中国空竹艺术

文、译/孙晔

中国空竹艺术

Chinese yo-yo combines art, culture and exercise

文、译/孙晔

天津武清中央公园一位爱好者在练习抖空竹

空竹，也以“中国悠悠球”而闻名，杂技演员用绳子抖空竹，发出蜂鸣声。

Kongzhu, also known as the Chinese yo-yo, works as a diabolo spinning and buzzing like an acrobat on a string.

这种艺术可追溯到一千多年前。它从贵族和达官要人流传下来，变为一种家庭娱乐游戏。它在明朝（1368-1644)被称为“轻击铃”，在中国南部叫作“振铃”。它由乡下特定的竹植物材料做成。

It’s an art that dates back more than 1,000 years. It has passed down from the hands of lords anddignitaries to become a household pastime.It was the “clap-less bells” during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and “vibrating bells” in southern China.It’s made of the country’s signature plant - bamboo.

玩空竹有多种方法，已有超过一千种的玩法且数字仍在增长。 这些足够让它成为国家非物质遗产。

Kongzhu is versatile and has more than 1,000 sets of movements. The number is still growing.These are enough to make it a national intangible heritage.

天津武清区业余空竹表演团团长诸葛向武说,“五月花开”是他永远记得的最美的空竹表演。花就是中国空竹。其中的5个，每一个有不同的颜色，一名表演者掌控并同时旋转，是为庆祝2008年奥运会设计的一套动作。

“The most beautiful playing of kongzhu that will forever remain with me is ‘five blossomingflowers’.” says Zhuge Xiangwu, head of an amateur kongzhu performance troupe in Wuqing,Tianjin.”The flowers” are Chinese yo-yos. Five of them, each with a different color, are handled by justone performer and revolve at the same time. It’s a set of movements designed for the celebration of the 2008 Olympic Games.

诸葛先生的表演团每年都会去龙潭公园庙会庆祝中国农历新年，变戏法和抖空竹从清朝（1644-1911）就变成乡村新年庙会的流行节目。

Zhuge’s troupe goes to Beijing’s Longtan Park fair every year to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, as juggling and playing kongzhu has been a popular program at the country’s new year fairs since the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

诸葛先生说，空竹很有趣，能驱除烦恼。他说，练习空竹的另一个优点很明显。它是一项锻炼全身肌肉和训练敏捷的综合运动。你需要正确使用你的肌肉力量，抖空竹时反应迅速并尽最大努力跟随它。

“Kongzhu is fun and it can drive your worries away.” Zhuge says. Another perk of practicing Chinese yo-yo is evident. It’s a comprehensive exercise that moves one’s various muscles and trains one’s alertness.”You have to use your muscle power in the right way, react quickly to the spinning diabolo and try your best to go with it.” he says.

在他的表演团中，大部分表演者有60或大于60岁。现在，包括诸葛的团队，空竹团队主要由退休市民组成。诸葛先生和他的团员每天在武清文化公园表演和训练四到五个小时。

Most performers in his troupe are 60 or older. Today, kongzhu groups are composed mainly of retired citizens, including Zhuge’s group. Zhuge and his fellows perform and practice each day for four to five hours at Wuqing’s Culture Park.

对于诸葛先生来说，他们的退休计划很简单。“我们欢迎任何对此感兴趣的人。毕竟，学习这门艺术并不难。”

For Zhuge, their recruiting strategy is simple,”We welcome anyone who’s interested. After all, it’s not hard to pick up the art.”