Shanghai Acrobat: An orphan boy's inspiring true story of courage and determination in revolutionary China was published by Black Inc in Melbourne, Australia, Apollo Publishers in the USA and as an audio book by Wavesound in March and April 2021.
Jingjing Xue was a star performer with the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe after graduating from the Acrobatic School of Shanghai. He was admired as one of China’s best acrobats and, from 1961 to 1987, performed all around the world with the Shanghai Circus. He later trained circus performers with the Shanghai Circus troupe and then at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, where he now lives.
Shanghai Acrobat tells the story of an orphan who became an international circus star and a trainer of Chinese and Australian gold-winning acrobats. Set in China from the early years of the Communist era through the turbulent period of the cultural revolution and in Australia, Shanghai Acrobat is a story of hope and perseverance, of overcoming adversity, and finding a place to belong.
See a short film about Jingjing on you tube.
Praise for Shanghai Acrobat:
The richness of detail, along with the photographs, reveal a marvelous story of endurance and fortitude.
~ Kirkus Reviews Issue Feb 1, 2021.
He remains modest and thoughtful about surviving as an individual in a political maelstrom, and then, the sheer grind of being a migrant. It's such a contrast to his well-deserved place in the spotlight.
~ Robyn Douglas, The Adelaide Advertiser, 29 May 2021
See Ten Terrifying Questions with JingJing Xue! at Booktopia.