Shanghai Acrobatics

Acrobatics is an interactive art form. Everyone, young or old, educated or not, can easily appreciate it while watching the acrobats perform. There is no language barrier for the tourists from all over the world.

Chinese Acrobatics is one of the oldest performing arts. Its history can be traced back to Neolithic times. It is believed that acrobatics grew out of labor and self-defense skills, which people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure time. The early performance is "walking on three-meter-high stilts while juggling seven gaggers". Then it developed into an entire art form. Together with the developing economy, acrobatics is also evolving into a kind of performing art. It became well known worldwide while performances are presented along the Silk Road. In Europe and North America, Chinese acrobatic performances always attract large audiences.

The acrobatic performers were trained strictly the basic skills starting from the early age of six or seven years old. Because the required techniques are extremely difficult and risky, the training is long, hard and intense. Examples of basic skills are handsprings, somersaults, waist and leg flexibility, and headstands. The performers must endure great deal of unexpected pains in order to become excellent.