Chinese variety art () refers to a wide range of

acrobatic Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...

acts, balancing acts and other demonstrations of physical skill traditionally performed by a

troupe Troupe may refer to: General * Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers ** Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers * Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games * Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical perform ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. Many of these acts have a long history in

and are still performed today.

Circus vs variety art

While the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

term "Chinese circus" has been used to describe Chinese variety arts even in the earliest

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

historical texts, the East views the Chinese term "circus" (馬戲) as an altogether separate, Western style of show. Elements such as

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

s and large animals belong exclusively to the Western circus. Eastern elements include Shaolin monks,

Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

characters and the

Monkey King The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel '' Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...

, for example.

History

Nieuhof-p-263-Googhelaars-Lach-van-Kley-plate-364

Chinese

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...

have a long history. Variety show is known to existed as early as the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

(221–207 BC) or possibly earlier. During the Qin and Han periods, ''Juedi'' (角抵) or ''Baixi'' (百戲) variety show was popular with the common people. ''Juedi'' was originally an entertainment where men wearing horns charged at one another like bulls, but became a general term used interchangeably with ''Baixi'' to describe popular entertainment during the Han dynasty. It consisted of a variety of acts such as

conjuring Conjuration or Conjuring may refer to: __NOTOC__ Concepts * Conjuration (summoning), the evocation of spirits or other supernatural entities ** Conjuration, a school of magic in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' * Conjuration (illusion), the performance of ...

, acrobatics,

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

, musical performances, dance,

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

, horsemanship, and

juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...

. In the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

, the scholar

Zhang Heng Zhang Heng (; AD 78–139), formerly romanized as Chang Heng, was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman who lived during the Han dynasty. Educated in the capital cities of Luoyang and Chang'an, he achieved success as an astronomer, mat ...

was one of the first to describe the acrobatic theme shows in the royal palaces in his " Ode to the Western Capital" (西京賦). The event featured shows such as ''Old Man Huang of the Eastern Sea'' (東海黃公), the ''Dancing Fish and Dragon'' (魚龍蔓衍) and ''Assembly of Immortals'' (總會仙倡), and Zheng described swallowing knives and spitting fire, creatures that transformed into another, as well as children who performed acrobatics on high poles. A grand acrobatic show was held by

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign last ...

in 108 BC for foreign guests. The performances became more elaborate and during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907 AD), the performing arts became popular in the emperor's court, and the acts became more refined. Eventually, the performing arts lost favor in the Imperial Court; they moved back to the common people and most performers performed in the street. During the Song dynasty the variety shows may be performed in the entertainment centres called the ''wazi'' (瓦子, meaning "tiles"). Towards the end of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644), the performers came off the street and started performing on stage. During the end of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1911), it regained popularity with the Imperial Court and has remained a popular art form to this day. Since the founding of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

in 1949, the art forms have gained new respectability. Troupes have been established in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

autonomous region An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy� ...

s, and special municipals with theaters specifically dedicated to the variety arts. Some troupes have become world famous, playing to packed houses at home and on foreign tours. It wasn't until the 1990s, however, that the art form was packaged as a complete theme show. The 1994 show ''Golden Wind of the Southwest'' (金色西南風) led the way in successfully re-promoting the art as a whole.

Performances

Below is a list of performances available in the variety art. Some are more standard, while others are more regional. There is always new innovation taking place. *

Lion dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Y ...

on top of

rolling globe The rolling globe or walking globe is a circus skill in which a performer balances atop a large sphere. Various gymnastic or juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreatio ...

s or balls *

Tightrope walking Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rop ...

Contortion Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, circus acts, street performers and other liv ...

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acr ...

* Balancing act while playing

Chinese yo-yo The diabolo ( ; commonly misspelled ''diablo'') is a juggling or circus prop consisting of an axle () and two cups (hourglass/egg timer shaped) or discs derived from the Chinese yo-yo. This object is spun using a string attached to two hand s ...

* Shaolin monks resisting projectiles * Extreme

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

demonstrations * Unicycling and bowl balancing * Multi- plate spinning * Tricks involving smaller animals * Fire breathing Image:HuangShanWireWorkers.jpg, Highwire acrobats in

Huang Shan Huangshan (),Bernstein, pp. 125–127. literally meaning the Yellow Mountain(s), is a mountain range in southern Anhui Province in eastern China. It was originally called “Yishan”, and it was renamed because of a legend that Emperor Xuany ...

Image:Chinese Contortion Acrobatics.jpg, Contortion acrobatics Image:Chinese Circus Acrobats on Bicycle.jpg, Balancing act on a bicycle Image:ChineseVarietyart Platerotate.jpg, Multi-plate spinning Image:ChineseVarietyart Fightingmonk.jpg, Shaolin monk Image:ChineseVarietyart BalancingAct2.jpg, Gymnastic display

Festivals

Shanghai Circus World Shanghai Circus World () is a large, permanent indoor circus in the city of Shanghai, China. Shanghai Circus World covers an area of 22,500 square meters. Its main facility is the Acrobatics Field, in which there are 1,638 seats. The 100-minut ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Variety Art Chinese performing arts

Circus vs variety art

History

Performances

Festivals

See also

References