70th Anniversary of Founding of PRC: Cultural system reform helps in building cultural confidence

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At the turn of the century, a plethora of art troupes, film studios and museums sprung up around China favored by the country's cultural reforms. As CGTN's Guan Yang finds out at the Shenyang acrobatic troupe, it changed the fate of many state-owned cultural institutions, one that led many to THRIVE, on the international stage.

It is amazing to see how far the limits of human body can be pushed. With a history of more than 3700 years, acrobatics, or Zaji, in Chinese is an art form that expresses the energetic way of living: the tableware that is used for spinning and the chairs that are stacked up for balancing acts, all come from the dining room.

Shan Dan from Shenyang has 25 years of experience in performing Zaji. He says he'll never forget a certain evening in Monaco 11 years ago.

SHAN DAN, ACROBAT SHENYANG ACROBATIC TROUPE "Our troupe was performing for the 32nd International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo. When I saw over 3000 audiences all standing up and applauding for 2 minutes, I felt my career dream was realized."

Founded in 1951, the troupe is one of the most award-winning performance groups in China. In 1972, seven years prior to the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and US, the group toured America and was given a warm welcome by former president Richard Nixon and his wife at the White House.

However, like many other state-owned cultural organizations in China during the planned economy era, the troupe was on the verge of bankruptcy after China's reform and opening up, because the government no longer paid for everything, and they had to look for their own audiences.

AN NING, DIRECTOR SHENYANG ACROBATIC TROUPE "It was a hard landing for us. In a market economy, we had to produce shows that sell. What we have learned from cultural system reform is that the performing arts business is like the bakery business - with the same pastry flour, you can bake toast or you can bake cakes. It is about how to add more value to your product."

So the troupe followed the market trend by customizing their shows, both at home and abroad. For instance, their tour in Brazil focused on the theme of embracing green and nature, with the combination of acrobatics and Samba.

AN NING, DIRECTOR SHENYANG ACROBATIC TROUPE "I remember after the cultural system reform was rolled out in 2002, we were chosen to be the first troupe nationwide to register as a business entity. Through all these years, it was an amazing transformation - visiting over 90 countries and regions and getting applause everywhere."

The group's success also attracts more young talent who are determined to do better.

LIAO YUFAN, JUNIOR ACROBAT SHENYANG ACROBATIC TROUPE "I want to be like our older teammates, travelling and performing all over the world, and let more people know about Zaji."

GUAN YANG SHENYANG, LIAONING PROVINCE "The acrobatic troupe's experiences in Shenyang show us that the reform in China's cultural system doesn't just mean the commercialization of plays, movies or other works of art. It boosted cultural confidence which helps us realize our own cultural strengths. GUAN YANG, CGTN."