Wúqiáo

Wuqiao lies beside the Grand Canal in southeastern Hebei and is renowned for its acrobats. Performers from the district developed an occupational culture with its own rules, inherited skills, and secret language. By the Ming period their performances were recorded in local writing, and travelling troupes used spoken introductions and songs accompanied by gongs. They honoured the immortal Lü Dongbin as a patron of their craft, which continued to flourish under the Qing.