Diabolo (Kongzhu) Performance

Diabolo (kongzhu) is a traditional folk pastime long popular in Beijing, played by spinning a wooden or bamboo double-wheeled top on a string; by the Ming and Qing it was already common in the city's lanes and temple fairs.

The player works a string slung between two sticks to spin the diabolo at high speed; air rushing through its hollow chambers gives it a humming whir, and skilled hands add tosses, body-wraps and partner exchanges — at once exercise, acrobatics and play.

A signature folk sport of old Beijing, diabolo is inscribed as national intangible cultural heritage, carrying the city's street-corner playfulness and its festival memories.

In Beijing's parks, hutong and temple fairs you will often see elders and children spinning the diabolo, its hum and flashing tricks a lively thread in the city's everyday life.