WITH origins as street performance for entertainment, contemporary acrobatics has occupied a significant position in China’s performing arts and has become well-known around the world as a part of the country’s cultural symbols.

A recent photo exhibition on an acrobatic family surnamed Xin in Luohu Art Museum, Luohu District has enabled visitors to learn the long history of Chinese acrobatics and appreciate its unique charm, Shenzhen Evening News reported.

In 2020, the Xin Family acrobatics was officially listed as Shenzhen’s intangible cultural heritage. “The recognition is worth the celebration of both my family and the profession,” said Ye Mao, a fifth-generation Xin Family descendant.

The Xin acrobat troupe, with a history of over 200 years, started from Hebei Province during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Its performances include aerial, tightrope, magic shows and circus. The family also boasts skilled performances, such as contortion.

Xin’s fourth generation formed Yate Acrobatic Troupe in 1986 and started traveling nationwide. Upon reaching their Shenzhen stop, they decided to settle down in Luohu.

Xin Wenli, a third-generation inheritor, joined the Communist Party of China in 1959 and has exhibited strong love and loyalty to the Party. The acrobatic family has cultivated more than 200 minority acrobats and 63 Party members, the News report said.

Ye told the reporter that her grandfather, Xin Wenli, had a difficult life prior to the founding of the People’s Republic of China. “It is the Party and the country that united folk artists like my grandfather, paid them salaries and solved their living problems. Without these, they could not further develop folk art. My grandfather had been grateful to the Party for his whole life.”

The reform and opening-up policies have also been a fertile ground for creating a Shenzhen-style acrobatic performance. In the past decades, the Xin Family has integrated Shenzhen cultural characteristics such as diversity and openness into their performances, and made breakthroughs in terms of production, music, costume and makeup. A series of Shenzhen-themed projects made their debuts, including “Blossom of Bougainvillea: Contortion,” “Dream Pursuit: Space Walk” and “Fisherwomen’s Wait: Tumbling.”

Meanwhile, Yate Acrobatic Troupe has made several crossover works. In 2017, the troupe cooperated with international young artists to create portable mini artworks showcasing acrobatics. (Xia Yuanjie)