Meanwhile, more people are studying how to perform the trickiest of tricks at dedicated magic schools.

A student said, "I saw Lu Chen perform the hand trick with elastic bands and I thought it was amazing. That's why I'm here."

And it's not only students. Office ladies, kids and even senior people have become addicted. Usually winter is the low season for magic schools, but this year is different.

A magic school manager said, "We've got thirty to forty students per day and they want to study the kind of magic they can practise during their dinner breaks, or in a bar."