A circus from Wuqiao, the hometown of acrobatics in China, was lured to the capital with dreams of big box-office returns. Instead, it has found that cracking the entertainment market here is tougher than a walk across a high wire.

An acrobat with Wuqiao Xinfa Circus surnamed Liu told METRO on Tuesday it was very difficult for an acrobatic troupe to get approval to perform in Beijing, so they were especially thrilled about the opportunity to show off their skills here.

However, their first performance on Sunday delivered a blow - only 18 tickets were sold at a price of 5 yuan each.

The daily cost for the company is almost 3,000 yuan, so the 90 yuan in ticket income was especially disappointing.

Liu, who has been in the business more than 30 years, said these are trying times.

A contractor that had provided the animal acts even left the group to seek better business elsewhere.

"The animals left with the tamers early Monday morning," Liu said, pointing to a now-empty giant tent, temporarily erected for the shows.

Beijing's unusual spring weather isn't helping the performers either. Most local residents are unwilling to watch the acrobatics at night, when it is cold.

A local woman surnamed Wang told METRO her family was interested in the acrobatics show, but it was so windy at night that they decided not to go for the health of the old and the young.

Hu Jiaobao, office director of the Shuanglong Huating Secondhand Market, told METRO the acrobats were invited to attract consumers to the market's grand opening.

A female acrobat in her 50s, who declined to be named, said most people in the audience were migrant workers. Some of them did not buy tickets but were allowed to take in the show because they were struggling but still deserved a little entertainment, she said.

"Without animals, we can only stage acrobats, and because of the bad weather, we can see no hope of any revenue here," she said.

She said their manager was busy arranging performance in other places to try to cover their costs.

Wuqiao in Hebei province is known as the birthplace of Chinese acrobatics, but many of the acrobats are unwilling to set their children on their old path, Liu said.

Within two decades, Wuqiao's pride will be gone, Liu said with a sigh.

Yu Jinsheng, head of the Wuqiao Circus, one of the most famous circuses in China, told METRO the situation for acrobats was really harsh.

He said there is no State-owned circus. Because relevant regulations are lacking, administrative procedures are a mess, which in turn makes getting approval for performances in big cities such as Beijing extremely difficult.

Chen Yueqin, a lawyer and expert in animal protection law, confirmed there is still a lack of related regulations in China.

"I would like to make an appeal for regulations in this field. For not only do we have to take care of the animals involved, we also have to protect the rights of these people," Chen said.

METRO

(China Daily 04/14/2010)