Sixty students from Taicang present a brilliant rolling lamp performance at CCTV's Mid-Autumn Festival gala in Suzhou on Sept 8. [Photo/Taicang Daily]

A brilliant rolling lamp performance presented by 60 students from Taicang was staged during CCTV's Mid-Autumn Festival gala held in Suzhou on Sept 8.

Audiences were enraptured by the performers' excellent skills and spectacular stage effects. The success came from the efforts of performers and support staff.

The rolling lamp is a famous form of ancient folk acrobatics in Taicang, Jiangsu province. With a history of over 800 years, the rolling lamp has been listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage.

The prop, a lamp, is made of two bamboo balls. A small ball covered with colored cloth is placed inside a big ball. The small ball is connected to the big ball with a rotating ring device. A lit candle can be put inside the small ball and no matter how the external ball rolls, the candle inside remains horizontal. The inner ball is also decorated with small brass bells. When the external ball is rolled, the inner ball glitters with candlelight and tinkles. Playing rolling lamp requires a unity of strength and skill, vigor and flexibility.

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