Literally, the Chinese phrase dashan translates to  “big mountain” , it is also the stage name of Canadian comedian Mark Rowswell.  Mark speaks fluent Mandarin and is said to be the most famous and well-known foreigner in China.

Mark was recently accorded an honorary doctor of letters by the University of Alberta for, among other outstanding life achievements, his role as a cultural ambassador.

Laugh Out Loud

I had the pleasure of attending a “Talk with Dashan”  yesterday.  As you would expect from an entertainer with more than 30 years experience, and still going strong, it was a truly enjoyable session.

Humour is a great way to communicate.  The message can be just as clear or even more striking when couched in humor.

For me, Marks key message reinforced the value of seeing each other as people, focusing on the things that are the same rather than the differences.

Language

I am not fortunate enough to be multi-lingual although I do have some smatterings of French and Japanese.  I am envious of the ease with which Mark became a Chinese speaker as proficient as any native.

He partly explained this by clarifying his approach.  He was not learning a second language but rather his goal was to make Chinese his own language, in owning it he became the practioner of two first languages.

The key take away for me though, was the power of embracing our humanity regardless of geographic, ethnic or language backgrounds, we are all just human.