Newspapers are the common denominator

Tu Jiang likes to read newspapers when he has the time, especially if there is an article about him, but mainly because he has performed in so many areas of the world that he likes to read about places he has been in his travels. Having time is another matter as he performs in at least seven of the acts at Cirque de Chine with preparation and performing taking most of his time. Spare time is indulged in his favorite hobby; shopping.
Melissa Kelley has been in the newspaper business for 18 years, mainly in the marketing and sales positions. She, husband J. B. and daughter Emily live on the outskirts of Seymour and she has been a Sevier County girl all her life.
Over the years she has seen probably every show in the three entertainment cities of the county. Last Saturday she had the pleasure of meeting Tu Jiang and witnessing the performance at the Smoky Mountain Palace. Her conclusion; “This is an awesome show! The best show I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of shows over the years. It’s the fastest two hours I have ever spent and Tu Jiang is an amazing athletic. In fact, all of the acrobats are really trained well.”
One of the acts Tu Jiang performs is called Jar Balancing and the skill he demonstrates highlights the amount of training that goes into accomplishing the performance. He states it has taken all 9 years that he has been an acrobat to completely learn the act. One part of the routine consist of catching a jar, weighing just over 17 ½ pounds and tossed about 10 feet in the air, on the upper part of his back without using his hands.
During the show, Tu Jiang performs in the opening act and also does the Strap Climbing, Martial Arts, Hat Juggling, Hoop Diving, Mouth Balancing and the Jar Balancing. There are other acts he can do if he had to fill in for someone who might be ill or injured.
In the beginning, Tu Jiang performed in Chinese Chuan Opera for 3 years before switching to acrobats. In acrobatic school, practice was from early morning to late evening with only breaks to eat. Now he performs so many acts that the only practice he participates in is performing the act on stage.
The Smoky Mountain Palace is Tu Jiang’s second appearance in the United States. He performed last year in Los Angeles. Comparing this area with Los Angeles, He said Los Angeles has the feel of a foreign city and things are more expensive. Being here, he said, is a nice difference and things are cheaper, which allows Tu Jiang to indulge in his favorite hobby; shopping.