Ching Ling Foo

Ching Ling Foo was born in Beijing, Qing dynasty, on May 11, 1854,[1] He studied traditional Chinese magic and was a well-respected performer in his homeland.

During a typical performance, he stunned the audience by breathing smoke and fire or producing ribbons and a 15-foot-long (4.6 m) pole from his mouth.

Another trick involved producing a huge bowl, full to the brim with water, from out of an empty cloth.

A group of Chinese women with bound feet, including Chee's wife, accompanied the magician outside China and was shown as another attraction.

[5] Irving Berlin included him in his lyrics for “From Here to Shanghai” (1917) In the show Strike Up the Band, the Gershwins included a song "Patriotic Rally" which had the following verses: Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige—about two warring stage conjurers—depicts a Chinese magician working in London, who performs a trick with a water bowl similar to one of Foo's stunts.