China Loves Magic!

By staff reporter ZHANG XUEYING

Magicians from all over the world descended on Beijing in late July for the World Championships of Magic (WCM), aka Magic Olympic Games. "For the first time, this elite magic event came to a developing country," notes Lin Jian, vice president of China Acrobats Association (CAA). The convention is the 24th staged by FISM (International Federation of the Society of Magicians) but a singular coupe for the Beijing WCM, where Lin also works as secretary-general and director of the 2009 organizing committee.

The New Magic

The habitual venues of the WCM have all been within Europe where it has been staged every three years since its inception. No surprise, since the knowledge and practice of magic before 1900 was defended and promoted by a trade guild with publications in America, England and several European countries. The first modern social organization of conjurers was the Society of American Magicians, formed in 1902, but it was 20 more years before the International Brotherhood of Magicians was born. The constitution for FISM wasn't hammered out until 1948, but from the first member society in Lausanne, Switzerland, it built up to 81 member societies in 44 countries, and its conferences enjoy worldwide fame to this day. One of its key missions is to organize the WCM, providing a stage for top quality magic acts.

Eric Eswin, president of the International Federation of Magic Societies (FISM), recounts that as the membership became more "internationalized," the FISM decided to step out of the old continent into parts of the world where magic as entertainment had a huge fan base. "We have watched Chinese magic and visited the CAA," assures President Eswin, "and we have 100 percent confidence in China's organizing ability. Looking at the hosting of the Beijing Olympic Games, I know we made the right decision."

Watch and Learn

It appears it wasn't just organizational competence that tipped China's bid to host the international event. Participants at the Beijing 2009 convention surpassed 2,000. "The interest in magic is, in a way, linked to the development of our society, economy, culture and technology," ventures Lin Jian. "People are pursuing the mysteries of life now that the necessities are taken care of. They're happy to pay to see a magic show, or even to get lessons in magic tricks." Lasting six days, from July 26 to August 1, the convention's many competitions, performances, props, displays, and master's symposium buzzed with the keen and the curious.

"The scale of the Beijing event was almost the same as those held in Europe; the world's magicians are bringing in over 600 shows. Chinese competitors alone featured seven conjurers," Lin Jian says proudly of the improvement in Chinese representation. "But the large-scale magic show is one that developed slowly on the mainland because our magicians rarely attended international contests."

Modern Chinese magic has made laudable progress in the last decade, but still lags behind developed countries. "We began exchanges with foreign counterparts in the 1990s when taking part in events organized by the Society of American Magicians. In 2000 we applied for a membership in FISM," said Lin Jian, "because this convention not only allows learning and exchange, but also provides a theater for promoting our own brands of magic and magicians."

The big finale was a performance by ten top stage magicians held for eight consecutive days at a Beijing venue last August. Feats of telekinesis, levitation, and a Houdini-like underwater escape act won standing ovations and cheers.

Sleights of Hand and Mind

Most people regard magic as fascinating but a recent investigation carried out by China Youth Daily Social Research Center indicates they also believe it is good for intellectual development. Of the 85 percent of 1,177 respondents who declared themselves interested in magic, 20 percent rated their interest very high. Asked if they were interested in learning magic, 56 percent affirmed they were, while 32 percent indicated a strong interest.

Liu Qian, a parvenu magician, but tempered by years of practice.

On a visit to Magic Base Camp, a haven for would-be conjurers on a bustling street in Beijing, the salesperson can be seen trying to serve five customers at once, which makes the three-meter-long counter looked pretty crowded. "It's the exactly same with Liu Qian's magic," the clerk assures us. Liu Qian produced an eight-minute magic show for the televised 2009 Spring Festival Party last January, a gala with the highest audience ratings in China.

The young magician from Taiwan became a household name overnight, ensuring a surge of interest in magic performances. His new book Magic Allures III: Passport to Liu Qian's Magic is a top seller on one of China's biggest online bookstores. Reputedly the celebrity is among the hottest of TV viewer magnets and gets paid as much as RMB 100,000 for a single appearance. Rubbing off a little of his success are the online games purveyors who recently rewarded him with RMB 10 million for becoming their spokesman.