List of Tricks

Barrel contortionist An acrobat maneuvers in and out of a narrow barrel in various contortions, including
handstands and toe touches.
Bench balance Acrobats balance bowls of rice on their heads while they move in handstands on stacked
benches.
Bowl piling A unicyclist balances on a table and, without falling off the cycle or table, kicks up bowls, kettles,
and spoons to a pile on her head.
Cycling Chinese acrobats use both unicycles and bicycles to perform stunts on. One of the most impressive
feats is the use of cycles to create human pyramids. Acrobats sometimes also incorporate roller skates into their
act.
Diabolo skill The word diabolo is not from Spanish diablo (devil) but from the Greek dia bolo for throw
across. The skill originated from tricks with the Chinese yo-yo, which a user throws back and forth on string
between two sticks. It is a traditional Chinese sport; jugglers compete with tricks on the diabolo, using sticks to
spin and toss the yo-yo in the air.
Double-bottle balance act For this act, the acrobat uses his head to balance a layered stack of glasses and
trays. To heighten the difficultly of the skill, the glasses are filled with water and the acrobat plays an instrument
and dances, all without spilling a drop.
Double-fixed poles This is one of the most ancient acrobatic skills and is depicted in drawings from over 1,000
years ago. Performers shimmy up freestanding poles and jump from pole to pole.
Hoop diving Another of the most ancient Chinese acrobatic traditions, hoop diving was originally called
Swallow Play because jumpers attempted to imitate the graceful movements of the bird as they dove through
rings.
Lion dance The lion dance is combination of dance and martial arts. The lion is a symbol of strength and
happiness, and the dance is performed to ward away evil spirits and to bring good luck.
Meteor juggling A performer swings a rope with glass bowls on either end. The acrobat somersaults and twirls
the rope, all without spilling the water in the bowls.
Pagoda bowl balance In this hand-to-hand balance, a male acrobat stands on the floor while a female
balances a bowl of rice on her head and handstands on his head.
Rope walking One of the oldest recorded acrobatic skills, rope walking dates back to the Han Dynasty of over
2,000 years ago. Any acrobatic feat performed on a tightrope falls into this category.
Suspended Strips This acrobatic skill began as a folk sport. It is similar to trapeze work, but instead of a bar
fixed onto strings, acrobats use two cloth strips to show off upper body strength.
Wushu Wushu literally means martial art. The title usually refers to Chinese traditional group gymnastics,
made a national sport in China in 1949. As a sport, wushu parallels gymnasticsthere are choreographed
routines that include somersaults, lifts and jumps. The term wushu was first applied to hand-to-hand combat and
other military self- defense training over 3,000 years ago.

China Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival

China Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival is held in Shijiazhuang in November every other
year, sponsored by the Ministry of National Culture and the Government of Hebei Province. The
festival was named after Wuqiao County, which, with a long acrobatic history, is the famous
hometown of acrobatics in China.
China Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival is the largest one at the highest level in China. It
has successfully been held eight times since 1987 and the Gold Lion Prize awarded at the
Wuqiao Festival has become one of the coveted prizes in international acrobatics.
The First China Wuqiao International Acrobatic Festival was held in Shijiazhuang, the capital
city of Hebei Province from October 25 to November 1, 1987. Thirty programs from Australia,
France, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mexico, the former Soviet Union and the
People's Republic of China participated in the festival.