Traditional Chinese magic has a sizable repertoire known for its superb skill, with "The Immortal Growth Beans," "Auspicious Abundance," and "A Chain of Rings" accepted as masterpieces by the world's magic circles.
Fourth, Chinese acrobats can juggle both light and heavy objects with dexterity, particularly with their feet (especially by females lying on a special platform). The artists manipulate a variety of objects ranging from wine buckets,porcelainjars, tables, ladders, poles, planks, drums, and gongs to silkumbrellas and people weighing more than 100 pounds. They can also turn heavy items like wooden tables and slippery porcelain jars so fast that one can barely recognize the object being juggled.
Acrobats in the past showed their techniques by juggling heavy objects. Today, however, they stress both light and heavy objects. Acrobats juggling light objects such aspaperumbrellas or colored rugs must have a good understanding of the buoyancy and resistance of the air beforehand to perform well.
Acrobats practicing jar tricks often lose a patch of hair due to the fact that heavy jars thrown high typically land on the same spot. However, their hair will grow back once they gain skill in landing jars on their heads with the slightest effort.
Traditional conjurers must undergo hard training before they can skillfully manipulate hundreds of pounds of objects hidden beneath their loose gowns. The new item "Beating Gongs and Drums" in which acrobats juggle and play percussion instruments simultaneously has raised the art of juggling to a new level. The spirit of continually forging ahead characteristic of acrobatic artists has provided great encouragement to mankind.
Fifth, Chinese acrobatics features the combination of great physical strength and quick and nimble somersaults. It requires an unusual amount of physical strength on the part of the performer supporting a pyramid, as theTang Dynastyacrobat who, records indicate, balanced a long pole on his head while 18 people performed aerial stunts.
A lacquer painting on a bow dating from the Tang Dynasty, which is now housed in Japan as a national treasure, shows a man supporting a long pole on his head with six people performing aerial stunts. A contemporary veteran acrobat showed great strength by using his hands and feet to lift four stone barbells and eight people weighing over 1000 pounds.
Other items such as "Drawing Strong Bows" and "Wielding a Heavy, Long-shaft Broadsword" also require unusual physical strength.
Email to Friends
Print
Save