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Wuqiao County is internationally recognized as the birthplace of Chinese acrobatics. Located on the southeast tip of Hebei Province, Wuqiao County covers an area of 583 square kilometers with a population of 270,000 and 444 natural villages under its jurisdiction. Acrobatic art has a wide foundation in Wuqiao, and almost each village has acrobats.
Hebei Province is one of the acrobatic cradles of China. The acrobatic figure of abronzelamp of theWarring States Period(475-551 BC) unearthed from King Cheng's Tomb indicated the primitive origin of Wuqiao acrobatics. The tomb murals of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550) in the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (386-581) unearthed from Xiaomachang Village of Wuqiao County in 1958 depict handstands, plate spinning and horsemanship performances. Wuqiao acrobatics gained a good reputation and prospered after theYuan Dynasty(1271-1368), and reached its peak in theQing Dynasty(1644-1911). The county has now become the home of Chinese acrobatics.
People in Wuqiao today, young or old, often possess astonishing acrobatic ability. It is no wonder that the county has produced many of the country's most famous acrobats.
A famous expression says that 'China leads the world in acrobatics, while Wuqiao tops China in acrobatics'. As the hometown of acrobatics, the sport is a lifestyle for the Wuqiao people. Through 2,000 years of accumulated training, they have formed diversified and exquisite techniques.
There are seven Wuqiao acrobatic performance categories, with 486 repertoires which are a unique combination of acrobatics, dance and martial arts. These styles have gained international recognition.
The China Wuqiao International Acrobatics Festival, an event that started 9 years ago and has since become a well-known acrobatics gala for both domestic and international troupes, pits troupes against each other in performing Diabolo, Flying Hats and Pagoda of Bowls, all a superb display of both modern and traditional acrobatic skills that is sure to entertain all visitors.
Source: chinaculture.org
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