Ma Ji

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisMa.

Ma Ji(traditional Chinese:Mã quý;simplified Chinese:Mã quý;pinyin:Mǎ Jì;2 August 1934 – 20 December 2006), bornMa Shuhuai(simplified Chinese:Mã thụ hòe;traditional Chinese:Mã thụ hòe;pinyin:Mǎ Shùhuái), was a Chinesexiangshengcomedian. He was one of his generation's most popular and influential xiangsheng performers and was mentor to many younger performers. His disciples includeJiang Kun,Zhao Yan, Liu Wei,Feng Gong,Xiaolin, Wang Qianxiang, Li Zengrui, Han Lancheng, Liu Xiyao, Peng Ziyi, Yin Zhuolin, Yao Xinguang, Zhao Longjun, Xing Yingying, Liu Lixin, and Hou Guannan.

Ma Ji
Born	2 August 1934 Tianjin, China
Died	20 December 2006(2006-12-20)(aged 72) Beijing, China
Occupation	Xiangshengperformer
Children	Ma Dong(son)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	MãQuý
Simplified Chinese	MãQuý
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǎ Jì

Biography

Ma Ji was born inTianjinon 2 August 1934. After theCommuniststook over mainland China, Ma started to work in Xinhua bookstore. He joined theCentral Broadcasting Recitation and Ballad Troupeas a professional xiangsheng performer in 1956. He studied underHou Baolinand became a seventh-generation xiangsheng performer. He got his stage name Ma Ji from the filmMattie the Goose-boy (1950 film),which is based on thepoem of the same namebyMihály 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 toSingaporeon performance tours and proved to be very popular there as well.

Ma Ji was also a member of the 5thChinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Famous works

1. "Ode to Mountain Climbers"
2. "The Portrait"
3. "Dispute of the Five Sense Organs"[1]
4. Performed with many comedians together in “Five Officers Contend for Fame”[2]

Dialogues

1. Ode to Friendship
2. Storm on the State
3. Multistory Restaurant[3]

Monlogues

1. “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 atBeijing, China.The cause of his death wasmyocardial infarction.His death, of a heart attack, was reported byChinese Central Television(CCTV). He is survived by his son, Ma Dong.

External links

• Ma Ji, Chinese comedian famed for satirical sketches, dies at 72,The Associated Press via the International Herald Tribune