Brandishing a banner of traditional culture today

Fu Wengang doesn't remember many happy, carefree moments during his boyhood, such as playing marbles or organizing cricket fights with playmates.

Every day, he practiced lifting up a flagpole and waving it around without losing his grip. "It felt much less fun than I had expected," he says.

But his hard work is paying off, as more people have become entranced with this traditional performance art.

Fu even has dreams of performing in the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games.

Fu, 45, was born into a Beijing family skilled in traditional flagpole waving performance, or shua zhong fan. At age 13, he had his first pole made by his father Fu Shunlu and was taught the art by his father, a third generation inheritor of the Tianqiao flagpole waving art.

Beijing's Tianqiao Fair made a big impact in the first half of the 20th century, as folk artists, storytellers, acrobatics and jugglers gathered to show off their talents.

Flagpole waving always drew a large crowd of spectators because of its marvellous visual appeal and breathtaking stunts.

Performers lift a thick bamboo pole, which is at least 9 meters tall and weighs several kilograms, throw it into the air and catch it with their hands, shoulders, chins and backs. The higher they throw it and the more stably the pole rests on them, the better the performance.

Normally, there is a long narrow flag, called fan, which is connected to the end of the pole. Its surface is embroidered with auspicious designs and words. Some flagpoles feature one or more layers of brocade, which is decorated with bells, ting flags and tassels. The pole looks colorful and makes pleasant sounds when thrown in the air, and this all adds more charm to the performance.

Flagpole waving evolved from the military rituals of the Jin Dynasty (AD 265-420). Flagmen brandished flags to entertain the emperor and boost morale among soldiers on the march.

The performance was a vital part of grand ceremonies in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In the dynasty's last years, Wang Xiaobian, a folk artist, learned the skill from his elder brother, a flagpole performer of the imperial court. He showed the stunt in Tianqiao Fair.

As the dynasty fell, many destitute royals and nobles made a living as performers in Tianqiao. During this time, they brought many royal performing arts, including flagpole waving, to common folks.

Flagpole waving thrived and became one of the most popular forms of acrobatics in Tianqiao. Performers mixed up their shows by many peculiar acts.

Bao Shanlin, Wang's disciple, invented the stunt, in which the performer balances the weighty pole with his teeth. He passed all of his skills to Fu Shunlu. Fu Wengang learnt the art as a boy from his father but never performed flagpole waving until 1998.

In 2002, Fu founded the Tianqiao Bao San Folk Art Troupe, as the popularity of Tianqiao's dying folk arts began to surge. Today, their performances reach wider audiences both at home and abroad.

(China Daily 09/04/2007 page19)