Acrobatics Derived from Ritual
3 min readOne-Handed Handstand and the Ancient Ceremonial Ding The Ding-an ancient Chinese ceremonial vessel One of the most important ceremonial objects usedoin ancient China was the three-legged vessel known as the ding.A person doing a headstand looks very much like both this vessel and its pictograph，the performer’s two hands and head corresponding to the ding’s three legs，the body representing the ding’s belly，and the legs standing in for its handles.As a result，the Chinese word ding came to be used to describe a person balancing on the head and hands.
The ding has an ancient history in China，first appearing as a cooking vessel during the Neolithic Age（c.8，000-3，500 BC）.Because of its intimate connection with food and cooking，the ding came to symbolize abundance and warmth，gradually evolving into both a ritual object and a symbol of authority and power.Legend has it that Great Yu，the first ruler of the Xia Dynasty（c.22nd-17th century BC），had nine bronze dings cast to serve as emblems of his reign.After that，inaugurating a new capital or ruler was referred to as”confirming the ding.”It is obvious that great respect and importance were investe in this ceremonial vessel，not only as a token of legal authority but also as a divine object for commu-nion with the deities.Ancient acrobats，who customarily used their own bodies to portray gods and devils，dragons and phoenixes，and auspicious beasts，naturally started to imitate the precious ding aswel1.Using handstands to recreate the form of the ding at sacrificial ceremonies and entertainments，they expressed both their reverence to their ancestors and their good wishes to their audience.Stone carvings found in Han Dynasty（206 BC-220 AD）tombs reveal that handstands were already a com-mon component of all types of entertainments by that time.
The use of the ding as a cooking utensil or ceremonial vessel has been lost in the mists of time.But using of the human body to emulate the ding has persisted，with acrobats over the ages not only preserving this art form，but also developing uncountable new variations.When performing artists are discussing their skills，most frequently lauded are”tumbling in Beijing opera，handstands in acro.
batics.”Certainly，the handstand is the most representative of the many different techniques used in acrobatics，and is fundamental to almost all acrobatic acts.Of the four basic skills of acrobatics-con-tortions，high kicks，tumbling，and handstands-handstands are considered the most important，and must be practiced every day.
The last fifty years have seen a rapid evolution in handstand techniques.Many new acrobatic actsbased on handstands have been developed，each with its own characteristics.Examples include Chair Handstands，performed on towers of balancing chairs；Block and Brick Handstands，performed on stacks of bricks or wooden blocks；Headstands，with the performer balancing on nothing but the head；Part-ners Handstands, performed in pairs; Swinging Handstands, performed on a swing; and Cane Stands, performed on a cane with one hand.
One-Handed Handstand, developed by Zhang Ting of the Tianjin Acrobatic Troupe, is a new master-piece of the handstand art. Creatively using body language and gesture in combination with innovativeone-handed handstand techniques, Zhang Ting vividly expresses the limitless vitality and potential of the human body.
