Chang Guitian

Biography

Chang Guitian was born in 1942 in Tianjin into a renowned xiangsheng family. His grandfather Chang Lian'an was a celebrated xiangsheng artist, while his father Chang Baokun was a distinguished artist who sacrificed his life in the Korean War. His uncle and long-time partner Chang Baohua was one of China's most famous xiangsheng performers. In 1954 he became a disciple of artist Zhao Peiru. After graduating from high school in 1958, he joined the military and became a xiangsheng actor in the Political Department Song and Dance Ensemble of the People's Liberation Army Navy. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1967. In the 1990s he was a xiangsheng actor in the Navy's literary arts troupe and a member of the Chinese Quyi Artists Association. By 2012 he had risen to the position of deputy military-level civilian cadre in the Navy's Political Department Song and Dance Ensemble, and on October 21 of that year he was promoted to what is known as a "civilian general" (major general rank). Chang Guitian passed away on November 30, 2018 in Beijing after an illness at the age of 76.