I think that one of the most interesting things about Canadians is that they tend to just do their own thing and in doing so they often make a huge difference in this world. One such man is Mark Rowswell who is known as ‘Dashan’ (Big Mountain) in China. He is currently presiding as Canada's Commissioner General at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. Although relatively unknown in the West, he is the most famous foreign national who has become a bona fide domestic celebrity in China. He has worked in comedy, dramatic acting and as a television host. Dashan can speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese fluently.
He was born in 1965 in Ottawa. Rowswell attended high school at Nepean High School in Ottawa. Rowswell began studying Chinese while attending the University of Toronto in 1984. Upon graduation from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies in 1988, Rowswell was awarded a full scholarship to continue Chinese language studies at Peking University. Dashan's name and image can often be seen in commercial endorsements for various Chinese and international companies, including Ford automobiles. Dashan is also active as a spokesman for several charity organizations, primarily involved with cancer prevention as well as environmental protection.
Mark Rowswell has made such contribution to cross cultural understanding and to Chinese Canadian relations, all without much awareness in his home country. That seem so quintessentially Canadian to me!
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