The 8th Beijing University Student Magic Convention Opens: New Magic Formats Light Up the Capital's Stage
On 13 November, the 8th Beijing University Student Magic Convention opened at the Future Theatre. The event is jointly presented by the China Acrobats Association, the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles; organised by the Beijing Acrobats Association, the Chaoyang District Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Sanlitun Subdistrict Office of the Chaoyang District People's Government and the China Soong Ching Ling Youth Science, Technology and Culture Exchange Center; and co-organised by Beijing Fantasy Forest Magic Culture Industry Group Co., Ltd.
Under the theme "Magic Meets New Cultural Business Formats", the convention is built around three strands — magic exchange, industry innovation and talent incubation — with nine featured programmes. The opening gala brought together leading magicians from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, China, to sustained applause.
Launch ceremony
The gala opened with the promotional film New Space · New Magic · New Wonder. Han Zirong, Chair of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Tang Yanhai, Party Leadership Group Secretary, Executive Vice Chair and Secretary-General of the China Acrobats Association; and Bai Jingyi, Party Leadership Group Member and Vice Chair of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles, jointly launched the performance. Officials from the China Acrobats Association, the Beijing Acrobats Association, provincial and municipal federations and partner institutions attended the opening and watched the show.
Ten guest performers took the stage in turn — among them a FISM world champion and recipients of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award for Chinese Acrobatics and the national Wenhua Award for Acrobatics and Magic — presenting original works spanning close-up, mentalism, grand illusion and cross-disciplinary creation, a full picture of the range of contemporary magic.
Eric Chien (Taiwan, China) performed his championship piece Greedy Ribbon, its theatrical ending lingering long after the applause.
Zheng Zhongyao performed Locked-Room Thriller, building suspense through tightly paced narrative.
Tang Mingliang presented the mentalism piece Beyond Mind Reading, weaving psychology into interactive moments that drew gasps from the room.
Jackie Sun performed Departure, stepping outside the conventional frame and letting magical storytelling carry the whole gala forward.
Mr. Y (Hong Kong, China) performed Fragments, layering transformations into a rich visual effect.
Yanyan Ma performed Dream Ballet, fusing illusion with ballet for a graceful stage picture.
Guo Haowei performed Miracles in a Box, delivering one reversal after another.
Xin Wen performed Interlocking Rings, using the classic linking-rings plot to stitch the show together, one link into the next.
Yi Chenghao performed The Reckless One, a cross-over take on yo-yo and magic.
Yang Xiaolei closed the line-up with the grand illusion Illusion Born of the Mind, stage machinery driving high-difficulty transformations and a striking visual punch.
The convention follows Beijing's plan to strengthen its role as a national cultural centre and draws on Chaoyang District's cluster of new literary and art organisations and independent artists. By inviting outstanding magicians to perform and exchange in the city, it supports regional magic education; the university competition gives young performers a platform to grow; and immersive magic productions are being brought into major shopping districts, using the arts to refresh urban space, attract younger audiences and energise the city — integrating magic with commerce, tourism and technology in support of Beijing's cultural development.
The audience
The programme runs until 22 November. After the opening, the industry-innovation strand continues in Sanlitun and other Chaoyang shopping areas, with roaming magic-puppet shows for visitors in the Sanlitun South district. From 14 November, nine new-space magic productions will be staged successively at the Sanlitun Ai Le Hui Theatre, the Magic Corner Club and the Donglang Huanlehui Theatre in Yong'anli. The closing gala will showcase winning pieces from the New Star Cup university magic competition. Stay tuned.
Source: Fantasy Forest Magic (WeChat official account)