Background
Chang was born to an impoverished family in Tianjin.
常宝华, 常寶華
Chang was born to an impoverished family in Tianjin.
When the family"s fortunes changed for the better, Chang attended a private elementary school in Tianjin where he was a good student.
He is one of the sixth generation of well-known Chinese crosstalk actors. He authored one hundred and seventy works. His brother"s and father"s crosstalk performances supported the family.
Initially, Chang could not attend school but the education of a wealthy neighbour"s child engendered in him a desire to learn.
Chang married and had five children. Chang debuted at nine years of age and later appeared at a crosstalk convention at the Qi Ming Tea House, in the Xi Dan shopping mall, Beijing.
In 1942, Chang performed in Beautiful Song City (锦绣歌城) and Huatian Bacuo (花田八错). In 1951, when he was twenty-one, Chang acknowledged Ma Sanli as his artistic master.
In 1951, during the Korean War, Chang entertained Chinese soldiers.
In 1953, Chang enlisted in the working group of the Chinese People"s Liberation Army department of the navy. In the Cultural Revolution, Chang was attacked and this experience became a source of his artistic material. Chang later became a judge and a teacher of crosstalk at institutions such as Peking University and at the North Folk Art Forms School.
He has visited Hong Kong, America, and Singapore.
She won two gold medals at the Guangzhou Asian Games. Chang joined the Tianjin Folk Artist Mission and received a "Third-class Labor Model" award from the Tianjin Literature and Art Union. He received the second military award twice and the third military award once. In August 2006, Chang received a Peony award for his contribution to the performing arts in China.
Chang was a member of the Communist Party of China and a first-level national actor.
