The ninth China Wuqiao International Circus Festival will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 9 in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, with nearly 400 acrobats from 14 countries performing.

Sun Shibin, vice-governor of Hebei and vice-chairman of the organizing committee, said Tuesday the festival would include opening and closing ceremonies, competitions and performances, animal performances, and exhibitions of circus painting and Chinese acrobatics.

The organizers will also invite domestic and overseas audiences to visit Wuqiao, known as the "birthplace of the Chinese acrobatics", and watch performances by local people.

Sun said the 28 performances to be staged were selected from nearly 100 candidate performances from acrobatic troupes from more than 30 countries and regions. The jury committee would have nine foreign experts and two Chinese scholars. The top prize would be 50,000 yuan (US$6,100).

The festival, initiated in 1987, is one of the three most important acrobatic competitions in the world. So far, it has attracted more than 300 performances from over 40 countries and regions.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2003)