Taking Care of Show Business

By+Yuan+Yuan

A crystal ball hovers in the air as if by magic while performer Lu Xinyi moves his hands and arms around the ball to demonstrate that no hidden strings or supports keep it in place. The ball glitters with the reflection of neon lights along Dingyi Road， Jingan District， one of the most bustling areas in Shanghai.

Lu has performed his routine every Tuesday， Saturday and Sunday since October 2014. Not far from Lu， two men， dressed in brightly-colored clown costumes， make balloon animals. They inflate a number of brightly colored balloons， twisting and turning them and within seconds， well-known and loved characters such as Micky Mouse or Spider Man appear.

Lu is a 33-year-old Shanghai native， and the balloon artisans are brothers Wang Shiping and Wang Luping. They are among the first eight street artists to receive official certification for street artists issued by the Shanghai Performing Art Association.

A step forward

Lu went to Switzerland for college after high school in Shanghai. While in Switzerland， he was captivated by street performers and learned his crystal ball routine and other magic tricks with great passion. His idol is David Copperfield.

“Copperfields performance is spellbinding. He started his career on the streets，” said Lu， who decided to continue the show in his hometown Shanghai. “I hope one day I could be a magic performer as awesome as he is.”

But things were not as optimistic at first. “It was hard to define what I am，” said Lu. “Many people treated me like a beggar and I had to keep an eye out for city management officers， as performing in the streets was still illegal here.”

In the eyes of Lu， which reflected clearly in his crystal ball， Shanghai should be more liberal and open to reflect its status as an international metropolis. “Street artists make a city more vivid and alive，” said Lu.

Luo was the first to call for a space for street artists in Shanghai， first proposing the idea of legalizing street performances in 2004.

“Accepting pity or accepting appreciation is the dividing line between begging and street performance，” said Luo， Vice Chairman of China Theater Association.

For a long time， Shanghai regulations prohibited anyone from undertaking commercial activities in public places. Street performers， unfortunately， belonged to this group， and for a long time they faced the threat of being expelled by city management officers.

It took 10 years to change this. By the end of October 2014， after rounds of test， eight street artists were selected from more than 100 as the first batch with official certificate.

Shanghai made this pilot roam. “It is true that some street artists are beggars，” said Luo.“But there are still some that purely want to perform for the public and we need to make a stage for them，” said Luo.

The first batch of certificates were issued on October 25 last year. “The certificates may expire. They need to be updated every month， every three months or every half year. We will check on their routine and whether their image is suitable to be on the street，” said Wei Zhi， Chairman of the Shanghai Performance Trade Association.

“If someone comes up to me， I can tell him I am certified. I am a real artist. I really enjoy performing on the street. The street is my stage. We perform for everyone passing by，” Lu said.

The specialties for the first eight include handicrafts， singing and magic. The Shanghai Performance Trade Association selected them over the past year.

“We are lucky to be in the first group of the certificate holders，” said the Wang brothers.

The two brothers came to Shanghai in 2002， first working as waiters in a restaurant and hotel， but their love for balloon art eventually led them to pursue it as a career. In 2009， they quit their jobs and bought a pack of “magic” balloons worth 18 yuan （$ 2.92）， wore coats with many pockets and started their new but arduous life as full time street performers.

Their dream found difficulty in the attempt to become reality. On the first day they performed in the street， an officer confiscated all their balloons. The brothers， since then， lived in constant fear and have been involved into a battle of wits and strength. Whenever the Wangs performed on the streets， they had to be prepared to stop and leave before officers reached them.

“Although we love our career， working in this way is frustrating，” said Wang brothers.“We dream to perform like true artists on the streets.”

Now with the certificate， Wang brothers finally feel like real artists.

“Shanghais attempt is a conception in progress，” said Sun Wei， a professor at the School of Journalism at Fudan University. “If Shanghai wants to be a city with distinct characteristics like Paris， it needs to create cultural bonds， rather than relying on a commercial force， to unite people by combining the citys spatial layout with human elements.”

“Many people in Shanghai love street arts and stop for my music，” said Kaizi， a guitar player from east Chinas Jiangsu Province who also got the certificate.

Kaizi used to work an office job after college， but the routine life made him feel bored and trapped. After working it for three years， he decided to be a full-time street artist.

Kaizi remembers that a city management officer， after work， came back to listen to his music and gave him 10 yuan （$1.6）.

Art and living

This pilot program in Shanghai has shed light on street art regulation in many other places in China.

In Beijing， Chinas political as well as art center， street performance is a more common sight. Ren Yueli， a singer who frequented an underpass in Xidan shopping district of Beijings downtown， was even invited to sing at the 2011 Spring Festival Gala on China Central Television.

However， Rens popularity didnt change the fact that street singers are still without legal protection in Beijing. There are hundreds of such singers in this city and city management officials are still a headache for them.

“Normally we rely purely on luck on whether we will be stopped or not，” said Dali， a guitar player and singer in Beijing. “But it seems we got used to it. We complain sometimes but we accept it as we know it is like this from the very beginning.”

Zhang Guanhui， born in 1984 in east Chinas Anhui Province， came to Beijing with a dream to become a street performer in 2009 but couldnt make this dream come true after more than one year of struggle.

Finally， he set up his stage in Sanlitun Village， Beijings nightlife center， and started performing Michael Jackson dance routines. Every night he carries a portable stereo and dances for two hours straight. “Normally I can get more than 100 yuan （$161） each night，” said Zhang， who lives in a shabby flat costing less than 600 yuan （$97） a month. He now makes his living on his art alone.

In 2014， when videos of him dancing got popular online， he was invited to dance at the annual celebrations of some companies.

“This is still far from my final goal—to be a real dancing star， but I still have time， no rush，”said Zhang.

“It is a real challenge to perform on the streets，” said Guo Degang， a popular cross talker.“Your performance has to be good enough to get people to pay for you. Otherwise， you cant make a living.”

Now for the eight certificate holders in Shanghai， their income is relatively stable. Lus crystal ball show has been invited to perform on many occasions and so have the Wang brothers.

“The month before the Spring Festival is a busy season for us，” said Wang. “We can earn more than 10，000 yuan （$1，613） this month.”