Share
Copied
A flagpole balancing performance at the 2023 Spring Festival Gala aired by China Media Group amazed the audience with China's profound acrobatic culture honed over centuries.
Acrobats from Cangzhou, Hebei, perform a flagpole balancing act at the 2023 Spring Festival Gala on January 21, 2023. /China Media Group
Acrobats kept the five-meter-high flagpoles standing vertical by balancing them on their hands, feet, shoulders and towering above their heads. They then added more stunts by running and throwing the props to each other.
All the performers hail from Cangzhou of north China's Hebei, where the birthplace of Chinese acrobatics—Wuqiao County—is located.
Acrobats pile on one another while keeping open umbrellas rotating on their hands or feet during a performance at the Wuqiao International Acrobatic Festival. /CFP
Around 2,800 years ago, ancient Chinese living in Wuqiao suffered from frequent floods and soil depletion. To earn a living, people started practicing stunts and performed them at villages along the river.
After years of improvement to local rivers and waterways, people in Wuqiao had no need to live a wandering life by performing acrobatics, but the skills have been passed down from generation to generation.
Acrobats perform stunts while playing the diabolo, a circus prop, during their performance at the Wuqiao International Acrobatic Festival. /CFP
Acrobatic art has a strong foundation in Wuqiao. Young or old, people here often possess astonishing acrobatic skills and have developed this time-honored folk art into seven categories and 486 repertoires, with an innovative combination of acrobatics and Peking Opera, magic, martial arts and classical dance.
Boys from Tanzania hone their acrobatic skills at the Wuqiao Acrobatic Art School in Hebei. /CFP
Wuqiao acrobatics was listed among the national-level intangible heritage items in 2006 and Wuqiao County owns the world's only acrobatics-themed park. Since the turn of the century, Wuqiao has attracted many foreigners to study this traditional Chinese art form, helping to spread Chinese acrobatic art to the world.
Search Trends
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466