Liu Qian

The Taiwanese magician began his education at the age of 7. Liu tells the China Daily: “Just like Harry Potter, rigid training is required for anyone to be able to put on a good show.” His efforts led him to early fame, when he won the local Youth Magic Contest, judged by world magic master David Copperfield. Not content with his performance on stage, Liu expanded his career into TV. He began hosting a TV programme named Magic Star in 2001, which quickly became one of the channel’s most popular shows.

Famous roles?

Liu became China’s most famous magician after a performance on CCTV’s Spring Festival Eve TV Gala. Liu entertained viewers with various tricks, including the transformation of a diamond ring into an untouched egg. He was rumoured to have made Rmb10 million in earnings in the three months following the show.

And thanks to Liu, millions of Chinese have flocked to magic school to learn a few tricks. The Beijing Qitian Magic Training Centre, for example, recorded the highest enrolment in its history with more than 40 students attending classes every day, says its manager, Yuan Xijun.

Why is he in the news?

Not content with pulling rabbits out of hats, the marketing-savvy 33 year-old magician has recently created two magic shows for Nokia. In a short video Liu makes envelopes, pigeons and fish come out of phones. The clip, which is on Nokia’s website, received more than a million hits in a week. A magic result for the Finnish mobile phone maker. He will soon add to his fame by anchoring a CCTV show called Magic Miracle.

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