Juggling in ancient China

Although juggling in its western form involving props such as balls, rings, and clubs is rarely performed in modern China, at certain periods in Chinese history it was much more popular.

From such references, it appears that juggling was a well-regarded and highly developed form of ancient Chinese art.

[5] Roughly translated, Chapter 8 of the Liezi (Chinese: 列子; pinyin: Lièzi), an ancient collection of Daoist sayings, reads as follows: In the State of Song there lived a man named Lanzi, who sought favor from Lord Yuan of Song for his skills.

[6][7]The passage states that Lanzi juggled the jian (Chinese: 劍; pinyin: jiàn), a straight, double-edged sword which was used during the Spring and Autumn period.

According to Jian Zhao in The Early Warrior and the Birth of the Xia, Lanzi was a general term for itinerant entertainers in pre-Qin and Han times.