Wuqiao Acrobatics

Wuqiao County is internationally recognized as the birthplace of Chinese acrobatics（杂技）. 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（在……管辖之内）. Acrobatic art has a wide foundation in Wuqiao, and almost each village has acrobats.

Hebei Province is one of the acrobatic cradles（摇篮，发祥地） of China. The acrobatic figure of abronzelamp of the Warring States Period(475-551 BC) unearthed from King Cheng's Tomb indicated the primitive origin of Wuqiao acrobatics. The tomb murals（墙壁的） of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550) in the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (386-581) unearthed（出土） from Xiaomachang Village of Wuqiao County in 1958 depict（描述） handstands, plate spinning and horsemanship（骑术，马师） performances. Wuqiao acrobatics gained a good reputation and prospered after the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368), and reached its peak in the Qing 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（精致的，细腻的） 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（马戏团）, pits troupes against each other in performing Diabolo（空中陀螺）, Flying Hats and Pagoda of Bowls（顶坛）, all a superb（极好的） display of both modern and traditional acrobatic skills that is sure to entertain all visitors.