China conjures magical future better than Vegas
Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY 12:05 p.m. EDT October 12, 2014
(Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)
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CHANGPING, China — And for its next trick, China's ruling Communist Party plans to save the magic industry worldwide and silence dissent among magicians everywhere.
A massive venue will arise next year near Beijing for magic shows starting in 2018 that officials say will be better than Vegas, while pirated products, the scourge of America's magic men, will simply disappear.
Traditional magic may be losing fans in the West, but China thirsts for spectacle and sleight of hand. Conjuring snow blizzards on stage and teaching wannabe wizards how to blow dollar bills in the air, U.S. magicians joined dozens from around the world at the second Beijing International Magic Carnival last month.
There officials announced a global magic alliance and the transformation of little-known Changping district into "Magic City."
"This is not just a 'face' project," for prestige, said Yu Junsheng, local propaganda chief for the ruling Communist Party who loves showing off tricks such as pulling off his thumb, one he recently paid $50 to learn. "We really will become the magic capital of the East."
This bizarre collision of charm and communism is rich in the contradictions of modern China. Flush with cash and heady with ambition, party chiefs strive to turn magic into a calling card for tourism and investment.
Yet the party's fear of civil society and alternative mass organizations runs so deep that China's magicians are unable to register a club akin to the Society of American Magicians. In China, magic falls under the control of the China Acrobatic Association, part of the Communist Party's propaganda department.
"I wish we could have an association that is an independent, non-governmental organization, but the system makes that very difficult," said Liang Ming, a successful magician and founder of a magic-focused company.
Still, that system offers major benefits, he said.
"China has the only government worldwide that provides such strong support to the magic industry," said Liang, 28, who will move his business to "Magic City."
After several years of "magic fever" in China, audiences increasingly enjoy the art of magic, rather than feeling affronted at being tricked, he said, and fewer officials suspect magic has dark links to outlawed religions or cults.
Yu Junsheng, propaganda chief for the Chinese Communist Party in the Changping district, shows off a finger magic trick.(Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)
The central government is set to approve state funding to build a magic and circus venue beside Beijing's Tiananmen Square, Yu said.
"Visitors will be shocked by the great scale of our 5D magic shows and technology that far outstrips shows like O in Las Vegas," said Yu, 46, of the Cirque du Soleil performance he saw on a reconnaissance trip.
More immediately, China issued the "Beijing Consensus" last month to unify the multiple, sometimes fractious worldwide magic organizations under the International Magic Cooperation and Promoting Association. The China-based body will establish magic rules, just as its Harry Potter counterpart — the Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation — set standards for items such as cauldron bottoms, to stop poor quality imports.
Back in the real world, American magicians hope the new organization will slow China's rampant manufacture and export of pirated U.S. magic products and tricks.
"All my books are available on Alibaba in illegal Chinese translations," complained Richard Kaufman, the largest publisher of magic books in the USA.
"In the West, the field of magic is contracting overall," he said, blaming online games for preoccupying the young geeks who once felt empowered by magic. "China might be the future of magic. If the government decides to heavily promote magic, this is a huge market."
Like the Roman magicians who visited China almost 2,000 years ago, U.S. magician and clown Charlie Frye attended the Changping carnival.
"Magic has started to explode here," said Frye, who acknowledged China's top-notch circus, acrobatic and mechanical skills. "What they lack is showmanship. In the West, it's not what you do, but how you do it. You can make a good trick great, and you can make a great trick unbelievable."
Watching closely was former acrobat turned magician Jing Ling, 33, who left home at 4 years old to study gymnastics full-time at Beijing's top sports school.
"China's cultural industry suffers from a lack of market development," said Ling, who teaches children the art of magic and dreams of offering formal magic majors at her studio. "The government sets the target, but real development should come from the people. This is a problem in Chinese society."
Las Vegas appears safe for now from Chinese competition. At the opening of Beijing's magic carnival, long speeches by party and city officials delayed the show, held on a distant stage with zero air-conditioning or refreshments. But the sweaty crowd stayed appreciative.
Their favorite? Kevin James from Las Vegas, who assembled a Charlie Chaplin doll that came to life.