Yang Da

Biography

Yang Da was a pioneering Chinese comedian in the Cantonese Xiangsheng (cross-talk) tradition, originally from Guangdong Province. He joined the Guangdong Folk Music Ensemble (now the Guangdong Music and Quyi Ensemble) in 1957 to perform Cantonese folk songs. In 1958, he began a long-standing partnership with Huang Junying performing Xiangsheng, during which they created dozens of comedic works. Notable works include "Love Unto Death," "The Fun of Guangzhou Dialect," "Amao Ashou," "Breaking Convention," "A Little Bit Taller," and "Borrowing the Phone," with segments like "Song Contest" included in the book "Guangzhou's Comedy Stars — Selected Guangdong Xiangsheng Works." In May 1983, together with Huang Junying, Lin Yunhong, Cui Lingxiao and others, he co-founded the Guangzhou Xiangsheng Art Troupe, with Huang Junying as director. In 2012, he performed at the celebration of Huang Junying's 60th anniversary in the performing arts. Yang Da passed away on December 23, 2022 at the age of 87.