Chinese acrobats perform at the 12th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 11, 2009. Performance in Cangzhou kicked off Wednesday as the second phase of the festival. (Xinhua/Wang Min)
BEIJING, Nov. 12 --Wuqiao in Hebei province is known as the birthplace of the circus and acrobatics in China. In honor of this title, the town has a festival named for it. Over nearly a quarter of a century that event has help push the art of acrobatics and circus performances to new heights. Let's take a look at the 12th Wuqiao Acrobatics Festival.
In Wuqiao this year, the show is being stolen by furry, four-footed, and sometimes ferocious performers. Accomplished animal tamers from home and abroad mount breathtaking spectacles, coaxing and compelling their savage co-stars into jumping through burning hoops and walking along balance beams.
The Wuqiao Acrobatics Festival began earlier this month at the Hebei Art Center in Shijiazhuang. The festival which is held every two years and for nine-days seeks to set itself apart from other circus and acrobatic shows and always push beyond its own limitations.
More than two hundred acrobats from around the world are performing dynamic and seemingly impossible moves in over thirty acts for the competition. The three best acts will be honored with the Golden Lion Awards at the closing ceremony.
The Wuqiao festival also features a series of exhibitions, seminars, and lectures dedicated to the circus. And two outdoor marquees have been set up outside the theater to entertain local residents from dawn to dusk.
Acrobats from Italy and Switzerland perform at the 12th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Wang Min)
The Cangzhou part of the 12th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival opens in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Wang Min)
French acrobats perform at the 12th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Wang Min)
Mongolian acrobats perform at the 12th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Wang Min)
A Canadian acrobat performs at the 12th China Wuqiao International Circus Festival in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Wang Min)
