His grandfather Chang Lian'an (Chinese: 常连安; 1899–1966) was a xiangsheng master in the first half of the 20th century.
His father Chang Baokun (Chinese: 常宝堃; 1922–1951) was a xiangsheng performer who died in the Korean War.
His uncle Chang Baohua (1930–2018) was one of the sixth generation of well-known xiangsheng performers.
[2] In 1954 he began to learn xiangsheng under Zhao Peiru (Chinese: 赵佩茹; 1914–1973).
Four years later, he joined the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Political Department of People's Liberation Army Navy.