Magic performances have been around in China for hundreds and thousands of years, but in recent decades this entertainment style experienced a lack of popularity until Taiwanese magician Louis Liu wowed audiences at the 2009 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, marking a new era of magic fever throughout China.

This year, following Liu's appearance on the 2012 Spring Festival Gala, the magic performance industry has once again surged to new heights, with the salaries of domestic magicians following suit. A number of magicians now have an annual income of several hundred thousand yuan, and some are even earning over 10 million yuan ($1.59 million) a year. 

Star power does the trick

Magicians and their astounding illusions have become a hot topic this year. Despite the mishap of a failed trick that overshadowed Fu Yandong's performance at the Spring Festival Gala on Hunan Television earlier this year, many say that his appearance, along with that of Louis Liu on the CCTV stage, has reignited China's love for the masters of sleight of hand. And in young magician Wang Chen's eyes, the phenomenon has brought new life to magic performances in China.

Wang is one of the leading magicians in Zhejiang Folk Art Acrobatics General Troupe. According to this young illusionist, today's renaissance of the magical arts is largely due to Liu's prominence in the field.

Before Liu's 2009 television appearance on the mainland, the demand for magicians was not very promising. What's more, following Liu's absence in the 2011 Spring Festival Gala, demand for the artists at, for example, workplace parties, also decreased.

But since this year's Spring Festival Gala, Wang has found himself in high demand, sometimes performing three nearly sold-out shows a day, he said.

Li Ning, another well-known magician with China National Acrobatics Troupe, had a full schedule during the Spring Festival, and this week, he was even invited to give performances in some Southeast Asian countries.

Dreams coming true

According to Taiwanese television producer Li Fangru's book Big Star, or Not?, before Liu's first appearance on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala in 2009, his whole savings amounted to only 10,000 yuan. Now his monthly income is over 10 million yuan.

While lesser-known magicians may not have become millionaires yet, their incomes are rivaling those of successful white collar workers. Wang said that during peak seasons, he makes dozens of performances in one week, with the price for one show reaching 5,000 to 6,000 yuan.

But contrary to what others may suspect, Wang says that his new earning power is not nearly as satisfying as the fact that more people are appreciating his craft, and that magic performances have now become a focus of televised Spring Festival Galas.

Something up your sleeve

The rise in business opportunities for magicians has brought along some unexpected problems.

In recent years, more and more young people have enthusiastically entered this industry, but the number of A-list magicians is still rather small. Because of the lack of professional training, many young magicians use the same tricks and props, and the competition between magicians has become fiercer. Wang himself has already felt the bitter experience of being snubbed for another magician.

Wang said a company that invited him for a performance ended up breaking their contract because a young magician offered a lower price: 1,000 yuan for two performances. But several days later, the company called Wang, hoping he would consider coming aboard again, as the other magician's shows were of lower quality.

He added that there are two types of magicians: One focuses on public shows, and their routines usually feature original works or some adaptation of well-known tricks. The other group aims for professional competitions. As a result, they spend months or even years to create unique, outstanding works.

"It is difficult to design a unique magic performance, and a good show needs the expertise of well-known magicians. It's not as easy as many young people imagine," said Wang. 

Global Times