Gift of the cross talk gab

"It's tough at the start for all xiangsheng performers. We've all had the most embarrassing moments onstage."

Like many other young people, Sheng listens to pop music, watches Hollywood blockbusters and is often online.

"Modern people are often under much pressure and need to relax. Of all the ways of entertainment, xiangsheng is old yet evolving. Anything you see could be your inspiration."

In the 1980s xiangsheng even reached audiences beyond native Chinese speakers. Mark Rowswell, a Canadian better known as Dashan among Chinese, and who speaks impeccable Mandarin, began studying xiangsheng under the tutorship of Jiang Kun, a well-known exponent of the art.

There have been times, such as in the early 1990s, when xiangsheng, like many other traditional Chinese art forms, seemed to be on the brink of extinction, threatened by other contemporary entertainment, but thankfully it has lived on to see better days.