The China National Acrobatic Troupe has successfully completed its forty-seven-city nationwide tour of Japan from February 25 to May 28 that included ninety-six engagements， and has returned home loaded with the honor of great accomplishments throughout Japan as the cultural envoy of China.

The China National Acrobatic Troupe was established in 1950 under former premier Zhou Enlai as the first national performing art troupe after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The Troupe has performed intensively in the world every year and toured in one hundred fifteen countries and regions to date. They have won forty-five gold medals in both local and international competitions throughout Europe， Asia and the United States. During the last ten years， the Troupe has integrated acrobatics， music， dance， drama， magic and gymnastics with traditional “Zatsugi” programs， and displayed an innovative evolution in their miraculously artistic production.

The Min-On Concert Association proudly brought the China National Acrobatic Troupe for the first time onstage in Japan in 2007 to commemorate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Japan， and this year’s tour was their second visit to Japan to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Troupe’s foundation and the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Min-On’s initiation of the cultural exchange program with China.
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The Troupe consists of youthful acrobatic， ballet and magic performers， each specialized in various kinds of gymnastic and dynamic balancing feats using bicycles， plates and bowls， as well as aerial and magic acts， including the thrilling stunt of the “high canes” act that is performed on the top of two tall slender metallic rods， and a traditional performance of the “masks and illusion” trick in which the mask changes colors in the blink of an eye. Their spectacular performances were perfectly appropriate for the celebration of the glorious history of cultural exchanges between the People’s Republic of China and Japan during the past thirty-five years， and at every venue across Japan， had won a hurricane of applause from enthusiastic audiences.

During this tour， the Tokyo premieres on May 19 and May 21 at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall were attended by ambassadors and embassy officials representing thirty-three countries. These guests and all the members of the Troupe enjoyed a commemorative reception at the Plaza banquet room following the May 19 performance. One of ambassadors at the reception commented: “I came here today with an expectation of seeing an ordinary circus performance like I used to see often in my childhood. But this evening， their incredible performance of ‘miraculous human art’ blew my mind.” He also said， “This is the first opportunity to attend a Min-On event， and after I heard about the history of its cultural exchange activities， I now greatly admire the Min-On Concert Association and have a strong interest to learn more about its founding principle established by Dr. Ikeda.” Another guest commented: “It was not simply acrobatics， but their artistic excellence truly inspired me. I am moved by the unbelievable human potential they all displayed in their outstanding physical strength and spiritual diligence.” And another said， “I have been in many different events engaged by Min-On， but I felt this was one of very best performances. I hope Min-On continues to introduce such superb culture of many different countries.”

Youthful performing artists of the China National Acrobatic Troupe had really swept Japan with their miraculous performances thus successfully concluding their three-month tour. They left Tokyo to return home on May 30 with the great pride of the cultural ambassador of the People’s Republic of China.