1、1Birthplace of the Chinese CircusACROBATIC arts have a verylong history in China and theyare also the root of the Chinesecireus tradition which countsas a precious cultural heritage.Severalplaces in China are renowned for acro-batics,and among them are Liaochengof Shandong Province,Yancheng ofJiangs
2、u Province,and Tianmen of HubeiProvince.In Wuqiao County in HebeiProvince however,it looks like acrobat-ics may be the only game in this town of28o,ooo.Fully 10 percent of its smallpopulation is engaged in acrobatic-related work. The history of acrobatics in this re-gion can be traced back to the Qi
3、n Dy-nasty (221-206 BC),but the rudimentsof acrobatics originated much earlierthan that.In ancient times people hunt-ed for game or went fishing,sometimeshaving to cross mountains and rivers tododge wild animal attacks and naturalhazards.Severe circumstances taughtour ancestors to be nimble and use
4、ac-robatic skills to stay out of trouble. Eventually physical dexterity becamesomewhat celebrated in its own right.Frescos of the Northern and South-ern Dynasties (420-589) unearthed inWuqiao,some 300 km south of 2Beijing,illustrate acrobatic feats such as hand-stands and plate spinning.Neverthe-les
5、s,Wuqiao acrobatics did not becomefamous until the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).Neighboring Henan Province wasthe center of the art when the nationalcapital sat in that region,but later theYuan Dynasty selected Beijing as thecapital.Nearby Wuqiao County beganto prosper and local acrobats soon wonkudos n
6、ationwide.By the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911),Wuqiao acrobatics hadreached its golden age,but even today itis widely acknowledged as home of theart. Naturally the acrobatic arts are verypopular among Wuqiao locals.There isa saying: “All people in Wuqiao,even99-year-olds and toddlers,are acro-bats.“ At pr
7、esent,the county is hometo nearly 1,ooo practitioners,morethan 30 troupes and over 40 acrobatictraining schools.Strolling around hereits easy to see how well integrated it isinto daily life.Children somersault on streets; youngsters keep umbrellas bal- anced on their noses; farmers practiceplate spi
8、nning next to their fields; atwedding banquets,bride and bride-groom distribute sweets and cigarettesto guests using sleight of hand and othermagic tricks.Consciousness of the artform and widespread practice explainswhy the rural enclave has been a leadingincubator of master acrobats for centu-ries
9、and why classic stunts by the 3scorewere initiated here. Acrobatics is not simply a display ofphysical flexibility and control,but amixing of various art forms includingmusic,dance,gymnastic technique andSo on. Wuqiao aerobatics is actually dividedinto seven genres,all of which combinemartial arts,m
10、agic and dance.Diabolo,flying hats,pole climbing,chair stackingand the “pagoda of bowls“ are the classicand perennially popular performances. Apart from handing down superb techniques to generation after genera-tion of apprentices,Wuqiao acrobatsensure the vitality of this cultural heri-tage by lear
11、ning and incorporating otherart forms,including those from foreigncultures. Liu Yonggui,a preeminent acrobatduring the Qing Dynasty,integratedhorsemanship and opera into his per-formance,choreographing Guan YusSpearplay,which celebrated the gal-lantry and loyalty of a famous general inthe period of
12、the Three Kingdoms (220-280). In modern times the bicycle wasintroduced into China and Wuqiaoacrobats soon began to perform thetraditional pagoda of bowls on this newapparatus.Performers then had to catchstacks of cups or bowls on the headwhilst wheeling around on a small 4bike. By perfectly integra
13、ting traditionalskills and contemporary arts,Wuqiaohas successfully sustained the appeal ofthe ancient art.Moreover,recent inno-vations have enriched this folk art withthe wider appeal of more cultural con-notations,making this ancient Chinesetechnique more appealing to overseasaudiences. By the ear
14、ly 2oth century,quite a fewacrobats had begun to perform abroad.In 1917,Wuqiao acrobat Sun Fuyou re-cruited more than lOO performers andtoured his troupe around 3o countriesand regions.Sun classified the perfor-mances into four categories that werepreserved by later generations: martialarts,magic tr
15、icks,animal performancesand sideshows.Suns troupe was in ef-fect Chinas first circus and won famethroughout Southeast Asia. In 1920,another outstanding acro-bat Sun Fengshan organized his Beijingtroupe to perform in major Europeancities such as Berlin,Paris and London.These two troupes were well rec
16、eived inthe West.More important,they intro-duced the rich heritage of Chinas stun-ning folk art to the world. Based on the far-reaching influenceof Wuqiao aerobatics both at home andabroad,the local government decidedto hold an international aerobaticsfestival in 1987.The biennial 5WuqiaoInternation
17、al Acrobatics Festival isnot only a venue for the worlds besttumblers and balancers to present theirmost sharply honed skills,but also agreat opportunity for every country totaste each others acrobatic culture.Thousands of visitors descend on Wuq-iao County to enjoy the amazing perfor-mances from mo
18、re than 30 countries.Not surprisingly,Wuqiao InternationalAerobatics Festival has become one ofthe three largest acrobatics competi-tions in the world,on a par with theInternational Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in Monaco and the InternationalCircus Festival of Tomorrow in France. Wuqiaos reputatio
19、n is swelling aswell.Local troupes bask in a steady flowof performance invitations,and moreand more acrobatic fans are explor-ing how to make the art an occupation.Acrobatic schools in Wuqiao alwayshave stacks of applications,and not justfrom Chinese students; more and moreforeigners are coming to l
20、earn fromChinese masters.Over 200 overseasstudents from more than lO countrieshave graduated from acrobatic schoolsin Wuqiao since 2002. Wuqiao people are always pushingthe envelope of this ancient art,keep-ing these words true by virtue of theirdeeds: “China leads the world in acro-batics,while Wuqiao tops all China. “
