Audiences watch Li Bing's performance in front of the City God Temple in Shanghai. [Photo by Wang Qing/For China Daily]

There is no high threshold for learning ventriloquism, nor does it require any basics. Getting it started works well for some people, but many find it hard to maintain when on the go. It takes three to six months to get started with ventriloquism, and at least several years for proficiency.

On one occasion, Li saw a video on the internet in which a foreign ventriloquist performs with skill. The audiences burst into laughter when the artist acted out an episode with his peculiar vocal technique and cute puppet prop. Each gag was rewarded with a generous belly-laugh. What had stricken him from the outset was that something as pervasive as ventriloquism must be a deep part of the story of life itself. Suddenly, it seemed that this was the career he had been looking for in his entire life, and the dream that had been submerged in his mind suddenly resurfaced in reality.