Magic In Beijing - Don Wiberg
The past few months have been the busiest magic months I’ve ever experienced in my life. How often does one get an invitation to fly to Beijing, China as the guest of the China Acrobats Association? Early in the year a large envelope arrived with an invitation to attend a site visit for the purpose of inspecting the venue for the 2009 World Championships of Magic aka FISM. FISM is the acronym for International Federation of Magic Societies.
Actually, the French pronunciation is much more melodic but you get the idea. FISM is an organization made up of member clubs all over the world such as the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians, and the Magic Castle.
Every three years the World Championships of Magic is held in a different city, usually in Europe. The China Acrobat Association has become a member of FISM and as such is entitled to be considered as a host for future conventions. With the 2008 Olympics having selected Beijing as the host city, it is apparent that the city will be in the world’s eye for the next two years. The city is undergoing massive change with the building of new hotels, office buildings, and public transportation improvements. If you think there’s a lot of new construction in downtown Chicago, you have only to look in any direction and the number of construction cranes is staggering.
In April, we departed from O’Hare International Airport for Beijing, China. It’s a long flight but it was worth it. Upon our arrival at the new Beijing International Airport, representatives of the CAA, one of whom was a translator, greeted us. We were driven to the New Century Nikko Hotel, close to the Exhibition Hall and theater. During our visit we were treated like royalty with lavish dinners, tours and various sightseeing attractions. Several high-level government officials attended the dinners. This was an indication of how important it was to make a good impression on the delegates. It was apparent that the CAA was making every effort to impress the visiting delegation in order to win the bid for the World Championships of Magic in 2009.
One of the highlights of our visit was a trip to walk the Great Wall of China. The wall was built over a period of many, many years and extends for miles and miles. It was interesting to see vendors selling items of every description, especially the Chinese Linking Rings. Yes, we actually saw the Chinese Linking Rings performed by real Chinese street magicians. The version they were selling would be comparable to the small sets that are often found in children’s magic sets but the moves they demonstrated were quite astounding.
We were with a group of magicians and spouses from England, Portugal, Germany, Italy, New Zealand of our course, the good old U.S.A. Occasionally we had chances to perform simple pocket tricks along the Wall. It didn’t take long to gather a crowd of the “locals.” Even the simplest magic trick elicited screams of laughter and looks of amazement. Magic is a universal language and appeals to all.
Our visit to view the possible venue for the World Championships of Magic was really the main purpose of the visit. The facilities rivaled anything that we are used to in our country. This coupled with the friendliness of our hosts and the Chinese people with whom we had contact made Beijing a viable contender to host FISM in 2009.
At the meeting of delegates at the 2006 FISM, Beijing, China was chosen to be the host city for the 2009 World Championships of Magic.
Yes, these are the real Chinese Linking Rings-Beijing, China 2007!
