[Commentary] The man in the red Tang suit in the picture is called Jia Haihai. His performance is a traditional Chinese trick "The fairy picks beans."

64-year-old Jia Haihai is from Shijiazhuang. Before he retired, he was a worker in a construction company, but he has forged an indissoluble bond with folk tricks all his life.

  [Concurrent] Jia Haihai, Inheritor of Folk Juggling in South Garden

  I was born in a family of magicians. When he was young, my father performed tricks in the South Garden of Shijiazhuang. So after I was born, I often watched him perform. The guests at home are also tricksters. (I) just like this thing.

  [Commentary] According to Jia Haihai, although he learned a lot of tricks when he was a child, he did not have the opportunity to perform on stage. His father encouraged him to perform at neighbors and classmates.

Every Spring Festival, he also uses the winter vacation time to "tour" with his father's apprentices in the countryside near Shijiazhuang.

  [Concurrent] Jia Haihai, Inheritor of Folk Juggling in South Garden

  After learning this technique, if you don’t show performance for the big guys, your skills cannot be improved. I have been touring in rural areas for the past few years, and I have performed interactive performances for the people. The skills have also improved, the language has been enriched, and it can also be performed during performances. I used it flexibly, so that period of time played a big role in improving my skills.

  [Explanation] In 1978, Jia Haihai joined a construction company, but this did not affect his love of tricks.

On weekends, he would carry a small bag and go out to set up stalls and perform tricks.

In addition to tricks such as "Fairy Picking Beans" and "Golden Cups Entering the Ground", he also found a carpenter to recreate a prop box, restoring the traditional trick show "Making a Living Man".

In 2009, Jia Haihai named his juggling "South Garden Folk Juggling" and was successfully included in the third batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage list of Shijiazhuang City.

Just when Jia Haihai thought that traditional folk tricks would usher in a new life, in recent years, there has been a trend of magic revealing in society, which made Jia Haihai worry about the inheritance and development of traditional folk tricks.

  [Concurrent] Jia Haihai, Inheritor of Folk Juggling in South Garden

  There are rules for everything. The vitality of magic lies in the secret. Everyone who likes it just likes (magic) mystery. If you reveal this secret, people will not find it strange anymore, and it will do no harm to the magic industry.

  [Explanation] After retiring, Jia Haihai still finds it hard to let go of his nostalgia for conjurers. He must come to the campus and community performances of non-legacy.

In addition, he also actively participates in various performances, some charity performances do not cost, but he will still perform.

Jia Haihai said that the art form of juggling can only have vitality when it keeps meeting with the audience.

  [Concurrent] Audience

  It's very magical. It's the first time to watch the magic at close range.

  [Concurrent] Jia Haihai, Inheritor of Folk Juggling in South Garden

  I have been learning tricks for more than 50 years, and I have deep feelings for it.

The biggest feeling is that tricks can bring happiness to everyone.

Every time I performed, I also got happiness.

I have a hobby that I want to learn (Juggling), (you can) ask me to learn it, I will teach you all without reservation, thinking of passing on the ancient art of Juggling.

  Reporter Ai Guangde reports from Shijiazhuang, Hebei

Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]