Acrobatics is the general term for traditional folk performing arts in China. Beijing Tianqiao is one of the important birthplaces of acrobatics in China, and home to many acrobats with distinctive characteristics and superb skills. Zhu Guoquan was one such artist in Tianqiao, who was famous for his hard qigong, kung fu and whip performance. His performance was vigorous and brilliant. The five siblings of the Cheng family who also performed in Tianqiao became famous for their kung fu. Their performance formed their own style, robust, steady and graceful. In 1970, Song Xiulan's father met Zhu Guoquan, who was sent to Fangshan District. From then, Song Xiulan and her brothers began to learn traditional acrobatics, kung fu and hard qigong from Zhu Guoquan. Later, Zhu Guoquan introduced them to Cheng Lianbao to learn Cheng's kung fu. The Song siblings completely inherited the skills of the two teachers. The Song siblings are the successors of Zhu Guoquan's hard qigong performance. The traditional shows they perform include "Shuangfeng Guan'er (breaking bricks with the head)", "Dingban Wocha (lying down on the nail board)", "Yinqiang Cihou (spear stabbing throat)", "Baojian Cihou (sword stabbing throat)" and so on. The kung fu performance of the Cheng siblings was unique in that it emphasized the togetherness of the five people in the performance, thus completing a beautiful overall shape and leading to skillful and swift movements. Five of the Song siblings studied kung fu from Cheng Lianbao. Their performance was characterized by coordinated and unified movements as well as beautiful shapes. They acquired the essence of Cheng's kung fu skills.

The Song Family Acrobatics is a project of the district-level intangible cultural heritage in Fangshan District. It inherits the performance characteristics of the old Tianqiao artists and is of important historical and artistic value for the study of acrobatic performance. In addition, it has a certain social role in international cultural exchange. In recent years, the Song siblings, considering their advanced age, are working on compiling written materials on the performance skills of their two teachers, Zhu Guoquan and Cheng Lianbao. At the same time, they are recruiting acrobatic students so that the two performing arts, hard qigong and kung fu, can be better passed on.

(Source: Fangshan District Bureau of Culture and Tourism)