Thrilling and astonishing: ‘Splendid Nights in Jilin’ stages an acrobatics and magic special

On the evening of 16 July, the ‘Splendid Nights in Jilin’ 2023 summer performance season presented a thrilling show at Changchun’s Confucian Temple Square: the Magic & Voice special by the China National Acrobatic Troupe.

The evening's programme brought together grand illusions, comedy magic, close-up magic and traditional conjuring, deftly blending acrobatics, drama, dance and other artistic means with cross-genre stage elements. "Secret Realm," an animal magic act performed by Hu Linglong, winner of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award for Chinese acrobatics, set several upgraded magical techniques against dynamic stage visuals of deep mountain seclusion and birdsong in dense forest, painting a beautiful picture of harmony between people and nature.

"Pretty Hua Dan — Diabolo" is one of the China National Acrobatic Troupe's own signature creations. It brings elements of Peking opera into acrobatic performance, using the costumes, music, movements and postures of Peking opera to convey the grandeur and elegance of this national art form, and achieves wide-ranging innovation in artistic fusion, technical movement and spatial dimension.

The dynamic, stylish new acts "Breaking the Wind — Cycling Skills" and "Chinese Rings" made a deep impression with their high-difficulty acrobatics, ingenious choreography and exquisite costume and make-up. In traditional magic such as "Rings of Wonder" and "Three Immortals Return to the Cave," the performers gave "magic power" to everyday objects — an empty stall yielding fine wine, iron rings forming shapes, a bucket producing all manner of things. Acts such as "Body Illusion," "Knife and Fan Thriller," "Shadow Passage" and "Aerial Escape" were thrilling and brought the audience a different kind of tension.

As a comprehensive work of stage art, the evening's performance offered not only the shock, danger, wonder, difficulty and humour peculiar to acrobatics and magic, but also the "beauty of art" that comes from fusing many contemporary stage means and forms, showing the exploration, innovation and contemporary aspiration of the China National Acrobatic Troupe as the "national team of acrobatics."

By Pei Yuhong, all-media reporter, Jilin Daily