Crosstalk (comedy)

Crosstalk, also known by its Chinese name xiangsheng (simplified Chinese:相声; traditional Chinese:相聲; pinyin:xiàngsheng; literally: "face and voice"), is a traditional Chinese comedic performance in the form of a dialogue between two performers, or, much less often, a solo monologue or, even less frequently, a multi-person dialogue. The language, rich in puns and allusions, is delivered in a rapid, bantering style. Crosstalk is one of China's foremost and most popular performing arts, and is typically performed in the Beijing dialect (or in Standard Chinese with a strong Northern Chinese accent). The acts would sometimes include singing and musical instruments.