Up on the stage, the “fish” first played in the court and then all at once jumped into the pool, immediately turning into a large flounder, spraying water and vomiting fog. Suddenly, in the mist, it became an eight-foot long yellow dragon, jumping to the ground and shaking his head.
在舞台上，“鱼”首先在球场上玩耍，然后一下子跳进了游泳池，立刻变成了一条大比目鱼，喷水和吐雾。 突然，在雾中，它变成了一条八英尺长的黄龙，跳到地上，摇了摇头。
Performed as an indication of the Han Dynasty emperors’ extravagant lifestyles, the “Fish Dragon” play illustrates that the tradition of magic in China has a long and complicated history.
“鱼龙”戏剧作为汉代皇帝奢侈生活方式的标志，说明了中国的魔法传统有着悠久而复杂的历史。
Although there is speculation as to the origins of magic in Chinese society, many sources agree that magic first made its appearance in the “Hundred Plays” of the Han Dynasty, very possibly making China the birthplace of magic. Some plays included performances of sword swallowing, acrobatics and of course, sleight of hand illusions; the combination of which was called “huanshu”(幻术)which translates as “illusions”.
虽然关于魔法在中国社会的起源有猜测，但许多消息来源都认为，魔法首次出现在汉朝的“百剧”中，很可能使中国成为魔法的发源地。 一些戏剧包括吞剑、杂技表演，当然还有手幻术的表演；这种组合被称为“幻术”，翻译为“幻术”。
Overall, the traditional focus of Chinese magic has always been on acrobatics, with sleight of hand tricks being thrown into for extra entertainment value. The combination of illusion and acrobatics eventually trickled down to street level where sleight of hand was introduced into performances as a way to bring in extra income. These performances were also used to dazzle and entertain audiences during times of celebration. Tricks from these performances were skilfully developed and handed down from generation to generation. However, during the Cultural Revolution, this art form almost completely disintegrated, since magic was considered deceitful and anticommunist.
总的来说，中国魔术的传统重点一直放在杂技上，为了获得额外的娱乐价值，人们会投入一些技巧。 幻想和杂技的结合最终渗透到街头，将诡计引入表演中，以此来带来额外收入。 在慶祝期間，這些表演也被用來吸引和娛樂觀眾。 这些表演的技巧被巧妙地发展出来，并代代相传。 然而，在文化大革命期间，这种艺术形式几乎完全瓦解了，因为魔术被认为是欺骗性的和反共产主义的。
This being said, the history of magic in China runs much deeper than just the origin of sleight of hand tricks.
话虽如此，中国魔术的历史远不止手术的诡计的起源。
The idea of magic is present in many traditional Chinese beliefs, and the fascination with the practical application of magic and superstition has always been present in Chinese society. This is seen in the ancient practice of alchemy, in many traditional folk stories and myths, as well as the religions on Taoism, Daoism and the Chinese zodiac. This kind of magic provides means to an end and is more closely aligned with witchcraft in western society, usually harnessed through vehicles such as talismans and amulets, as well as through the likes of spells and potions.
魔法的概念存在于许多中国传统信仰中，对魔法和迷信的实际应用的迷恋一直存在于中国社会中。 这在古老的炼金术实践、许多传统民间故事和神话中，以及道教、道教和中国十二生肖的宗教中都可以看到。 这种魔法提供了目的的手段，与西方社会的巫术更密切相关，通常通过符和符咒语等工具，以及咒语和药水等手段来利用。
Ideas of evil or good spirits and good or bad omens have always been present in Chinese teachings and society and were often warded off in large spectacles or demonstrations by a trained shaman. Since these “mystical” beliefs were so commonplace in Chinese society, magic would go on to find its way into the pop culture of the times, eventually evolving into the sleight of hand tricks seen today and in the Hundred Plays of the Han Dynasty. Under these conditions, it makes sense as to why magic became a spectacle of public fascination in ancient times, as well as latterly a danger to the rising of Communist Party.
邪恶或善灵和好或坏的预兆的想法一直存在于中国的教义和社会中，并经常被训练有素的萨满在大型表演或示威中抵御。 由于这些“神秘”信仰在中国社会如此普遍，魔法将继续进入当时的流行文化，最终演变成今天和汉代百剧中的手法。 在这些条件下，为什么魔术在古代成为公众迷恋的奇观，以及后来对共产党崛起的危险，这是有道理的。
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, magic exchanges with Japan and India became more frequent. In the Southern Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, ancient colour tricks, such as “Tibetan coercion”, and magic monographs such as “Immortal Magic” and “Goose Magic Collection” played a positive role in the development of magic in Japan and the West.
在隋唐时期，与日本和印度的魔法交流变得更加频繁。 在南宋、明和清，古代的色术，如“藏胁迫”，以及《不朽魔法》和《鹅魔法收藏》等魔法专著，在日本和西方的魔法发展中发挥了积极作用。
Magic in China now, is less of a public fascination, with even sleight of hand tricks falling out of favour, partly because magic lost a lot of its allure and prestige during the Cultural Revolution, and because it is very hard to make a sustainable living off of magic. The latter often discourages young Chinese generation from taking up magic as a possible career path and/or hobby. On account of this lack of interest, the Chinese magicians of today tend to rely on outdated or uncreative tricks that do not amaze audiences as they once did, or when compared to the performances of western magicians, such as the legendary David Copperfield. This in turn fails to generate youthful interest in the art form.
现在，在中国，魔术不那么受公众的迷恋，甚至手艺也变得不受欢迎，部分原因是魔术在文化大革命期间失去了很多魅力和威望，而且很难以魔法为生。 后者经常阻止中国年轻一代将魔法作为一种可能的职业道路和/或爱好。 由于这种缺乏兴趣，今天的中国魔术师倾向于依靠过时或没有创意的技巧，这些技巧不会像他们曾经那样让观众惊叹，或者与西方魔术师的表演相比，如传奇人物大卫·科波菲尔。 这反过来又未能引起年轻人对艺术形式的兴趣。
This being said, there are some Chinese magiciansa in recent years who have gathered attention for the industry. In 2009, Liu Xian, a famous Taiwanese magician performed at the Spring Festival Gala, which became a turning point for Chinese interest in magic; creating exposure for the previously underexposed industry. Since then, some popular magic-themed TV shows and other media have emerged.
话虽如此，近年来有一些中国魔术师引起了业界的关注。 2009年，台湾著名魔术师刘贤在春节联欢晚会上表演，这成为中国人对魔术兴趣的转折点；为以前曝光不足的行业创造了曝光。 从那时起，出现了一些流行的魔术主题电视节目和其他媒体。
However, the aforementioned obstacles do not deter everyone. Nanjing local magician, Mario, was first introduced to magic by his father when he was 3-years old. The trick Mario’s father performed consisted of his father holding up one finger and then covering it with a handkerchief which was then pulled away to reveal two fingers. Mario credits this experience with igniting his lifelong interest in close-up magic. Speaking with The Nanjinger, he stated, “It sounds really stupid but actually that [experience] means a lot to me. Because at that time I realised that something really common in our daily life, if you make it into another kind of expression, then that can become magic”.
然而，上述障碍并不能阻止所有人。 南京当地魔术师马里奥在3岁时第一次被父亲介绍给魔术。 马里奥的父亲表演的把戏包括他父亲举起一根手指，然后用手帕盖住它，然后把手帕拉开，露出两根手指。 Mario认为这次经历激发了他一生对特寫魔法的兴趣。 在接受《南京人》采访时，他说：“这听起来真的很愚蠢，但实际上这种[经验]对我来说意义重大。 因为当时我意识到，在我们的日常生活中，一些非常常见的东西，如果你把它变成另一种表达方式，那么它就可以变成魔法。”
Magic might be his passion, but Mario is not a professional magician, opting instead to study Tourism Management at a local university since it has a steady income. Finding jobs related to magic in Nanjing is also not easy, with the options being limited to selling magic products or bra teaching magic at the only magic store in Nanjing, and holding shows.
魔术可能是他的爱好，但马里奥不是专业的魔术师，而是选择在当地大学学习旅游管理，因为那里有稳定的收入。 在南京寻找与魔术相关的工作也不容易，选择仅限于在南京唯一的魔术店销售魔术产品或教授魔术，以及举办表演。
Even magicians who hold regular shows “will not have a fixed salary. … unless they are a celebrity”, says Mario. Magicians in China are falling behind due to a perceived lack of interest by the general public, causing the shows that are held to be poorly advertised and of a smaller calibre, further inhibiting the spread of the art form.
Mario说，即使是定期演出的魔术师也“不會有固定的工资。……除非他们是名人”。 由于公众认为缺乏兴趣，中国的魔术师正在落后，导致举办的演出广告宣传不佳，规模较小，进一步抑制了艺术形式的传播。
However, the interest in magic does exist in the right circles, where it appears to be going nowhere anytime soon. The magic scene in Nanjing is of decent size, for a relatively niche interest in both Chinese and Western cultures, with Mario describing it as a “large circle…for those lovers of magic. But it is a small circle for people from different jobs”.
然而，对魔法的兴趣确实存在于正确的圈子里，在那里它似乎很快就会消失。 南京的魔法场景规模尚可，在中西方文化中都相对利基，马里奥将其描述为“大圈子……对于那些魔法爱好者来说。 但对于来自不同工作的人来说，这是一个小圈子。”
While the circle of practising magicians is relatively small, there are still some members of the Nanjing pubic with an interest in witnessing magic with their own eyes. For them, there are places such as North Magic Bar, located on Changfu Jie. A safe haven for those lovers of magic, its entrance is even an illusion; cleverly concealed in an inconspicuous fruit stand which only opens to those individuals whom grab the correct shelf.
虽然执业魔术师的圈子相对较小，但仍有一些南京公众成员对亲眼见证魔术感兴趣。 对他们来说，有一些地方，比如位于长府街的北魔术酒吧。 对于那些魔法爱好者来说，这是一个安全的避风港，它的入口甚至是一种幻觉；巧妙地隐藏在一个不起眼的水果摊上，只对那些抓住正确架子的人开放。
North holds stand up and close up magic performances every night and has become one of the hottest bars in Nanjing; a hopeful sign for the rekindling of interest in Chinese magic.
North每天晚上都有站立和特写魔术表演，已成为南京最火的酒吧之一；这是一个重新点燃对中国魔法兴趣的希望兆頭。