[Magic’s Finest Meet in Beijing] The 10th China Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition semi-final closes in style

China Acrobats Association · 2018-05

Translated from the Chinese original published by China Acrobats Association. Read the original.

[Magic Elites Face Off in Beijing] The Semi-Finals of the 10th China Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition Come to a Perfect Close — image 1

On 6 May 2018, the Beijing-division semi-finals of the 10th China Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition were held at Happy Valley Beijing. Magic elites from Beijing, Tianjin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Xinjiang and other provinces and cities gathered at Happy Valley Beijing to compete for places in the finals of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award, the highest honour in Chinese magic.

With the close of the Beijing division, the semi-finals of this edition of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition came to a perfect conclusion. The list of acts advancing from the semi-finals to the finals will be released shortly on the official website and WeChat account of the China Acrobats Association — stay tuned!

I. The standing of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition The China Golden Chrysanthemum Award for Circus Arts is a national professional arts award established with the approval of the central authorities and co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Acrobats Association. It is held once every three years, and the Golden Chrysanthemum Award for Outstanding Magic Act is one of its sub-categories. The Golden Chrysanthemum Award magic competition is the highest-ranking and highest-level magic contest in China, and enjoys the reputation of being "the Oscars of Chinese magic".

II. The organisers of this edition of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award magic competition The 10th China Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition is co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Acrobats Association, and co-organised by the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Shenzhen OCT Happy Valley Tourism Company and the Acrobatic Art Centre of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

Photo: Ruxianguli Ruxianguli, Vice-Director of the Magic Art Committee of the China Acrobats Association, Vice-President of the Guangdong Acrobats Association and Vice-President of the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said: "Ever since Happy Valley opened, it has had an inseparable bond with magic; magic galas and magic acts are staged there every day. The Golden Chrysanthemum Award magic competition hosted by the China Acrobats Association is the highest-level magic contest in China. This time the China Acrobats Association and the Shenzhen OCT Happy Valley Tourism Company have joined forces to hold the Golden Chrysanthemum Award magic competition together, which can both further expand the influence of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award and better promote Happy Valley."

III. The Beijing-division semi-finals The Beijing division was the third round of this edition's semi-finals. Specially invited to serve as judges were Xu Qiu, Deputy Director of the Acrobatic Art Centre of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Vice-Director of the Magic Art Committee of the China Acrobats Association and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the magazine "Acrobatics and Magic"; Luo Bingsong, Vice-Director of the Magic Art Committee of the China Acrobats Association; Fang Yinting, the renowned master of Gucai Xifa (classical Chinese magic); Xu Fengmei, Vice-Director of the Magic Art Committee of the China Acrobats Association and Vice-President of the China branch of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM); and Shen Juan, member of the Magic Art Committee of the China Acrobats Association.

The Beijing division had the largest number of entries of the three semi-final rounds, with 17 acts taking part, and it also had the highest overall standard of the three. "Jiu'er", entered by the Liaoning Acrobats Association, combines traditional and contemporary styles, borrowing the character framework of the Chinese film classic "Red Sorghum" and weaving traditional magic performance into it, which both enriches the forms of magical expression and makes magic more entertaining. "The Beautiful Grassland, My Home", entered by the Acrobats Association of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, blends magic into rich ethnic flavour, conveying Mongolian character through song, costume and props and using magic to drive the story forward — novel and distinctive. "Jianghu", entered by the Henan Acrobats Association, uses one man, one sword and one flask of wine to tell in magic of the chivalry and the loneliness of those who live in the martial world. "Ink · Fresh Breeze", entered by the Beijing acrobats, tells the story of a scholar and a fox spirit through magic. "Sons and Daughters of the Shanxi Merchants", entered by the Shanxi Acrobats Association, uses magical techniques to portray the passage of time and the joys and sorrows of its characters, and is refreshingly original. Other acts, such as "Wandering in a Sea of Flowers" from Xinjiang, "The Magic Merman" from Tianjin and the Gucai Xifa act "Shuang Si Liang" from Beijing, also displayed accomplished magical technique and artistic expressiveness, winning rounds of applause from the audience and the judges.

Photo: Li Nuoyafangzhou, "Jiu'er"

Photo: Aizihaier Aihemaiti, "Wandering in a Sea of Flowers"

Photo: Liang Yihu, "Fleeting Light and Shadow"

Photo: Zhang Jiarui, "Magic Classroom"

Photo: Li Keshi, "Shuang Si Liang"

Photo: Guo Shuai, "Phantom Doves"

Photo: Leng Jichao, "Beans in Motion"

Photo: Qin Jian, He Ruixue and others, "Sons and Daughters of the Shanxi Merchants"

Photo: Liu Kaibin, Mai Lisi and others, "The Beautiful Grassland, My Home"

Photo: Liu Chang, "Anemone Rain"

Photo: Liu Lintian, "Five-Colour Immortal Picking Beans"

Photo: Liu Fang and others, "The Magic Merman"

Photo: Lian Xin, "Jianghu"

Photo: Ding Shuai, "Ink · Fresh Breeze"

Photo: Zhang Wei, "Coin Rhapsody"

Photo: Cong Jian and others, "Magic Bonds, Flying Dreams"

IV. Highlights of this edition of the magic competition The greatest feature of this edition of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award magic competition was the addition of live semi-final rounds, which gave magicians from across the country a platform on which to exchange ideas, train and learn from one another. Ruxianguli, who watched all three divisional rounds in succession, said: "These semi-finals brought forward one newcomer after another, and there was a steady stream of excellent innovative acts. The magicians all combined the emotions they wanted to express organically with their magic, and many of the acts also carried very strong regional character and Chinese character. On the whole, the innovation was better than in the past, and the overall artistic expressiveness of the acts has risen by several levels." At the same time she noted that some acts also revealed problems — for example, some magicians are still at the elementary stage of doing tricks, always feeling that it is enough simply to produce out of nothing something that was not there. She hopes these contestants will seize this opportunity and work hard to improve themselves. She has also distilled the insights of her many years in the art into ten sayings, offered as a gift to young magicians.

"Ten Maxims on Learning the Art" Imitate first, then create; within imitation there is creation. At first learn its outward form; then inquire into its way. Draw widely and accumulate; once the channel is dug the water arrives. Respect tradition and the foundation will be firm. Refine your craftsmanship; the water flows on and the mountain stands high. V. Work behind the scenes

The flawless staging of the three divisional rounds would not have been possible without the hard work of the staff behind the scenes. Staff of the China Acrobats Association and of the Happy Valley parks in Shenzhen, Chengdu and Beijing did a great deal of preparatory work to ensure that the competition ran smoothly, and many of them even devoted their entire May Day holiday to it. We salute them here.

Photo: The Beijing-division judging panel

Photo: The Shenzhen-division judging panel

Photo: The Chengdu-division judging panel

VI. The finals of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award magic competition

The finals of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award National Magic Competition will be held at Happy Valley Shenzhen from 29 September to 5 October 2018. The 24 magic acts that have come through the preliminary and semi-final rounds will gather at Happy Valley Shenzhen to compete for the Golden Chrysanthemum Award and to witness the golden chrysanthemum of magic come into bloom.