E-mail lunthesis@163.com Phone 0551-65179860-203

'Acrobatic town' taps into proud heritage to boost tourism

Pub Date:2021-10-26 08:51 Source:China Daily

Linquan county of Fuyang, Anhui province, known as the "hometown of acrobatics", has a long history with the art form.

More than 20,000 of the county's 2.3 million residents are engaged in the business, bringing in a combined annual income of more than 500 million yuan ($78 million), according to the local government.

A major industry, acrobatics has always been popular in the county, though the sector has been facing difficulties as people's lives improve.

Wei Xuehong, 54, had been an acrobatic actor from the county's Weixiaozhuang village since childhood.

The villager was born into a poverty-stricken family and started to learn acrobatic skills from his parents when he was about 14.

"In that period, many of the local villagers would try to send their children to join acrobatic troupes," says Wei.

Weixiaozhuang has been known as "acrobatics village" with most of the households being engaged in such performances for generations.

Wei says he loves acrobatics, despite experiencing difficulty earning a living as he traveled around the world.

Three years ago, he retired from the business upon the request of his two sons to stay home and take care of his five grandchildren, while they continue to run the family business.

Returning home, Wei hung his wooden benches, which had been used for performances, high on the ceiling of the warehouse.

Hu Jun, in his 50s and one of the most famous among local acrobatic actors, chose to keep working.

Several years ago, he founded an acrobatic training school, but he laments the fact that as time goes on, he is recruiting fewer children.

"Acrobatics requires years of hard practice. You have to do it every day," says Hu, adding that, as a result, it is difficult for children to balance training with their schoolwork.

For the nine-year compulsory education, local primary and middle schools send teachers to Hu's troupe to teach the children.

Li Enjie, former head of the China Acrobatics Troupe, said during a seminar in Linquan last year that such a situation is faced by acrobatic troupes across the country.

"Hard as my business is, the situation is not always bad, because it shows that people now have more choices for their career and life thanks to the improving living conditions," says Hu.

As there are still lots of people engaged in the business, the Linquan county government has built a massive area of ancient-style buildings and named it the "Town of Acrobatics" in the hope of developing tourism and to give the performers more opportunities to show off their acrobatics skills, according to local officials.


Editor:Rita

Related News
- Iconic pine tree to have check-up    2021-10-15 10:56
- Bengbu gets nod for building airport    2021-10-14 10:19
- Red tourism, family outings fuel holiday travel surge    2021-10-08 08:47
- Hot Nat'l Day holiday expected for Anhui    2021-09-30 09:49
 
photo  >>
Wuhu, Anhui: 100,000 mu of canola flowers blossoming
Guest countries of honor attract visitors at 6th CIIE
Video  >>
【网络中国节·元宵】 Happy Lantern Festival! Intangible cultural heritage in Anhui—— Fish Lantern 一夜“鱼”龙舞
2024 Chinese New Year: OMG! The God of Wealth is at your door!
People  >>
Hebei rolls out red carpet for talent
Transnational couple revives ancient dwelling in east China
Travel  >>
Huangshan listed among China's Top 10 scenic cities
China expects travel spree during May Day holiday
Contact Us
Copyright ©2000-2021 anhuinews.com All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 皖B2-20080023-7