Few girls begin their evening over 26 feet in the air, but Zhao Xin Ying is not your typical girl. This Asian beauty is a gold metal winning acrobat with Cirque de Chine at the Smoky Mountain Palace in Sevierville and she performs the dangerous and difficult Chair Stack act.

An acrobat’s life is one of total dedication to their craft. Zhao Xin Ying starting learning when she was 7 years old and has been doing acrobats for 13 years.

Acrobat training is very difficult. Zhao Xin Ying had to study and practice ten hours a day, seven days a week, in addition to her regular schooling. To increase her strength she turned to push ups and can do 500 push ups without stopping. She still practices seven days a week.

Chinese acrobats are an art from that has existed for centuries. Many of the acts were originated by field workers during the Spring Festival or at Harvest Time.

Male children learned skills from their fathers and grandfathers before they were of school age. The tradition of Chinese acrobatics is therefore one which has been passed down from generation to generation to become the feats of strength, balance and grace that comprise this unique tradition of China.

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