Puyang's high wire acts go global

ZHENGZHOU－Qiao Jinsheng, a 78-year-old acrobat in Puyang city, Henan province, never thought that the acrobatic skills he inherited from previous generations would one day develop from countryside sideshows to art on the world stage.

Puyang is known as the "cradle of traditional Chinese acrobatics", and now, Puyang acrobatics as performed in Dongbeizhuang village has been added to China's intangible cultural heritage protection list.

From Nov 8 to 13, the city hosted the Fifth China Acrobatic Arts Festival, during which the 11th China Acrobatics Golden Chrysanthemum Awards Competition showcased the latest achievements in national acrobatic creativity.

Qiao is a member of Puyang's most renowned acrobatic troupe. He is the troupe's sixth-generation inheritor and Dongbeizhuang village's oldest performer.

He began to train when he was only 5 years old, and he has performed all over the country with a troupe since he was 8. He became an acrobatics coach when he was 24 and has coached roughly 1,200 students from the village.

Among them, 60 have joined other acrobatic troupes, helping expose the art to a wider audience.

Puyang has a centuries-long history of performing the thrilling art, which began there during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) and thrived during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

At first, acrobatics were viewed as interesting exercises done in the fields during the slack season. People would use common straw hats and farm tools for juggling. Later, their skills improved and developed into the signature acrobatics with strong local characteristics of rural China.

Zhang Xiaomeng, a 23-year-old acrobat in Puyang, started to learn at age 10. Two years ago, he was invited to perform in shows abroad.

"I was a little nervous at first, but the warm applause during my performance gradually made me more confident. I was proud when foreign viewers welcomed and appreciated our shows," he recalled.

During the recently concluded acrobatic competition, Zhang's troupe showed off breathtaking acrobatic feats, including juggling and rotating in midair about 10 meters above a 16-meter-long swing bridge set up on the stage.

Puyang acrobatics is evolving thanks to not only young talent like Zhang, but also the influence of extreme sports and fine art including drama, gymnastics, diving and magic shows.

There are currently nearly 30,000 registered acrobatic practitioners in Puyang and 50 acrobatic troupes, which have performed in 30 countries and regions.

"Puyang is a veritable acrobatics capital. Acrobatics dominates local culture and has become its calling card on the global stage," said Tang Yanhai, Party secretary of the China Acrobats Association.

Xinhua