Horsemanship and animal acts. The earliest records of horsemanship and feats performed on horseback are found in historic Han texts and in on salt and iron, a work created by Huan Kuan during the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD). A stone engraving Bai Xi Tu discovered in Yinan County, Shandong Province, provides a vivid picture of three acrobats performing feats of skill and daring on horseback. The work depicts one horse as a dragon. Han horsemen not only demonstrated skill in controlling their mounts, but also incorporated martial arts and dance movements in their routines. One particular painting depicts two horsemen -- one wielding a trident and the other brandishing a ceremonial flag. A carving found on a stone tower on Shaoshi Peak, Songshan Mountain, in Dengfen County, Henan Province, depicts two horsemen-one performing a handstand and the other a dance routine on horseback.
One Han Dynasty stone engraving found in the Temple of Confucius in Linzi, Shandong Province, depicts a group of horsemen performing stunts. It portrays a man riding a horse followed by a horse-drawn chariot. Three persons leap towards the rider from the chariot one after another, one stretches. Out his arms to reach the rider and succeeds in catching hold of his hand, another takes hold of the tail of the horse with one hand and the third is still on his flight in the air. Aside from the charioteer, all the others in the chariot are engaged in performance. Close behind the fast running chariot is a man who is making efforts to jump onto it.
