China's crosstalk master Ma Ji (R) gives performance with Liu Wei in Laiwu, Shandong Province, June 27, 2005. Ma, a crosstalk legend in China, died of heart attack at age 72 in Beijing on Wednesday. Chinanews, Beijing, Dec. 20 - Ma Ji, a crosstalk legend in China, died of heart attack at age 72 in Beijing on Wednesday.
Ma contributed a lot to the development of China's new generation of comic dialogue, or "xiangsheng," which relies heavily on puns, double meanings and word games.
He was also a teacher of many famous crosstalk stars, including Jiang Kun, Feng Gong, and Zhao Yan.
Ma, whose former name was Ma Shuhuai, was born in Huangzhuang Village in Hebei Province. He joined the central broadcasting group in 1956 and learned from Hou Baolin, the founder of modern crosstalk in China.