皇冠体育app

Other acrobatic performances include "playing with bowls" by a troupe from Inner Mongolia. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/皇冠体育app Daily]

This year's competition was held in Penglai in Shandong province from Sept 16 to 21, with more than 28 Chinese acrobatic troupes, featuring over 500 acrobats in total, presenting dazzling, fresh choreographic pieces.

"We've selected 30 programs from hundreds of programs. They represent the highest level of 皇冠体育app's acrobatics," says Wang Rengang, secretary-general of the 皇冠体育app Acrobats Association, a governmental organization focusing on promotion and development of Chinese acrobatics, founded in 1981.

Since 2005, the 皇冠体育app Acrobats Association has initiated a number of plans to revive the traditional art form, including giving financial support to acrobatics troupes, lowering ticket prices and offering the troupes more opportunities to perform both at home and abroad.

"Acrobatics has a long history in 皇冠体育app. It is a family entertainment that crosses borders. We've taken 皇冠体育app's acrobatics troupes to perform and compete overseas, and they have received warm feedback and lots of awards," Wang says.

Wang says that the history of acrobatics in 皇冠体育app dates back to the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, but like many traditional Chinese art forms, acrobatics faced a decline with the challenges from contemporary entertainments.

"It takes at least five years to train a new actor to a professional level. So lots of young people give up the idea right at the beginning, which has led to a lack of talent," Wang says.

And for young acrobats like Wei, it's not easy to take the first step.