Beijing Acrobats Holidays

Acrobatics is a pearl in the treasure chest of traditional Chinese performance art. With a long and rich heritage, the acrobatic art has been existent in China for more than two thousand years. As early as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), the rudiments of acrobatics existed, though according to the people of Wuqiao the art may be older. By the time of the Han Dynasty (221 BC-220 AD), acrobatic art had further developed both in content and variety, by which time juggling, fire eating, knife swallowing and tight-rope walking were regular features. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), acrobatics received royal patronage with shows performed for the imperial court, as depicted by a Dunghuang Grotto mural. By the Song Dynasty (960-1279) opera had become the entertainment of choice for the literati and ruling classes.

Thanks to sustained interest by common Chinese through the ages, acrobatics remains a healthy traditional art form.
An evening of choreographed death-defying acrobatic feats in Beijing involves very lithe individuals clad in awesome technicolour costumes, performing in tune to sound and light. Doing the ‘splits’ is an elementary skill when compared to what these showstoppers will pull out on the night. Bicycles, rings of fire, tables and slippery cylinders are common props in routines such as the lion dance, wushu (traditional group gymnastics), tight-wire feats, spring boarding, gymnastics on double-fixed poles and hoop diving.