"But this is still not enough," said Ning Genfu, Vice President of the China Acrobats Association, stressing that acrobats should not only master acrobatic techniques, but also need to know dance, music and even acting. Ning said the most urgent problem was Chinese acrobatics lacking "the soul of the stage."

"Mostly, the performances by Chinese acrobats are applauded but without laughter. Audiences would only remember thrilling scenes but not the whole performance. This is because there is not a soul figure, or a clown, in Chinese acrobatics," said Ning.

Clowns can arouse the passion and manipulate the interest of audiences. China still lacks tradition and experience in cultivating good clowns in acrobatic performances. Chinese artists need to learn more from Western counterparts in order to enable a profound change in the art form, Ning said.

Besides, to follow the development trend of modern acrobatics, Chinese acrobatics has also adopted many high technologies, such as sound and light effects, to perfect the stage effect.

However, Chinese acrobatic artists also insist it is necessary to use high technologies in performances, but there should not be total reliance on them.

Wu Jiatong, General Manager of Wu Promotion, a Beijing-based company specializing in performing arts promotion in China and abroad, says foreign audiences much prefer cultural flavor contained in the highly difficult stunts of Chinese acrobatics to special effects created by high technologies. This was evidenced by the success of Swan Lake in the European market.

Zhang Yu, General Manager of the China Arts and Entertainment Group, says Chinese acrobatics is developing a promising presence in the international market. The international market, in this instance, does not mean merely the foreign market as the domestic market is an important part of the world market. They should be considered integral. At present, some Chinese acrobatic troupes overemphasized the overseas market, which will only make their future road narrower.

"The problem in Chinese acrobatics now remains a lack of comprehensive performing ability. The market for acrobatics that relies on stunts is limited worldwide, and the lack of up-and-coming talented personnel is another severe threat to its future. Chinese acrobatics also needs to foster more production and marketing personnel with global outlooks and thinking," Zhang said.

During the past 10 years, Chinese acrobatics has performed brilliantly and opened up an audience base in the international market, winning high esteem as well as huge revenue. But as to how to sustain its further development, Chinese acrobatics still faces an acid test.

EVENTS

Islamic Cultural Exchanges

By ZHOU XIAOYAN

The China-Indonesia Islamic Culture Expo and Art Show 2010 was held in Indonesia on July 23-25. With the theme of Peace, Friendship, Cooperation and Progress, the event also commemorated the 60th anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia.

As the first extensive exchange on Islamic culture between the two countries, the event presented the part that the splendid Islamic culture has played in the long history of the two nations.

Comprising a variety of cultural and art activities, including a photograph exhibition, a display of cultural relics and art performances, the event attracted about 6,000 visitors. In the photograph exhibition, more than 300 photos introduced the history of Islam in China and the life of Chinese Muslims.

Another highlight of the event was the exhibition of Islamic antiquities in China and commodities of Chinese Muslims. Many visitors were greatly interested in the items on the show including a handwritten version of the Koran, a 300-year-old blue and white porcelain censer with inscription of Islamic scriptures and three cloisonne utensils used by a Chinese Muslim family in the 19th century.

Performances staged by Muslim artists from China were also eye-catching.

Apart from these, scholars from the two countries have held in-depth exchanges on Islamic cultures in both countries, deepening the understanding to each other.

Indonesia has the world's largest population of Muslims. Islam was introduced to China 1,350 years ago, and the number of Chinese Muslims totals more than 20 million today.

At the closing ceremony of the event, Chen Guangyuan, Director of the China Islam Association, said the event was a milestone in the friendship and communication between Chinese and Indonesian Muslims. He said he expected more such activities in the future.

Meanwhile, Patrialis Akbar, Indonesian Minister of Justice and Human Rights, said Indonesian people now had a better understanding of the Chinese Islamic culture. He said cultural communication between the two countries had entered a new era. "We live in the same world, so we are a family," he said.