Ma Sanli (Xiao'erjing: , ; 1914 – 11 February 2003) was a Chinese comedian in the traditional Xiangsheng or "crosstalk" style. Biography Ma was born in Beijing; he was of the Hui ethnic group, and the son and grandson of practitioners of Xiangsheng. He was apprenticed to Zhou Deshan in 1929. Ma was a Chinese Muslim, his faith being Islam. He came to be noted for avoiding complication in a way that kept his performances accessible to a mass audience. He pursued his art in Tianjin. He became a widower in 1984. In December 2001, Ma retired from the Xiangsheng trade. On 11 February 2003, he died in Tianjin after a long battle with cancer. Works Nonsense Drunken old man Chasing Car horn Health check The charm of the comic Recipe Eat dumplings Sloppy Eighty-one floor Write Pair Meeting the fans Physiognomy Emotional and health Xijiangyue Boast Residential Remedies Pairs Three Character Classic Pull foreign films Buying Monkeys Meeting Fiend Yellow Crane Tower References External links Ma Sanli Biodata 1914 births 2003 deaths Male actors from Beijing Chinese xiangsheng performers Hui people Chinese Muslims Chinese male stage actors 20th-century comedians