China.org.cn: The Overbridge Bar Acrobatics -- infuse the vibrancy of folk arts into the central axis of Beijing

BEIJING, Feb. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China's intangible cultural heritage:

Before the eve of the 2022 Spring Festival, a group of Chinese young students together with international students who stay for the Spring Festival visited the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to enjoy for the first time the charm of China's intangible cultural heritage and to learn about the stories behind it.

The Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China, with a large scale of folk activities to be carried out during this period. In 1985, there was a fancinating spectacle at the first Ditan Park Spring Festival temple fair. The crowd gathered in front of a horizontal bar and watched the performer making a series of actions that ordinary people had never seen before. The crowd were all stunned and applauded at the scene. This is the artistic performance of the Overbridage Bar Acrobatics. The emergence of the temple fair has enriched the connotation of bar performance and made possible its spread from royal court to the common people, whcih has become a popular performance.

Before the 2022 Spring Festival, Li Chenghe and Sandos,two international student from Mali and San tome and Principe, visited the third and fourth generation inheritors Cao Anlai and Hu Jiyuan. After Cao anlai's explanation of the techniques, the two international students also experienced getting onto a bar under the protection of two ICH inheritors, and personally tried and completed the wave swinging, leg hanging and other movements.

As early as 2000 years ago, Overbridge Bar Acrobatics was a popular performance  among nobles at that time. It was also recorded in historical books on Emperor Yang's visit to Yangzhou in the Sui Dynasty. In modern society, bar performance gradually came to be known by the common people and was found in temple fairs and other folk activities, which helped it gain popularity among the masses. Nowadays, it is an important way of fitness for many people. In Beijing's parks, we can often see buffs of this sport on the bar, which makes it known to more people.

There were oringally 108 gymnastic movements for traditional Overbridge Bar Acrobatics , and they have developed into more than 200 movements, which fall into three categories: the upper, middle and lower activities. "the Upper Play" refers to various kinds of handstands completed at the position above the bar, such as two finger handstand, handstand with splayed legs etc.. "the Middle Play" refers to all kinds of body rotations and swings around the bar, such as spinning wheel and shrunken neck passing. "the Lower Play" refers to various hanging actions completed under the bar, such as duck floating, front duck move and rear duck move. Each movement has the characteristics of thrilling, rareness, particularity and uniqueness.

In recent years, in the series of activities of applying for the world culture heritage for Beijing central axis, the Overbridge Bar Acrobatics has played an important role and infused the vibrancy of folk arts into Beijing central axis.

After the activity, the international students said that the trip was a brand new experience. Although I saw the wonderful movements performed by the teacher and learned skills, when I myself got on the bar, I still felt that I was not ready for it and my strength was insufficient, which really verified the saying "one minute of performance on the stage takes ten years of practice ".

Li Cheng and Sandos admitted that if they don't come to China, they will never be able to watch, understand and experience Chinese traditional folk arts. "I hope the Overbridge Bar Acrobatics will become more popularized in daily life and will be known by people from more countries and regions."

SOURCE China.org.cn