Mark Rowswell (Da Shan) 

cctv.com 07-22-2005 11:33

"Dashan" AKA Mark Rowswell is probably the most famous foreigner in China.For the past 16 years Dashan has been appearing on Chinese television to audiences as large as 800 million viewers. Dashan first rose to fame performing xiangsheng, a traditional form of Chinese comic dialogue often translated as "crosstalk". In recent years Dashan has become better known for his educational programs, and as a freelance TV host.

Dashan is popular among Chinese viewers for English teaching programs like "Dashan's Adventures in Canada". Now he is becoming better known by international viewers for programs teaching Chinese, such as "Communicate in Chinese" and "Travel in Chinese".

In 2004, Dashan was chosen as one of ten "Outstanding Youth of Beijing". This marks the first time a foreign national has received this award, one of the highest honours granted by the Beijing authorities. As the People's Daily newspaper explains, "Dashan is a foreigner, but not an outsider".

For more information on Dashan, please visit www.dashan.com.cn.

Editor:Liu  Source:CCTV.com