Zhao Benshan 赵本山 (Zhào Běnshān) born in 1958 is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor, and recently turned director and producer of “farmer TV series.” Recently, he unexpectedly joined China Football (Soccer) League’s Liaoning Club as its chairman, unveiling a new chapter of his life.

Having initially gained immense popularity from performances on the CCTV New Year’s Gala, Zhao is now a household-name comedy actor on Mainland China. Born in Shizui Cottage in Lianhua County in Tieling, Liaoning, in a peasant family, he was orphaned when he was only 6.

Apprenticed to his uncle, he learned many local traditional performance arts, including Er hu, Er Ren Zhuan etc. He gained some popularity in local areas, which caught attention of Jiang Kun, a famous Chinese Xiangsheng artist, who recommend him to the 1987 CCTV New Year’s Gala, a TV program broadcast all around China.

After his first appearance, he had appeared in each Gala show every year. Some of his highlights included “Yesterday, today and Tomorrow”, “Fixing up the house” and “torch” . Since the turn of the century, Zhao had also turned attention towards acting and directing sitcoms, appearing as the main character in Liu Laogen and Ma Dashuai, and their sequels.

February 6 night on New Year’s Eve 2008, the Chinese star Zhao Benshan’s TV comedy, SONG Dan-dan in 2008 CCTV Spring Festival evening party for the Chinese people around the world to stage the Olympic Games featuring comedy “torch” programmes humor humorous words, depicted Beijing Olympic Games in the eyes of the ordinary Chinese people an important position. CCTV Spring Festival evening party over the years has been known as the world’s highest number of TV ratings shows that China is the world celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve in another Nianye cultural feast.