Da Shan (大山), which means “Big Mountain”in Chinese, is one of the greatest celebrities in China. He’s made many appearances on TV in China such as CCTV’s New Year Gala with an audience of approximately 1 billion people and even hosted his own show, Travel in Chinese. Not to mention that he has over 2 million followers on Chinese social media sites: Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo. With such a huge presence in Chinese entertainment and media, he has continued to build his career as Canada’s Goodwill Ambassador to China. But who exactly is Da Shan?
Da Shan, aka Mark Rowswell, was born in Ottawa in 1965. He began to study Chinese at the University of Toronto and later on was given the opportunity to further his studies in China. There, he started his career in several Chinese comedy skits and became quite popular due to his fluency and comedic skills. Regular appearances on television shows such as “Palace Artist”, films such as “The Dinner Game” and stage plays like “Red Star Over China” has helped to uphold his super star status.
Due to his background and bilingualism, he has become the most popular and prominent representative in strengthening connections between different cultures through various forms of media. His efforts have not gone unnoticed as he is the recipient of many, many awards. In 1999, he was chosen as one of the “Leaders of the 21st Century” in TIME. The University of Toronto included him in the top “100 Alumni Who Shaped the Century” in 2000. In 2007, he was offered admission to the Order of Canada, one of the most prestigious honours for Canadians. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he was a torch bearer and was on Team Attaché for Canada. He also won Best Supporting Actor in the White Magnolia Awards that year.
Da Shan continues to inspire people everywhere that hard work, passion, and dedication can bring dreams to life. To see what he’s currently up to, check out his blog at http://www.weibo.com/dashan, his Yokou account at http://i.youku.com/u/id_UMzczNzg5ODgw.html or his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KanDashan .
Photo Source: http://www.expo2010china.hu