Introduction of China's Acrobatics

Introduction of China's Acrobatics

The history of acrobatics in China can be traced back to Neolithic times. It is believed that acrobatics grew out of the labor and self-defense skills that the people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure time. By 300 BC, such skills as walking on 3-meter high stilts and juggling 7 daggers at a time had been developed in China. As the world economy developed, acrobatics was also developed into a kind of performance art.

Acrobatics became known worldwide through performances presented along the Silk Road. During the 13th century, the reputation of acrobatics as an impressive art form began to suffer. The public didn't respect acrobatics as they had before, and many acrobats found it very difficult to find places to perform. After the sounding of the drum, the acrobatic show would begin. Several benches and a few props was all an acrobat owned. These early acrobatics didn't care so much about giving a beautiful performance, so long as the conveyed a feeling of danger and peril. The life of those fallen acrobats was tough. A lot of acrobatic performers were forced to do farming in countryside. Because of their love for acrobatics, acrobatic art was able to survive for generations. Located in Northeastern Plain, Wuqiao County relies on agriculture. Wandering through small villages here, you can see a lot of people practicing acrobatics. Although, they're not as professional as I expected. Currently, Mr. Jiang is teaching acrobatics to his children. There are over 400 families who are capable performing acrobatics. They sometimes perform in the other cities together. The 'Acrobatic Macrocosm' was built for local acrobatic performances by the Wuqiao Municipal government. There are many other forms of folk art performed here. Because renting a stage in a big theatre in urban areas is often very expensive, local acrobatic troupes build temporary stages for their performances. These temporary stages not only can save money, but also can be moved and reused. In the early 1980s, the American Education Commission introduced acrobatics into the students' curriculum. China established two art schools especially for acrobatics-Wuqiao Acrobatic School and the Beijing Acrobatic School. To become a competent acrobat, students must begin practicing the basic skills from the time they are only 6 or 7 years old. Because the techniques employed in acrobatics are extremely difficult and risky, students must endure a good deal of pains for their gain. Handsprings are one of the basic skills in acrobatics. Students must practice everyday.

Apart from somersaults and handsprings, waist and leg flexibility and headstands are the other basic skills students must master. The training is long, hard, and intense. Acrobatic students can better illustrate the beauty of human body when they are performing in physique class. In Europe and North America, Chinese acrobatic performances attract large audiences. Acrobatics is an interactive art form. Whether you are old or young, educated or illiterate, you can appreciate it as long as you can see. There is no language barrier and cultural border. Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe was awarded many gold medals during the 'Tomorrow and Future' International Acrobatic Festival in France, which draws the most outstanding acrobats from around the world. A high level acrobatic program needs excellent technique coaches and much preparation time before it is ready to be performed in public. Zhou Pinqi, technical coach of Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe, started to practice acrobatics when he was a child and became a coach. He, Zhang Gongli and other four students participated in the Shengyang Acrobatic Troupe in 1997. The programs he guided have twice won the highest prize at French Acrobatic Festival. He has his own unique methods of coaching his students. Because it has an abundance of excellent acrobatic coaches, Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe has trained a group of outstanding acrobats. The Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe produced the first themed acrobatic gala entitled 'Moon Light Acrobatics' in China. The performance matches the theme 'Moonlight Acrobatics' through innovations in stage lighting. Acrobatic art has its own peculiarity. The performance itself is very depictive; therefore the requirement for lighting is much stricter than opera and drama. The theme music perfectly coincided with the performance, which made the atmosphere of the event even livelier. However, before the rehearsal, the performer gave the director a lot of trouble. Ju Yi, director of 'Moonlight Acrobatics', said, 'Most acrobats do not have dancing experience. They don't understand music. I mean the performance just didn't fully express the emotion of the music.' Chinese acrobatic art is still what it was centuries ago in that it does not over emphasize the role of music. Performers pay more attention to action. Therefore it takes time for performers to adapt to the music. 'Moonlight Acrobatics' took eight months to prepare, from planning and rehearsing to the performing the first show. That was much longer than other stage performances. A successful acrobatic show also requires appropriate clothing. Costumes further enhance the beauty of the performance and increase the visual effects. When you watch a Chinese acrobatics show, you are strongly impacted both mentally and physically. It is truly and unforgettable experience.

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is located in southern Beijing. It is included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1998. With an area of 2.7 million square meters, it is the largest of its kind in the country. Built in 1420, the 18th year of the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle, the temple was where emperors went to worship heaven for good harvests.

　　The temple consists of two parts——the inner altar and outer altar. The main buildings are in the inner altar, on the north-south axis. At the southern end are the Imperial Vault of Heaven(1) and the Circular Mound Altar(2). On the northern end are the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests(3) and the Hall of Imperial Zenith(4). The structures at both ends are connected by a 360-meter-long walk. There is also the Hall of Abstinence(5) inside the West Heavenly Gate in which the emperor fasted for three days and bathed before prayer.

The temple's main building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, where the emperor prayed for good harvests. The round hall, 38 meters high and 30 meters in diameter, has triple eaves and a cone-shaped deep blue tile roof crowned with a gilded knob. Surrounding the hall is a six-meter-high spacious circular stone terrace on three levels, each edged by a balustrade of carved white marble.

The Circular Mound Altar is one of the more important buildings and is a three-tier white stone terrace enclosed by two walls. Geometrically designed, the altar has a taiji rock at the center of the top terrace. If you stand on the rock and speak in a normal voice, your voice will sound louder and more resonant to yourself than to others around you, because the sound waves reflected by the balustrades are bounced back to the center by the round wall .

The Imperial Vault of Heaven, the place to lay the memorial tablets to the heaven is to the north of the Circular Mound Altar. It is very similar in structure to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests but is smaller. The Vault, made of brick and timber, is 19 meters high and 15.6 meters in diameter. It is surrounded by a circular wall of polished brick with an opening to the south. This is known as the Echo Wall(6) and is 3.72 meters high, 61.5 meters in diameter and 193 meters in circumference. If a person whispers close to the wall at any point, his voice can be heard distinctly at any other point along the wall.

Around the Hall of Abstinence are two imperial ditches and they are circled by a 163-bay walkway. The Abstinence Bronze Man Pavilion and Time and Memorial Tablets Pavilion are at he Celestial Terrace of the main hall. To add the solemnity of the occasion, the bells in the two bell towers at the northeast end were struck when the emperor prayed for good harvests.

1. the Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇　2. the Circular Mound Altar 圜丘坛　3. the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests 祈年殿　　4. the Hall of Imperial Zenith 皇乾殿
　5. the Hall of Abstinence 斋宫　6. the Echo Wall 回音壁

Find out your animal sigh and personality information

     Each year of the Chinese calendar is associated with one of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Use the form below to determine the Chinese Zodiac animal for your birth year.
     Learn more about personality ,health, career, relationships and dating compatibility by click the animal of the year you borned.

Rat                    1900 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020
OX         1901 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021
Tiger      1902 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022
Rabbit    1903 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023
Dragon   1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024
Snake     1905 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025
Horses    1906 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026
Goat       1907 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027
Monkey  1908 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028
Rooster   1909 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029
Dog         1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030
Pig          1911 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031