TV celebrity Mark Rowswell, also known as Dashan, is now focusing on his stand-up comedy performances.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Mark Rowswell became famous in China at age 23.

Among the country's early expats, he came to China in the late '80s as an exchange student from Canada to learn Chinese at Peking University. He then appeared on Chinese television, playing in a skit the role of a peasant, named Xu Dashan, who returns home late and begs his wife to open the door.

The performance, aired on China Central Television during the Spring Festival holiday in 1988, was viewed by millions. Since then, Rowswell, who was welcomed by Chinese audiences for his fluency in Mandarin and on-screen presence, has become a household name in the country. Chinese TV viewers call him "Dashan".

In the past 20 years, Rowswell has acted in many Chinese television series and appeared as a cultural ambassador at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, among other major events. Now, he is moving toward a new direction－stand-up comedy.

After nearly three years of preparation, he will present his first such act at Beijing's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center on Sunday. The show is also one of the highlights of the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, one of China's largest annual cultural events, which begins later this month and runs through May.