Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- Chinese performing arts - The formative period
- East Asian arts - Common traditions
- gymnastics - Ancient origins
- acrobatics
- history of China - Relations with other peoples
- history of Central Asia: Top Questions
- Chinese music - Han dynasty (3rd century bce –3rd century ce ): musical events and foreign influences
Which performance skills arrived in China from Central Asian nomads by the 2nd century BCE?
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Chinese performing arts
Contemporary kunqu performer.
By the 2nd century BCE, several performance skills arrived in China from the nomads of Central Asia. These stage tricks, collectively known as the "hundred entertainments," included:
- Sword-swallowing1
- Fire-eating1
- Juggling1
- Acrobatics1
- Ropewalking1
- Tumbling1