February 7, 2012

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is on an official visit to China, has made a savvy overture to his hosts by appointing Mark Rowswell as Canada's Goodwill Ambassador to the country. The announcement, made today, reflects Rowswell's status as the so-called "most famous foreigner in China."

Rowswell is better known in China as "Dashan", the stage name he uses as a comedian, language educator and TV host. Dashan has been a household name in the world's most populous country since a 1988 New Year's Eve appearance on national TV, in which he performed in fluent Mandarin and was seen by over 500 million people. More than 20 years since then, he is still one of the most famous Westerners in China, almost universally beloved and held up as an example of what other foreigners can aspire to.

(That fact has prompted a type of anti-Dashan backlash by foreigners living in China, who get tired of constant unfavourable comparisons to the great man. Rowswell himself addressed those concerns in a humourous blog post on the web forum Quora, in which he responded to the question "Why do so many Chinese learners seem to hate Dashan?" )

Way back in 1996, the National Film Board of Canada released documentary by Guy Nantel on Rowswell, called "Dashan - Ambassador to China's Funny Bone."

Rowswell has been particularly ubiquitous on China's state-run CCTV network, on segments in which he helps foreigners master the Chinese language:

But comedy is how Dashan made his name - here he is knocking them dead in Singapore with this performance from 2004:

In 2008, Rowswell (who divides his time between China and Canada) was given the Order of Canada for his role in providing a bridge between Canadian and Chinese cultures. In the same year, he filmed a Ford Focus commercial aimed at the North American Chinese community. Although he is best known for his mastery of Mandarin, a version of the ad was also filmed in Rowswell's third language, Cantonese:

In an interview with the Toronto Star in 2008, ahead of the Beijing Summer Olympics, Rowswell spoke to Bill Schiller about perceptions that he is "an apologist or spin-master" for the Chinese authorities.

"Because of our Western cynicism toward China," he said, "anyone who says anything positive about China is looked at skeptically."

"Nobody in China thinks that China is paradise. People know that it's a one-party state. They know it's not a democracy and they know that there are human rights problems in China ... [but] in enjoying these Olympics, it doesn't mean that you have to negate all that or pretend it doesn't exist."

Related Stories on Strombo.com:

China is Cracking Down on "Overly Entertaining" TV

Chinese Dissident Artist Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million in Back Taxes

Sources:

Press Release from Stephen Harper's Office

Toronto Star: Dashan Interview, 2008

National Film Board of Canada

Globe And Mail: Why foreigners in China hate Canada's new goodwill ambassador