I am a Chinese Acrobat AMA

What VPN you use to climb the Chinese firewall?

Shh

What is your diet and physical lifestyle like? Wrestlers and gymnasts (many young ones especially) often face weight issues in order to stay functional in their sport or fit a weight class. Do you have this same pressure? If so, how do you navigate it?

Yes i have to monitor my weight also because if i get heavier it gets harder for the bases to do their work to throw me around and it gets tough for them and for me to be safe. I avoid all sugar drinks, only plain water, and eat the meals at the troupe, although i have sunday as an off day where i eat out but don’t drink any sugar drinks. I train for 2 hours in the morning, have classes, have lunch then train for another 4 hours until the evening and burn all the food I ate. We have night training closer to competition and shows

What kind of food is offered by the troupe? Are there any other foods you avoid besides those that are high in sugar?

We have porridge, tofu, nuts, chicken. I avoid oily foods, fried foods too and also bread. I don't eat bread

What is your 火锅 intake?

Not much, -2

When will you start enjoying life ?

When i stop being a flyer... maybe

What do you eat on Sundays?

I head out and just eat what i want when i see it. Not having to think about the oil and weight

Ah the see food diet. I too am familiar with this diet.

Only for a day!

What are you afraid of?

Bees

On average, how many times have you hurt yourself learning a new routine?

At least 50 times

Idk if this has been asked already.. But what's your most serious injury to date?

A fractured arm... Luckily that was it

Your English is really good. Where did you learn it?

We learn some in the troupe because we travel and also interacting with people oversea

That's really surprising: I suspected you were raised in an English speaking country. I'm Korean-American and most Koreans who never spent time in the West aren't nearly as fluent, and they seem to have the hardest time with the punctuation which you seem to have no problem with. Good for you and I hope it'll be a great asset.

My dad spent time in europe which helped

im in a local circus community, everyone is so incredibly nice and social there! Do you interact with a lot of people?

I spend alot of time with people in the troupe, because we spend most of our time in here!

you must be very close

Yes we are! Luckily, because we spend so much time together

Are you happy?

To be honest, sometimes, not all the time. When the training gets tough and you can't do what you want it's very sad

I hope you realize you are like a super hero to so many people. Your will, dedication and bravery are beyond many. I admire your efforts. Thank you for entertaining us.

Thank you so much!

你还很年轻，不知道未来将带来啥。人算不如天算！

对啊哈哈！

I just want you to know that you are an incredible and unique human being. ❤

thank you! :)

How young were you when you started training?

When I was 6 i started

Have you always enjoyed it, or has it sometimes been more work than fun?

It is not too enjoyable, but i feels more like a job now

You said that acrobats tend to be young. Do you have plans for what you will do when you're no longer an acrobat? Do you ever wish that you had a different job?

I hope to be a coach within the troupe, and i know finding a job outside would be tough.

Somedays, yes. I did not like i was kind of forced into this

How did you get into it at 6 years old? Did you want to do it or did your parents decide for you?

My parents decided for me

Did they sign you up for a certain length of time or could you have quit if you didn’t like it?

my parents could pull me out

How many hours a day do you practice? Also Who decides your routines? 謝謝 您！

2 hours in the morning, 4 hours in the afternoon, and sometimes at night for another 2-4 hours. It gets more during competition or show, we can train up to 12 hours.

Our coaches decides what routines we do, and grouping us according to our strengths and what the routine require

How long can a person be an acrobat before it takes its toll on the body?

I think it is when you are almost 30? But for a flyer like me, we stop doing it when we are too heavy and larger and may move to another role

What kind of roles? What’s life after being an acrobat?

I could move to becoming a base. Or becoming a coach in the troupe.

Have you ever had an accident or gotten hurt during a live performance?

I have fallen during a performance, but lucky it was not at the highest point of the act and it was quite low, and i fell onto a soft trampoline which we use as part of the performance

Hey, me and nine of my buddies are planning on robbing The Bellagio, but we need an acrobat who can fit inside a rolling cart and do a standing backflip inside a laser-lined bank vault. You in?

I could definitely do that!

How do you handle injuries?

We have someone in the troupe that handle our injuries and resting. But sometime if it is not very bad, we just keep training

How long have you been doing it professionally and what's a typical length for a career? Is it strictly a young man's game?

I have been performing for 6 years now, and people usually stop about 25 to 30. It's better when you are younger

Thanks. That's a pretty long career for a professional athlete. Most athletes in American sports retire around the 35 year old mark when they stop being competitive and that's usually after starting in their early 20s.

Yeah, but if i get older and i grow in size, i would not do what i am doing now and shift to carrying people instead and not get carried

Are eating disorders common in Chinese troups like in America?

Yes, especially people like me who have to be light to be able to do what we do in the air and get thrown around

How is that dealt with, or is it kind of a hush-hush, leave other people alone kind of thing?

We don't talk about it, we just do it, and do what we have to do to keep our weights

That's unfortunate. My friend's teenage daughter is going through an eating disorder and its kind of on the hush hush too. I see her like a little sister so it's fucking with me being so helpless to her situation.

it is something common with flyers here in the troupe too

In Japanese circuses there is almost always a bicycle acrobatic act. Is it the same in China?

We have a unicycle act

Whats your relationship like with your family? Do you see them a lot? Do you miss then when youre traveling? How do you feel about them pushing you into this career?

I see them once a year, during lunar new year, they don't work in Wuhan so i never get to see them. I do miss them sometimes. To be honest, I sometimes hate them for pushing me into this because of how tough this can be

It's interesting because I'm on the other side of the spectrum. My dad wasn't really in the picture and my mom worked all the time. I've trouble finding direction growing up and continue to in some regards. 或許人生就是如此。

对啊，人生就是这样

你那麼小就開始練，對自己的童年有什麼感想？（雖然說你還算很年輕，但也看起來經歷過蠻多事的）

童年是痛苦的，有时觉得童年这么过好可惜

What is the highest height you have fallen from?

About 3 stories high? But i was caught so i was lucky then

How were you caught? By a rope system? Or by, like, a dude?

A dude, we don't perform with a safety rope for that act

Wow. How do you safely catch someone from a three-story fall?

There were 2 guys on the trampoline below that we use for the performance, and as i landed they slowed me down a little and i landed on the trampoline

Did you fall as part of the ACT or accidentally?

accidentally

that's terrifying. are you more scared of that happening again or bees?

bees. still. I fall almost everyday that is alright

What are some of your hobbies?

I like just lying around, watching shows. That's the only thing i have time for

What is your favourite country to visit?

Monaco. It's really interesting

How so?

Seeing the yachts, sea so close to everything, everything so compact but yet so high class. It is different from what I am used to

What are you used to? I may have missed this, but which part of China are you from? And if you miss home, what do you miss most about it?

I am from Wuhan. It's quite urban but not as high class as Monaco

Hi there!

1) Are there any acrobat moves you are afraid to do? 2) What made you want to be an acrobat? 3) What’s a bucket list acrobat move you have yet to try?

Thanks!

1) Being spun when in a horizontal position on the wheel, because you have no control in that position and you have to fully trust your base.

2) My parents got me into this, to make myself useful.

3) Not sure, but i would love to go into the russian bar

2) My parents got me into this, to make myself useful.

I know you said English isn't your primary language but it sounds like your parents couldn't think of anything else you would be good at so they told you to do this so you wouldn't waste your life away. Is that what you intended to say?

Yes that is right

They said that when you were 6?

They told me to learn something from there and be useful

How much do acrobats get paid? Do you make enough to retire after your acrobatic career is over?

I get 250usd allowance a month, and about 50 usd for one performance. It is not enough yet, but i get paid more after i turn 18

Does your troupe provide housing, food?

Yup they do

How are acrobats and other performers viewed in China?

Acrobatics is quite a well respected art form in China, and is quite competitive

Can you describe how you practice for the most difficult parts of your act?

As the audience, it seems like it would be dangerous to practice the hardest part all the time.

You have to just do it over and over again, for hours everyday,we can do the same thing, and you fall alot. But after alot of practices and falling, you can start to feel what is the right grip and strength you need to complete the moves, and that is when we start being able to perform it without much problems. Because of that spinning wheel, practicing on ground doesn't help because it feels different, so I have to always do it on it and you fall alot, but to perform it good, you have to know what you have to feel before executing the act

嘿！ 你看起来很年轻，你打算一直做这个工作，还是学习别的专业？

对啊，我十六岁！应该会把这做为我的工作，知道不能做了

加油！！！

谢谢！

Didn't know you were only 16! That's incredible! Do you have any plans regarding academics, or does this take up most of your time?

We study in the troupe, but i know it is not as good as studying like a normal kid, but being in an acrobatic troupe, the acrobatics is more important

Your English is good enough that you could do translation work, potentially! Also, your work is super unique and you'd probably be able to get into some great US universities if you score well on entrance exams and can write a great app.

thank you so much :)

Are those normal jeans? No special clothing?

And what's your favorite snack?

Those are like jogger pants, but look like jeans.

I don't snack ：）

Is your ass always bruised from being kicked in the ass for hours a day?

No bruising, but i wouldn't know if there are. But i am used to it now

Do you work for yourself? How's the living like? Over in the US most acrobats are relegated to carnival shows and the like. Except for a very few high calibur shows.

No i work in a troupe, I study in the troupe and I live in the troupe. We perform 2 performances a year for a month and also do overseas performances

Cool man. Good luck to ya!

Thank you!

That was really cool to watch! How did you get into acrobatics?

Thank you! It was my parents that made me go into acrobatics so that I have something to learn and do and hope to make money doing, which is what most kids in the acrobatic troupe came in for

What exactly do you do for training, if you can give a brief rundown? Also, have you ever hurt yourself while performing? What was that like?

We spend the first hour on warm up and physical, like squats, jumps, push up sit ups. Then we work on basic skills like handstands, flips, jumps. Then i go to do partner work, where i practice being thrown in the air, kicked in the air, spun around and working with my base on the ground for at least 2 hours a day. Then we move to routine training where we work on the routines for at least 2 hours or more

Are your testicles immune to pain at this point?

You get used to the impact of landing on there, after a while you know how you should land and get used to the feeling

What's your favorite dinner?

Chicken noodles

How old are acrobatics in China?

We start at about 6 to 8 years old, and can go up to 30

How big is the bond between a base and a flyer? How often are you training together? Can you easily switch between different bases or do you need to learn how to work together first?

The bond is very strong because i have to trust him alot because some of the tricks i have no control, only he has control. I work with multiple bases so i could switch between them, in fact during a performance i can switch bases

What are your retirement plans?

Maybe to be a coach at the troupe, or do something in there

can you juggle?

Nope. People juggle me

If you could switch career paths right now, what would you like to do instead of being an acrobat?

Study. Continue my studies and complete senior high school, education is only compulsory up to junior high here

How do build your strength and maintain it in order to excel at your fascinating proffesion?

Constant work. We train 6 days a work, and spend at least 2 hours a day on fitness

Your daily routine seems pretty intense. As a professional athlete what do you do to avoid muscle fatigue? Do you take any supplements besides your daily meal to enhance muscle recovery?

We do cool down massages, but we don't take pills

I love Chinese acrobats! Any chance your troupe will come to Vancouver, BC?

Never been to canada before, but would love to!

What inspired you to go into acrobatics?

My parents. They were the one that got me into this to learn something and make myself useful

What is your relationship like with your base? Do they carry a lot of guilt when you fall/are dropped?

I have grown to be close with them because we work together alot. They used to feel bad but after years we get used to falling and falling is part of the job, so we just get back to doing what we are doing and learn from it

Did you go to a special school for this or was your training part of your after school activities?

Yes i went to the troupe directly and we study in the troupe

What will you do after your circus life?

Does your troupe help members prepare for a career change?

What happens to performers when their bodies will no longer allow them to perform so heavily?

I would probably be a coach within the troupe or in other troupes, because i know its hard to find job outside after this. No, if you stop performing the troupe stops its job there. Some performer coach, or just leave and do small job

What was your worst injury?

Have there been any acts that you have done in a show or competition that genuinely scared you?

Fractures are my worst injury.

This act on the wheel was the scariest. Because I go up to 10 metres high on this act, and at that point I am standing on top of 2 other people as well

Do you have a fixed point in the venue that you focus on in order to maintain balance and/or not get nauseated?

I don't have a fixed point in the venue so i focus on my partner face. haha because we are on the spinning wheel so focusing on the venue would make it even more confusing, so i try and focus on the only thing not moving, the platform i am on and my partner

What is the craziest unplanned thing to happen during a live performance?

Being stuck in the air, because the wheel stopped working all of a sudden, and we had to wait for them to try to fix it

Oh no! How long did it take to fix and how did the audience react?

Luckily it took about 5 minutes, and the audience cheered and clapped when it started working again

Do you eat differently the day you perform?

You eat at least 2 hours before the perform, but you don't eat as much, and you eat lighter foods so you do not feel like you want to throw up

How long have you been living in Wuhan? Did you live there your whole life (I have family there and family that grew up there so I'm interested)? Also, do you play video games? If so, what game(s)?

Yes I have been living in Wuhan my whole life, I was born here. No i do not play video games, i do not have time for that hahaha

What’s your favorite movie?

i don't watch movies :/

How often do you preform? Where is your favorite place that you have performed?

We perform twice a year in Wuhan for a month at a time, and multiple times overseas, depending on how many we have been assigned to, but we could spend 2 months or more overseas. France is my favourite

I'm curious about your progress. Did you notice your body got stronger very fast when you train? When did you notice you got the strongest the fastest? Did you grow a lot of muscles in a short time, or was it a slow progress?

When i was younger i noticed i become strong faster, being able to hold a handstand longer and a stronger core. It was quite fast because i started younger and training was intense

Have you ever screwed up during a performance?

Of course, mainly because of falling. And if you fall, you would always have to redo that move in the performance, and hope you don't make the same mistake.

are you any good at martial arts?

(because of the whole acrobat thing)

Not really, i do not think so

How many hours do you spend practicing a day? And what’s your guilty pleasure food?

We spend about 8 to 12 hours a day training. I like fried chicken, or any fried meats with a sauce...

Hi! What an interesting career! Thanks for doing this.

You say you started training at age six. What was the training like in your childhood and do you regret your parents setting you on this path? (this is a tough question, you don't have to answer)

For studying, are you studying for the 高考 at all or just a high school equivalent? Is it covered or mandatory /encouraged by the troupe? How does that work for you?

Thanks for sharing!

Training was tough when i was young, because i did not expect things to be so painful and difficult, and i did hate my parents for making me do this. I stopped at 中考，and don't do studies anymore once i was done with that which was the compulsory level

You mention that you are specifically a Chinese acrobat. As you'll know, there are many circus performers of any nationality. Is there something about your skill or performance style that makes it a particularly Chinese skill?

Chinese Acrobats i think are known for their more ridiculous acts that you don't really expect and for the trainings. Just wanted to put it out there and to know about the chinese acrobatics field

What kind of pre-work stretching and conditioning do you have to do in order to just physically do this night after night? How did you figure out you could do this?

2 hour of warm ups and fitness work to start the day. Push ups, sit ups, runs, stretches. You can not skip this 2 hours otherwise you cannot do this so much. I never thought i could do this, but you just have to use you mind to get through this!

How much do you make? Feel free not to answer.

Not alot. We get food and lodging but not much allowance

Ok who works Hardest? You or bottom?

My base has to do alot of the strength work to be able to toss me around. And i do alot of height stuff in the air and landings and core work. Equal work i guess haha

I know that, in China, the government runs state institutions for sports. I always assumed that those who end up at Circus School are the non-Olympic track, but still talented and flexible, gymnasts. Would that be accurate? How did you end up doing this particular job?

My parents got me into the circus, to make myself useful. And they are less tough to enter than gymnastics and you can last longer because you perform and not try to get medals. But the training is still as difficult

Have you ever had to deploy your acrobatic skills in real everyday life? You know, like Superman swooping down from the sky to save someone tied to a railroad track?

No, I wish

any tips on getting the straddle split (if you can do one)?

I do not have any proper tip i think because in the troupe we get pushed into it xD

What do you eat in a day? :)

For breakfast just biscuits and milk, lunch would be rice porridge, with chicken and picked vegetables and potatoes, and dinner would be rice with fish and small sides

Do you know red Panda?

If you talking about the animal, yes!

A common myth is that Chinese acrobats are superior to all others

Do you feel superior?

Can you explain the myth?

No i don't feel that way, i never heard of that before too, this is my first time hearing this