July 3, 2009--Xiangsheng, also known as Chinese cross talk, is a comedic art especially popular in Beijing, Tianjin and neighboring regions. To protect the intellectual property right for this old art form, an auction was held in Beijing on Thursday morning to sell the copyrights of 16 Xiangsheng works.

Seventy-one year-old Xiangsheng script writer Wang Minglu's work "City Custodian and Street Vendor" was auctioned off for two-hundred thousand yuan, or about thirty-thousand US dollars. It is the highest price among the total 16 works auctioned, making it the most expensive Xiangsheng work in its history.

Wang says that it comes really as a surprise that his work can sell for this much of money. He says that it shows that the old folk art still has its market despite its shrinking popularity in recent years.

Xiangsheng, as a grassroots art form during its long evolution, has established its special system of work and pay which is away from the general market rule.

Xiangsheng performers often invite composers to write a script for them. Yet the writers gain relatively little recompense compared to the efforts they made. They usually get only two hundred yuan for each work. Even worse is that their works are sometimes pirated.

The situation means fewer and fewer writers want to create Xiangsheng scripts. They often feel that their copyright is not properly respected and protected.

Insiders say that the groundbreaking act will greatly spur the enthusiasm of Xiangsheng writers, and their labor will be adequately paid off.

They believe that the move will largely boost the Xiangsheng market so that more and more good works can emerge and the market will finally thrive.