The most widely known foreigner in China is finally getting some recognition in his home country – Canada.
As most foreign residents of China can attest, just about every Chinese knows who Dashan is. Dashan, or “Big Mountain,” is the Chinese name of Mark Rowswell, a Canadian who has mastered Mandarin to an enviable degree.
Last week, Rowswell was one of dozens of Canadians to become members of the Order of Canada, the highest honor the nation bestows.
Dashan is beloved among China. He first came to the attention of Chinese in late 1988 when he appeared on a New Year’s Gala program on CCTV because some that Wikipedia says might have been seen by 550 million people. He has since parlayed that into a business of emceeing TV shows, promoting products, teaching Chinese on state televisions and having his mug pasted in ads all over China (see photo for example).
It’s common to hear Chinese people say Dashan speaks better Chinese than a lot of natives. It’s also common to hear foreigners bash Dashan. It’s partly out of envy. But it’s also because some foreigners see Dashan as a bit of a dupe for Chinese causes, playing the “innocent” and allowing Chinese to feel a tad superior.
Regardless of one’s point of view, though, Dashan has incontrovertibly become a de facto goodwill ambassador to China. And Canada has given him his reward.
Item: It appears there is a glitch on Typepad preventing comments on postings. We're working to fix it.
"some foreigners see Dashan as a bit of a dupe for Chinese causes, playing the “innocent” and allowing Chinese to feel a tad superior."
Tim, can you explain to me the above? What "Chinese causes"? What playing "innocent"? How did Dashan make the Chinese feel superior?
I have to say the foreigners in China (foreign residents of China) are a very strange group of people. Strange in a bad way.
Posted by: Pffefer | December 16, 2008 at 04:47 PM
I have absolutely no issue with him being a dupe for Chinese causes, if indeed he is one, but I do have issues with him being annoying and extremely cheesy.
I also find it highly annoying that I have my Chinese compared to his by every taxi driver I meet. Admittedly, that is not his fault though I do wish Chinese taxi drivers could come up with something more interesting to say or not at all.
Some people get all upset and competitive because his Chinese is better than theirs and in this respect Pfeffer is right, foreigners in China are an odd bunch. Good on him, he put the work in.
Posted by: Chris | December 17, 2008 at 02:24 AM
Interesting that Canada gave him a gong, because Dashan seems to have no Canadian characteristics whatsoever. He appears to be a Chinese who just happens to look like a (rather odd) laowai.
Posted by: michael | December 18, 2008 at 07:28 AM
@ Pfeffer
You would definitely count among those at the lower end of the expat population. You are every bit the panda licker that dashan is and yet your chinese probably pales in comparison.
So basically you are just a "hao hao xian sheng"
Posted by: nanheyangrouchuan | December 27, 2008 at 11:11 PM