左线| 亚洲AV无码国产精品色午友在线| 国产精品99久久久精品无码| 中文字幕在线视频第一页| 中文字幕日本精品一区二区三区| 中文字幕在线最新在线不卡| 中文字幕免费视频一| 最近完整中文字幕2019电影| 亚洲欧美在线一区中文字幕| 中文字幕不卡高清视频在线| 中文字幕一区二区三区日韩精品 | 中文有码vs无码人妻| 久久AV无码精品人妻糸列| 中文字幕av无码一区二区三区电影| 国产网红主播无码精品| 亚洲av无码潮喷在线观看| 无码人妻视频一区二区三区|