Guiming Meng

Jar Juggler

By Dominique Jando

Guiming Meng comes from a long line of Chinese acrobats. His father was a master jar-juggler, and not surprisingly, Meng would follow in his footsteps. He was trained in Chinese acrobatics in the Shangai Acrobatic Troupe, one of the major acrobatic troupes in China, and participated in many acts, as it is the usage in Chinese troupes.

In 1986, several performers of the Shangai Acrobatic Troupe were featured in the 116th edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, where they performed several acts. Guiming Meng was among them—but he didn't return to China at the end of their engagement; instead, he defected to the United States.

Guiming Meng created a jar-juggling act, the specialty he knew best, and began working in circus and variety shows. He eventually settled in Las Vegas, and became a U.S. citizen in 1991. He has been featured twice at the Big Apple Circus, in 2004 and 2008.

See Also

• Video: Guiming Meng, Jar Juggling, in the Big Apple Circus production of Picturesque (2004)

Image Gallery

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  Guiming Meng at the Big Apple Circus (2008)