Copperfield has been hailed by the New York Times as our “era's giant of magic” and is the only magician to have been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has won several Emmy Awards and was twice elected “best entertainment celebrity of the year.” Recently he has been raised from eighth to the sixth place in the “World Entertainment Celebrity Billboard,” achieving a higher listing than even such household names as Madonna, Kevin Costner and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Copperfield gave 40 performances to enthusiastic audiences in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. He left for Taipei after his mainland tour concluded with a standing ovation in Beijing.

The shows in Beijing alone took some 35 million yuan (about US$4,200,000) according to sources at the sponsoring organization. The Copperfield magic extends to his magic box office takings. His Beijing events were all sold out even before the first performance.

Why is Copperfield so popular that our homegrown illusionists may appear too far behind to catch up? Copperfield spoke of seeking fresh inspiration for his magic here in China. He left with his 35 million yuan, but what had he brought with him to contribute to Chinese magic?

Chinese magicians gave their own views on the difference between Western and domestic magic.

Fu Qifeng met David Copperfield 16 years ago when he walked through the Great Wall in Beijing. Her family is quite devoted to magic with no less than four generations of magicians starting with her grandfather. She has studied the development of magic for almost 40 years and has paid close attention to Copperfield’s work in her research.

Fu Qifeng says that it is not difficult to figure out how Copperfield’s tricks are done. The problem is that no Chinese magician had ever thought of doing them let alone recognized their potential entertainment and commercial value.

“There are several reasons why magic in China enjoys far less popular support than it used to, especially with the young. Chinese magicians need to become more competent. Many of them tend to be conservative in their approach and are not sufficiently bold or creative. In addition the marketing of magic should be better developed,” said Fu.

Wayne Wang agrees with Fu Qifeng that David’s magic has had a positive impact on Chinese magicians. A Chinese citizen who has been staying in the United States for about 10 years, he is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians as well as the Society of American Magicians.

“Magic has long been regarded as quackery, and there is a world of difference between the incomes of ordinary magicians and other artists like pop stars or film stars. Copperfield has revolutionized magic and raised it from being merely a performance to an actual art form. He has made people accept the fact that magic too can reach such heights both artistically and commercially," said Wang.

He points to magic in China having a different status to magic in the west, which may explain the different ways the art form has developed, saying, “I think Chinese magic has been making steady progress over the years. However it is my personal view that it has been confined to small-scale performances, mainly focusing on sleight of hand. It’s not easy to impress a modern audience with this. Western magic on the other hand, concentrates more on bringing together a whole variety of effects to create an overall impact on the audience.”

Wayne Wang also attributes Copperfield’s success partly to the commercial environment of the United States to which he has been responsive.

“It's all about opportunity. I think there are only limited opportunities for performers, even in America. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to make my own opportunities and I’ve been able to treat magic in a similar manner to the movies and music,” said Wang.

Wayne Wang says that had Copperfield not been based in the United States, it would have been hard for him to achieve the kind of success that he has enjoyed. It is this kind of commercial environment which China lacks. What’s more, he thinks it a great pity that there is currently no association for magicians in China. Together with some friends, he has founded a Magicians’ Club in Beijing in the hope of promoting the art.

Wang believes that there is hope for Chinese magic, as there are people out there interested in and even devoted to this art. The 13-year-old Hou Bochen is one of these. A middle school student, he has been studying magic by himself for three years. He can already perform some 100 tricks.

“I think of magic as the application of a miraculous science. It brings together dance, music and many other art forms. It is really attractive. I hope to make magic my lifelong career just like David Copperfield. I hope one day I can become China’s David Copperfield and carry Chinese magic far and wide,” said Hou.

Many Chinese magicians have welcomed Copperfield's tour, recognizing his place at the very pinnacle of the profession.

As Fu Qifeng said, “Copperfield’s magic is wonderful. He has reached a prominence in his career presently beyond our reach. We can learn much from him such as his amazing vision, precise lighting, and use of song, dance and complex stage scenarios. I believe that Copperfield’s shows will help contribute to a renaissance of magic in China.”

(china.org.cn, edited by Chen Lin, August 14, 2002)