Cangzhou is the pacesetter of Hebei's cultural development. The city of seven million people has a history of martial arts stretching back more than 1,500 years and is home to 53 of the 129 kungfu styles in China. The city has managed to harness its fame in martial arts to gain economic benefits. "Cangzhou's cultural industry is an engine for the development of our city's economy," says Liu Yongfu, director of the Martial Arts Office of Cangzhou government. "Kungfu is our gateway to the world," he adds. "Anyone in the world interested in kungfu looks towards China, and anyone in China interested in kungfu looks towards Cangzhou."

At present, the city maintains cultural exchanges with more than 40 countries and every year martial arts fans from around the world make pilgrimage to Cangzhou. Teachers from Cangzhou have established some 100 martial arts schools worldwide, and Cangzhou martial arts masters coach 16 national teams.

Cangzhou has successfully risen to the challenge of national and international competition, and established an integrated martial arts industry. In addition to fee-based training courses, martial arts merchandises have a significant market. Everything from equipment such as apparel, sticks, swords and knives to teaching materials such as books and instructional DVDs are sold and all bring the city abundant profits. Since 1989, the city has hosted an international kungfu festival every year that attracts participants from all over the world and with them comes a surge of revenue. In 2010, more than 720 athletes from 44 countries attended the event.

Cangzhou plans to expand its kungfu industry even further. Besides developing kungfu-related tourism, it plans to build a street showcasing kungfu and a martial arts academy, and the international martial arts festival will get bigger and better. "We are promoting kungfu among children," says Liu. Kungfu lessons are now available in 72 percent of the city's educational institutions.

Wuqiao is looking to learn from Cangzhou's experience of success and accelerating efforts to build a unique brand of acrobatics. The 2010 production of the television series Chuang Tian Xia, meaning literally "venture out away from home," about an acrobatics artist from Wuqiao was the first step in the right direction. Its 40 episodes were broadcast on CCTV to a nationwide audience.

Now, the production of acrobatics merchandise and related services, such as accommodation and catering, has led to the creation of more than 5,000 jobs and the industry's annual takings have reached RMB 246 million. Currently, 10 companies in the county produce over 1,000 kinds of acrobatics props and relevant souvenirs and handicrafts. But it still lacks differentiated and luxury products. Wuqiao's current priority is to raise the brand's profile. "People prefer brands with high recognition," explains Zhang Qinghui.

Wuqiao has a vision of how it can strengthen and unify its brands. Performances and other recreational activities should be interactive and allow audience participation. There should be more creative and innovative ideas when designing tourism programs. The county will improve communications and collaborations between local troupes to promote exchanges between their artists and to coordinate their performances.

The county aims to take better advantage of its potential for tourism. "Inadequate capacity in the high season hampers our tourism development," says Liu. He is ambitious for the coming years. A luxury hotel with catering, accommodation and entertainment facilities will be built, as well as an acrobatic park combining tourism, shopping and recreation. The county will also set up a brand new theater for acrobatic art and offer visitors acrobatic-themed day trips.

To further strengthen the development of Wuqiao's acrobatics industry, the some 60 acrobatics art troupes in Wuqiao will operate under unified management and prices will be standardized. "Troupes should be better linked with each other to strengthen their market competitiveness," says Zhang. "We also encourage them to perform outside Wuqiao." More film and television productions, books and animated products with traditional stories of acrobatics in Wuqiao will be launched for the future.

"Promoting indigenous culture enhances community solidarity," Wang Jingwu explains, summing up the local government's concept of cultural development. In Cangzhou, including Wuqiao County, traditional culture seems all pervasive in everyday life. "Nearly everyone in Wuqiao can do some acrobatics," says Tang Gang, deputy director of the Information Office of the county government, who pulls a small metal ring and a necklace from his pocket, and demonstrates a classic yet still perplexing magic trick connecting them together.

In a park in downtown Cangzhou, several kungfu masters are carrying out their daily training, which attracts many people's attention. "Kungfu is a part of my life," says Wang Yuan-xiang after his performance. Each day the 68-year-old master rises at six to practice kungfu for one hour, and he practices for another two hours in the evening. "Martial arts strengthen my health and physical strength," he says. He comes from a family that has practiced martial arts for five generations and has been instructing students of the Hui ethnic group for the last eight years, taking his turn to pass his knowledge on to a new generation.

"The audience's smile is what motivates me to perform each day," He Shusen says proudly. Despite the fame he has achieved, he is still driven by the thrill of performing for a live audience. Communication with the audience, for him, brings great satisfaction and he is pleased that his form of entertainment is accessible to a huge number of people. "Cultural performances can overcome linguistic and cultural barriers," he explains. "In this theater there are many foreign audience members, who can understand my show without the knowledge of Chinese."