Dashan - Wikipedia

Mark Henry Rowswell, CM (born May 23, 1965),[1] better known by his Chinese stage name Dashan (Chinese: 大山 ; pinyin: Dàshān ; lit. 'Big Mountain'), is a Canadian comedian and television personality popular in China. Relatively unknown in the West, from the late 1980s through the early 2000s Dashan was one of the most famous Western personalities in China's media industry, where he occupied a unique position as a foreign national who had become a domestic celebrity, largely through his repeated appearances on China Central Television (CCTV) during that period. Since 2012 Dashan has largely turned away from mainstream media to focus on solo performances in live venues, helping to introduce stand-up comedy to China.[2]

Rowswell attended high school at Nepean High School in Ottawa, Ontario. Rowswell began studying Chinese while attending the University of Toronto in 1984. His original Chinese name, as given by his Canadian Chinese-language teacher, was Lu Shiwei (Chinese: 路士玮 ) based on his surname Rowswell. Upon graduation from the University of Toronto with a bachelor of arts in Chinese studies in 1988,[3] Rowswell was awarded a full scholarship to continue Chinese language studies at Peking University.

Leave a Comment