Wu Weimin
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wu Weimin, Male, Han, from Wuhan, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Wuhan Acrobatics (Ⅵ-81). The tradition is documented in Wuhan, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Wuhan Acrobatics in Wuhan, Hubei: Wuhan, situated at the "thoroughfare of nine provinces", has long been the center where the traditional acrobatics of the Yangtze River basin converge. Through the unremitting pursuit and efforts of several generations, Wuhan acrobatics has developed into a form of acrobatic performance with strong local characteristics that enjoys renown both in China and abroad. The development of Wuhan acrobatics went through the following stages: during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing dynasty, folk acrobats came to Wuhan to perform, and gradually formed troupes that entered stage performance; from 1912 to 1949, the Yonghe Hall of the Hankou People's Amusement Park (the New Market) became the center of acrobatic performance, with more than twenty acrobatic programs rotating daily; later there were more than fifty performing troupes, twelve of them led by famous acrobats and magicians and permanently resident at the People's Amusement Park; in 1953 the Wuhan Acrobatic Troupe was formally established. Since the 1990s, Wuhan has repeatedly held acrobatic performances, competitions, and acrobatic festivals, dedicated to promoting and transmitting Wuhan acrobatics.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Wu Weimin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Wuhan Acrobatics in Wuhan, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Wuhan Acrobatics in Wuhan, Hubei: Wuhan acrobatics is a traditional cultural form of expression created on the basis of folk acrobatics of the Jingchu region while drawing on the finest elements of the various acrobatic schools; it is distributed in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Wuhan acrobatics not only has a long history and rich content, but also bears the distinctive characteristics of the Jingchu region and is deeply loved by the public. Wuhan acrobatics emphasizes both the careful refinement of individual acts and the majestic momentum of ensemble numbers. Representative works include a large number of acrobatic programs such as "Balancing Bowls", "Flower-Biting Contortion", "Chair Poses", "High Springboard", "Group Bicycle Skills", "Plate Spinning", "Swing-Bridge Flyers", "Little Flyers", "Double Fixed Bicycles", "Double Parallel Bars", "Contortion with Bowls", "Trained Panda", and "Trampoline Tossing", as well as magic and comedy acts such as "Sword Through Cards", "Vase and Lotus", "Balancing a Barrel", "Hat Tossing", and "Ball Bouncing"; it has also developed circus animal-training programs such as "Trained Lions and Bears" and "Trained Lions and Tigers". Wuhan acrobatics has ultimately developed into a comprehensive stage acrobatic art combining stage acrobatics, high-altitude acrobatics, magic, circus animal training, and clowning, full of the rich flavor of Chu-Han culture; its style is grand and spectacular, gorgeous and magnificent, yet also retains grace and gentleness. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Balancing Bowls": The signature act that took gold at the 1957 Moscow youth festival, with Xia Juhua adding water turns, one-hand stands and foot-held bowls. "Contortion with the Flower": A classic of the Wuhan company, created and performed by Xia Juhua and filmed for the documentary Chinese Acrobatics. "Plate Spinning, Flying Trapeze and Trampoline": The group and aerial acts of Wuhan acrobatics, showing its blend of finely polished solos with spectacular ensemble work. "Sword and Tablet, Vase and Lotus, Balancing the Tub": The magic and comedy numbers of the company, joined by animal acts to complete its five-part programme.
Balancing Bowls
The signature act that took gold at the 1957 Moscow youth festival, with Xia Juhua adding water turns, one-hand stands and foot-held bowls.
Contortion with the Flower
A classic of the Wuhan company, created and performed by Xia Juhua and filmed for the documentary Chinese Acrobatics.
Plate Spinning, Flying Trapeze and Trampoline
The group and aerial acts of Wuhan acrobatics, showing its blend of finely polished solos with spectacular ensemble work.
Sword and Tablet, Vase and Lotus, Balancing the Tub
The magic and comedy numbers of the company, joined by animal acts to complete its five-part programme.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Wu Weimin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Wuhan Acrobatics, with Wuhan, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Wuhan Acrobatics in Wuhan, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Wuhan, Hubei as its declared area, and Wuhan Za Craft Shu Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The development of Wuhan acrobatics went through the following stages: during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing dynasty, folk acrobats came to Wuhan to perform, and gradually formed troupes that entered stage performance; from 1912 to 1949, the Yonghe Hall of the Hankou People's Amusement Park (the New Market) became the center of acrobatic performance, with more than twenty acrobatic programs rotating daily; later there were more than fifty performing troupes, twelve of them led by famous acrobats and magicians and permanently resident at the People's Amusement Park; in 1953 the Wuhan Acrobatic Troupe was formally established. Since the 1990s, Wuhan has repeatedly held acrobatic performances, competitions, and acrobatic festivals, dedicated to promoting and transmitting Wuhan acrobatics.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xia Juhua | Wuhan, Hubei | 05-2571 | Same declared area |
| Wu Weimin | Wuhan, Hubei | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。