Traditional art form rhymes with the times

Besides the attention they've received, both Liu and Wan agree that what matters to them is that people are recognizing the charm of the art form, kuaiban, which may be neglected today, compared to other traditional art forms, like xiangsheng and pingshu.

Tianjin is known as the hometown of quyi, a general term for Chinese folk art forms, including xiangsheng, pingshu and kuaiban. For both Liu and Wan, who were born and raised in Tianjin, going to teahouses with their grandparents and parents or watching performances of quyi art forms has been a big part of their lives.

Wan can still remember that when he watched xiangsheng shows by Ma Sanli (1914-2003), a master of the art, he laughed so hard that his belly hurt.

As children, they were amazed by the stories told by the artists, especially heroes from folktales.

Usually xiangsheng performers are also capable of performing kuaiban, which helped popularize the art form.

"I watched lots of kuaiban performances and the clear and melodious sounds made by the kuaiban performers still linger in my head," says Wan.

Even today, though folk art forms have been challenged by new entertainment forms such as television and cinema, kuaiban still has a large fan base in Tianjin.