Acrobatic Dreams

by Ma Jie

Konglou Village in Juye County， Heze of Shandong Province， has long been famous for acrobatics. Local stunt men and women practice as many as 100 tricks， such as kicking bowls in the air， walking tightropes， foot juggling， trick cycling， and balancing poles on their heads. An acrobatic school was established in the village in the 1970s， which has produced many of the countrys brightest acrobatic stars. Countless performers have won international prizes， and some have accompanied state leaders abroad， performing as part of official state visits.

Kong Xianghui was the founder of the acrobatic school. Every year Kong received dozens of invitations to perform. His school draws numerous students， as young as 6 and as old as 30， most hoping to earn a living through such skills. It usually takes at least three months to learn a single trick. After graduation， they return to their hometowns and join local groups， from which they can earn several hundred yuan from one performance. Some students come during summer and winter vacations， envisioning one day entertaining spectators with awe-inspiring mastery.

Unfortunately， this May， Kong Xianghui died from injuries sustained in an in-class accident， at the age of 58. His 31-year-old son， Kong Wei， took over his fathers business and brought even bigger dreams. He plans to create a comprehensive acrobatic school with courses in both acrobatics and general knowledge.