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Who is Dashan?
Dashan, AKA Mark Rowswell, is a multi-faceted performer and cultural ambassador who has been called "the most famous foreigner in China". Although relatively unknown in the West, it's hard to find anyone in China who does not know of Dashan.
Born and raised in Canada, Rowswell began studying Chinese in the mid 1980s, first at the University of Toronto and later at Beijing University. While in Beijing, Rowswell became interested in Chinese performing arts, particularly xiangsheng, a popular form of comic dialogue. A chance opportunity to appear on television suddenly gave Rowswell national exposure under the stage name "Dashan". Repeated appearances on programs with an audience of up to 1 billion viewers gradually turned "Dashan" into a household name across China.
20 years later, Dashan is still going strong. Having diversified as an entertainer, television host and educator, Dashan has now become a bona fide cultural ambassador between China and the West. To many people Dashan is a prominent symbol of "East-meets-West", finding a common ground between the two cultures.
Dashan lives relatively anonymously with his wife and two children on a farm north of Toronto, Canada, while continuing to travel frequently to China. For more information about Dashan's work, see Projects.
Honours
- Dashan was awarded the White Magnolia Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Dinner Game, the first time a foreign national has received one of China's top three dramatic arts awards.
- Dashan has been appointed to the Order of Canada
- Dashan ran a portion of the torch relay for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
- Dashan is serving as Canadian Team Attaché for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
- In 2006 , Dashan received the Key to the City of Ottawa for his contributions in building bridges between Canada and China
- In 2005, Dashan became the first foreigner selected as one of ten "Outstanding Youth of Beijing", one of the highest honours granted by the Beijing authorities
- In 2004, Dashan was awarded a Special Recognition Award from the Canadian Cancer Society
for serving as the society's Goodwill Ambassador in China. - In 1999, University of Toronto selected Dashan as one of "100 Alumni Who Shaped the Century"
- That same year, TIME Magazine selected Dashan as one of the "Leaders for the 21st Century"
- In 1998, the 20th anniversary of China's reform and opening, New Weekly Magazine chose Dashan as one of the "Outstanding People of the Past 20 Years"