Science Magic Tricks

Rope magic

Cleverly braided belt

The little magician took out a belt with two long cuts on it (Figure 1).

Then he hid the belt under the table, muttering something under his breath. When he took the belt out
again , it had become a braid like in picture two! Is that impossible?
Could there be some trickery under the table? The belt wasn't cut at either end, how could it be braided like this?

The secret is actually quite simple; there's no trick involved, and it's not surprising at all once you see it. You can even
braid this kind of "braid" yourself. Just try it out with a short piece of leather (or a thick strip of paper).
Make two long slits, then stretch one of them backward (Figure 3). Fold the bottom of the leather up
and tuck it into the middle (Figure 4). You'll get a braid like in Figure 5, with three crossings.
Now fold it up and tuck it in again from the other direction, as shown in Figure 6. The leather will then have
a braid with six crossings (Figure 7). If the leather is longer, just repeat the process a few more times, and you'll get the same result
. It's truly surprising!

Handkerchief knot

The little magician holds a white handkerchief and a red handkerchief. He lifts both handkerchiefs by the corners at the same time (Figure
1).

He shook the handkerchief, tossed it into the air, and caught it. Look! The handkerchiefs were now tied together. Then,
he took a handkerchief in each hand, blew on the knot, and the handkerchiefs separated again (Figure
2).

The secret was that he had hidden a small elastic band in his right hand, stretched between his index finger and thumb.
When he held the two corners of the handkerchief in his right hand and twisted them upwards, he put the elastic band around the corners of the handkerchief, making the two handkerchiefs look like they were tied in
a knot (Figure 3).

Such a "knot" can be easily untied with a pull, and the audience will not notice the small elastic band when the handkerchief is shaken
(Figure 4).

Karate knot

The little magician holds two ropes that appear to be the same length using his right thumb and forefinger (Figure 1).
He joins the top and bottom ends of the ropes together, holding them between his left thumb and forefinger.

It looks like two circles (Figure 2).
With a wave of both hands, the two ropes are tied into one long rope, but without a knot in the middle (Figure 3).
The secret is that the two ropes are not the same length, but are joined together in a 1:7 ratio, using the thumb and forefinger.

Clamp the joint so that the audience cannot see it (Figure 4).

Connect A and B, and C and D together, holding them between your left thumb and forefinger. With a swing of your hands,
release the knot with your right hand and release the knot between C and D with your left hand (the knot between A and B can also be released). This will form a long rope (Figure
5).

Note: When releasing, do not let go of the area between A and B with your left hand; only use your right hand to grasp end D.

(Xiao Kang)

Threading loops

The little magician can perform with just a one-meter rope, whether at home, on the road, or after school,
and the results are quite interesting.

The little magician holds one end of the rope (let's call it end B)
between (Figure 1), then holds the other end (end A) with his right hand
and wraps it around his left thumb five or six times, leaving a loop at the end, which he holds with his thumb (Figure 2), so that end A and end B are
about the same length.

The little magician announced to his classmates: even with his eyes closed, he could quickly thread the rope through the hoop
and hit it every time! When the classmates didn't believe him, the little magician first asked one of them to try
threading the rope while blindfolded, which of course proved very difficult for the other students.

Now, the little magician asks a student to cover his eyes with his hand and pick up a rope. He
is indeed able to thread the rope through the loop. What is the reason for this?

The secret is that most people would try to thread the rope through the loop by taking end A, which is difficult to succeed. But the little
magician takes end B of the rope and quickly swings his right hand, making the rope squeeze
between his left thumb and forefinger. He then pulls the rope as straight as possible, so the rope will inevitably "thread" through the loop (Figure 3).
Of course, the little magician practiced several times beforehand to make this illusion trick more skillful.

(Sun Weizi)

Re-tying a broken rope

The little magician takes out a long, thin rope and, in front of the audience, ties knots at both ends to form
a loop. He then folds it into a double loop and asks an audience member to come forward and cut it. Everyone can clearly see that there are now
four broken ends (Figure 1). The little magician then asks the audience member to tie knots at the two broken ends in his hand, and he
himself ties knots at the other two. Finally, he shakes the loop open, and the audience is amazed to find that there is still
only one knot on the rope! The secret lies in how he folded it into a double loop.

First, the magician positions the knot near the intersection (Figure 2 ①). Then, he
casually (Figure 2 ②) and secretly pinches the knot with his left hand. When the audience cuts the rope,
he must ensure that the rope is only cut at the dotted line in Figure 2 ③. Then, the audience is asked to connect
the two . When he frees his right hand and ties a knot with his left hand, it is just a superficial feint.
When the audience thinks he is tying a knot, he has actually hidden this small piece of rope in his hand. So
what the audience sees is just a loop of rope with a knot.

Make sure the rope you use is of the right thickness and that the length is such that after you cut off a section, it still looks
about the same length as the original rope.

(Sun Weizi)

An unbreakable rope

The little magician strung two matchboxes together with a rope. You can
be sure , because the other end of the rope will also move.

The little magician took a pair of scissors and, in front of everyone, "snip!" cut off the top of a rope
(Figure 1). Everyone could see and hear it, but strangely enough, when he took out the scissors, closed
the matchbox , and pulled the rope again, the other end of the rope was still moving! Was the rope
uncut?

The little magician only cut the extra piece of rope; the original rope remained
connected (Figure 2). He then performed another "uncuttable rope"
trick. He showed everyone how a piece of paper was folded into a triangular prism, and then a rope was threaded through it.
The audience could see that both ends of the rope were still outside. The little magician then used scissors to cut the paper and rope
in half. In a flash, the paper prism was cut, but the rope remained intact (Figure
3).

What's going on?

The trick is to not pull the string too tight when threading it. While holding the paper pillar and looking for scissors, the little magician secretly pulled the string out a little with his left
thumb , and the scissors went in through it, so of course, they could only
cut the paper pillar (Figure 4).

(Sun Weizi)

Card Magic

Card guessing

The little magician handed a deck of cards to his classmates, asked them to shuffle it, and then put it back in the card box
in front of everyone. He also showed the card box to everyone, noting that there were no chips, holes, or other defects. Then he said, "Now,
you can test my X-ray vision," and held the card box up to his eyes, examining it closely through his vision.

"I can see it now, the first card is the 6 of spades (Figure 1)." Open the card box,
draw out , and sure enough, it is the 6 of spades.

"Maybe the cardboard box is too thin, making it easy to see through. Let me put the deck of cards on the table
and see if I can see the bottom card through the whole deck" (Figure 2). After a while, they saw it again
; it was a red 10. The students took out their cards and saw that it was indeed correct.

Secretly memorize a few cards beforehand, such as the 6 of spades, the 10 of hearts, the King of clubs, etc., five or six cards
in total, and arrange them in a stack on top of a deck of cards before putting them into the card box.

During the performance, the cards are taken out of the box, leaving a few pre-sorted cards in.
When the students shuffle the cards, they think it's a complete deck, but they never expect that a stack of cards is missing (Figure 3). After shuffling, the cards
are put back in the box, and then everyone is asked to check the box; of course, no one will find anything wrong. Just
recite the cards you've memorized one by one in order, then draw out the cards to verify; of course, it will be accurate. Note that you only need to guess three to five
cards.

(Yan Dong)

Predicting the future

The little magician took out five round wooden boards, each with numbers printed on it. He copied these numbers
onto a blackboard: 2475, 5124, 4951, 1249, and 9512. He then
mixed the boards together in a small box, randomly picked one from the middle, and held it face down. He
asked an audience member to randomly choose one number from the blackboard. One audience member stood up and chose "5124."
The magician then invited the person to come up and erase all the other numbers on the blackboard, leaving only the chosen number.
The magician then revealed his board, and the number on it perfectly
matched . Why did the magician's choice happen to be the same as the audience member's out of so many options?

The little magician's secret is not the five wooden boards the audience sees, but actually six. The extra
board is the key to the entire trick. On this sixth board are the numbers 1, 2, 4, 9, and 5.
Before the performance, this board is placed face down on the table and covered with some odds and ends to prevent the audience from noticing it.

During the performance, the young magician copied the five numbers from the wooden board onto five blackboards, then placed them
on the table. These five blackboards were then placed on top of a sixth blackboard, which was then lifted and put into a hat,
thus mixing the sixth blackboard with the others. Later, the magician picked up the sixth blackboard and held it in his hand.
Now, no matter which number the audience chose from the blackboard, the magician could
match . He simply covered a number on the round board; for example, if the audience chose 2495, the
magician would cover the "1" on the board. The same method could be used to
cover , making it very convenient.

(Xu Qiu)

Five o'clock becomes four o'clock

The little magician had a strange card that sometimes showed a
4
and sometimes
a 5.
During his performance,
he held the card up by the corner between his right thumb and forefinger, showing everyone that it was a 5 of hearts (Figure 1, left). He then flipped it over, the back of the card facing the audience, and there was nothing unusual. He then extended his left hand,
showing the audience that there was nothing hidden in either palm or back of his hand. At this moment, his left hand quickly covered the card in his right hand, then
immediately removed it. Looking at the card in his right hand again, the center dot was missing, and it had become a 4 of hearts (Figure 1, right).

The little magician then covered the card on his right hand with his left hand, and the card turned into a five of hearts. He changed the
cards so quickly that no secret could be discerned.

The secret is that the little magician actually holds two cards. First, he cuts out a small portion from the center of a
five of hearts (Figure 2, left). Then, he cuts off a section from one end of an ace of hearts (Figure 2, right). He then attaches the ace of hearts to the back of the five of hearts, with the small portion of the ace of hearts fitting perfectly into the cut -out area. From the front, it appears to be a single five of hearts. From the back, because the patterns and colors on the backs of the cards are the same , even though a section of the ace of hearts has been cut off, it fits perfectly with the patterns on the back of the five of hearts. From a distance, the audience cannot tell that they are two cards.

When the card changes, the left hand covers it, and the right hand takes the opportunity to push the Ace of Hearts
up
a bit. The two cards are still close together,
but the dot in the middle of the
Ace of Hearts
rises and leaves the hollowed-out area in the middle of the
5 of Hearts. So the empty space of the 5 of Hearts reveals the blank space of the Ace of Hearts, turning it into a 4. Then, the left hand covers it again, and the fingers on the back of the right hand secretly pull it down, turning the card back into a 5 .

A keen sense of smell

The little magician laid out a deck of cards and asked a student to randomly draw a card. He picked up the
3 of clubs and asked the student to remember its suit and rank. Without looking at the card, the magician collected the cards and placed
them face up on the deck, then removed some cards from the bottom and placed them on top. After shuffling the deck, he turned it over so the cards were face up
, sniffed them, and immediately drew the 3 of clubs.

The secret deck is ordinary and can be shuffled freely. While arranging the deck, the little magician glances at
the bottom card and secretly memorizes its suit and rank, for example, the red 6 of diamonds (Figure 1). As long as
the magician acts naturally, the other students won't notice. The drawn card, regardless of its type,
must be placed back on the deck. The cards can be rearranged, but not drawn from the middle. This ensures
the card drawn by the student is always below the one the magician secretly memorized. When flipping the deck, the magician first
secretly looks at the card above the memorized card (red 6 of diamonds) (Figure 2), then pretends to sniff it
—this is to conceal the act of looking at the card—before drawing the 3 of clubs.

(Fu Tenglong)

Automatic card skipping

The magician unfolds a deck of cards and asks his assistant to randomly draw one card, for example, the
King of Hearts. The magician then takes the card back and holds it up high so the audience can see it clearly. He then inserts it into the deck,
arranges it into a stack, and holds it tightly in his hand (Figure 1, left).

He blew on the cards, and the King of Hearts jumped out of the deck on its own (Figure 1, right).

In this secret deck, there are two key cards. Each of these cards has a
small hole punched through its center. A 20mm long elastic band is threaded through the hole between the two cards, with a knot tied at each end
. This prevents the elastic band from coming out of the hole (Figure 2, left).

During the performance, place these two key cards between the middle of the deck. After the audience has seen the drawn cards,
carefully insert them between the two cards (Figure 2, right), press the elastic band firmly down, and then squeeze
the entire deck tightly to prevent them from popping out. After blowing on them, release your fingers, and the drawn cards will
pop out with the elastic band, making it appear as if they jumped out automatically.

(Fu Tenglong)

Pairing

The young magician explained the 16 playing cards in his hand to the audience:

"These 16 cards make up eight pairs."

Everyone noticed the cards were in a very messy order; cards of the same rank weren't grouped together. The
magician straightened the stack and asked a spectator to reveal the cards, randomly picking a few from the top and placing them at the bottom,
further scrambling the order. Then, without looking at the cards, the magician held them
behind his back with both hands. A moment later, he pulled out two cards, both Kings; then two 8s; then
two 9s... each time a pair; he continued this process, pulling out all 16 cards in eight separate sessions. It was strange;
the cards were clearly in a jumbled order, so how could he pull them out in pairs without even looking?

Before the secret performance, the young magician first arranged the playing cards,
placing each pair of cards of the same rank in a stack, resulting in eight stacks (Figure 1). Then, he picked up the cards, starting with
stacks one, three, five, and seven, followed by stacks two, four, six, and eight. After picking up the top eight cards,
he repeated the process for the bottom eight. Finally, he arranged the 16 cards into a single stack and
fanned out. Because the cards were picked up out of order, they appeared chaotic to the audience.

After explaining the instructions, gather and arrange the cards, then ask the audience to reveal them. Revealing the cards involves moving them up and down to avoid
disrupting the order; in fact, it enhances the performance. Then, discreetly observe the bottom card. For example, if the bottom card
is a King, quickly unfold the deck and count to the eighth card towards the center. Find the other King, and then
separate the cards between the first and second Kings (Figure 2, left). Because of the pre-arrangement,
each section contains eight cards. After separating them, quickly align the backs of the first and second sections
(Figure 2, right), still forming a stack. Now, both sides of the cards are face-up, and both sides
contain cards of the same rank. By placing the cards behind your back and drawing
one card from each side each time, you'll always have a pair, ensuring no mistakes.

(Fu Tenglong)

Clever use of floral patterns

The magician takes out a deck of cards and spreads it out in a fan shape. He asks a spectator to randomly draw two cards, remembering
their suits and ranks without letting the magician know. For example, if the spectator draws the 3 of spades and the Queen of hearts,
they put the cards back in the deck. The magician then closes the deck, arranges them neatly, spreads them out again, and draws out two cards that are exactly
the two cards the spectator had just drawn.

The secret is that this is an ordinary deck of cards, but the little magician made some arrangements before the performance. He picked out 20
red cards and 20 black cards and put them together, leaving 12 cards of various suits scattered around
. He placed the mixed cards at the bottom, added the red cards on top, and then added the black cards on top of that. This deck of
cards has the mixed cards at the bottom, the red cards in the middle, and the black cards on top (Figure 1, left).

During the performance, the young magician first unfolds the miscellaneous cards at the bottom to show everyone that they are ordinary
playing cards He then folds them up face down. Next, he unfolds the top 20 black cards and asks a spectator to randomly draw one.
Although the value of the drawn card is unknown, it's certain to be a black card .
He then folds the cards together and unfolds the middle 20 red cards, asking a spectator to draw one, without asking the value, but guaranteeing it's a
red card. While unfolding the red cards, he secretly inserts the first drawn card into the deck, then
folds it up, indicating that the card is now mixed in (in reality, a black card is inserted into the red deck).
He then unfolds the top black cards and asks another spectator to insert the second drawn card, then folds
it up , indicating that the second card is also mixed in (in reality, a red card is inserted into the black deck) (Figure
1, right). After folding and unfolding again, by searching for the black card among the red cards and the red card among the black cards, he can
quickly find the two cards drawn by the spectator (Figure 2).

(Fu Tenglong)

Box Magic

Turning colored paper into money

To perform this little magic trick, you will need a rectangular wooden box, some colored confetti, a glass, and
a 10 RMB note.

The young magician opened the box and showed the audience that it was empty. He then grabbed some
confetti from a glass on the table and put it into the box, showing it to the audience sideways, revealing the confetti scattered inside. He closed the box, placed it on the table, and with a swift motion, opened it, took out a 10-yuan note, and the confetti had vanished.

The secret lies in a square wooden box. A thin flap is fitted onto the lid, and two small holes are located along the side of the box.
Two small nails secure the flap, and a 10-yuan banknote is already placed inside. As the magician
places the shredded paper flowers into the box, he secretly pulls the nails out of his hand. The flap falls down, concealing
the paper flowers and revealing the banknote. Finally, the banknote is given to the audience for inspection.

(Cai Tianzhu)

An unbreakable handkerchief

This is a very interesting little magic trick.

The young magician borrowed a handkerchief from the audience and pinned it to the top and bottom
edges of an empty wooden frame with thumbtacks. He then wrapped it with several layers of long strips of paper. Next, holding a wooden sword and muttering incantations, he forcefully
poked the wooden frame several times. The audience could clearly see several holes punched through the front of the paper.
However, when the magician unwrapped the layers of paper, everyone discovered that the handkerchief was completely intact (Figure 1)!

There's a hidden, movable wooden crossbar at the bottom edge of the secret frame (Figure 2). This crossbar can
move up and down along a hidden groove inside the frame. The magician nails the top of the handkerchief to the wooden frame, while the bottom is nailed to this crossbar
. When the magician wraps the handkerchief in layers of paper, the top and bottom of the wooden frame are switched. This causes the crossbar,
along with the handkerchief, to fall to the bottom. When the magician stabs it with his sword, he actually pierces an empty
frame. Then, when he unwraps the paper, the frame returns to its original position, and the crossbar falls down again
without the audience noticing.

The key to performing this magic trick is to use skillful techniques, move the crossbar freely, and ensure that the handkerchief
and paper are not too thick, so as not to hinder the movement of the crossbar.

(Sun Weizi)

Fragmentation

The young magician opened a black square box and showed it to the audience; the box was empty. He placed the box on the table,
took out a playing card, showed it to the audience, tore it into pieces, put the pieces into the box, and closed the lid.
After the signal gun fired, he opened the lid, took out a whole card, and asked the audience to check; it still showed the original card rank.

The secret box had a double-layered lid, with a metal interlayer. A complete card of the same suit was hidden in the interlayer
. After the gunshot, when the lid was opened, the metal interlayer fell to the bottom of the box, burying the broken card
underneath and revealing the complete card.

(Cai Tianzhu)

Transform the building blocks into the hat

The little magician borrowed a hat from the audience and placed it on the table. Of course, the hat had no hidden mechanism
.

The little magician took out a beautifully drawn building block from the paper sleeve (Figure 1).

"I'm going to make this block appear inside the hat," the little magician said, holding the block up to the brim of the hat
and gesturing with it (Figure 2).

The little magician stood at a distance, put the building blocks into the case, grabbed one with his hand and said "Go over" (Figure 3).
The building blocks were gone from the case, so he went over, picked up his hat and took the building blocks out (Figure 4).

The secret building block is a solid cube. Place a
sleeve ( , making it identical to the block with only five faces. Then, put the sleeve (B) and block C
inside the outer sleeve (A). This completes the preparation (Figure 5).

During the performance, when the little magician took out covers B and C together, the audience thought it was just
a single building block.

As the little magician was about to conjure the block into the hat, he gestured with his hands.
For a brief moment, with the brim of the hat obscuring his hand, he loosened his grip, and block C fell into the hat. Meanwhile, the cover B remained in his hand, and everyone
assumed it was the same block (Figure 6). Then, the little magician stood far away and stuffed the cover
into his coat, making sure the unsealed side of cover B was facing outwards. The fake block was now inside the coat and
appeared to have disappeared.

(Fu Tenglong)

The Disappearing Red Ball

The little magician walked to the table, mysteriously lifted the handkerchief, revealing two light green
building blocks and a red ball. With a few quick movements, the red ball vanished! How did the little magician make the red ball disappear
?

To make this magic trick, you'll need the following props: 1. Find a 2-meter-long red rope. 2. Make two
100mm square cardboard blocks, punching a hole in the center to thread the rope through (Figure 1). 3. Find a red plastic ball with an 80mm
diameter , punching a hole in the center to thread the rope through (Figure 2). 4.
Cover the red ball with two or three layers of thin paper, let it dry, peel off the paper ball, seal the seams, and decorate it to
resemble the red ball. 5. Find an opaque headscarf, cut a hole in the center to thread
the bow-tie rope through (Figure 3). 6. Make a double-layered handkerchief by sewing two identical handkerchiefs
together on the left, right, and bottom three sides, leaving a 200mm opening in the top center so the red ball can fit through
(Figure 4). Before the performance, thread the building blocks and the red ball onto a rope and tie bows at both ends.
Place the two building blocks side by side at the back of the table, hang the red ball behind the edge of the table, cover the building blocks with a lining handkerchief, hold the red ball on
the handkerchief , and then cover the red ball with a headscarf (Figure 5).

The little magician removed his headscarf, revealed the red ball, then removed his handkerchief, picked up the building blocks with both hands, and banged them together
to prove that the blocks were hard. He then placed the blocks on the right side of the headband, covered it again, and
pulled the bow out through the hole in the headband.

Instructing the magician to fold the handkerchief in half lengthwise into a pocket, and having the assistant put the red ball (i.e., the paper ball) into the pocket
(Figure 6), the little magician then made a gesture of pulling the ball out of the handkerchief, crumpled the handkerchief,
and tossed it into the air, causing the red ball to disappear.

Then lift the building blocks covered by the headscarf. As long as you straighten the rope, the red ball will naturally be threaded
between (Figure 7).

(Liu Zhiqiang)

A model that can jump

The little magician put a finger model into a small box. The bottom of the box was very pretty, with
patterns drawn on it (Figure 1).

The little magician put the transparent plastic lid on the small box. As soon as he closed it, the finger
model inside the box started moving up and down (Figure 2). The little magician shouted, "Stop!" and the fake finger stopped.

He opened the box and took out the finger model (Figure 3).

The secret lies in a trapdoor with a round hole on the bottom of the box, which can be opened. The pattern on the bottom of the box perfectly
conceals the opening (Figure 4).

When putting the fake finger into the box, while the left hand covers the box, the middle finger of the right hand
is inserted into the box through a small hole at the bottom. Everyone then mistakes the real middle finger for the model (Figure 5), while the fake finger
model remains hidden in the left palm and is not actually placed in the box. The moving finger inside the box is actually the real finger.

(Fu Tenglong)

Coin through matchbox

The little magician first told everyone his hands were empty, then picked up a matchbox, pulled out most of the inner box (
which was empty), and pushed the inner box back into the box. He took out a two-cent coin, placed it on the matchbox, covered it with a
handkerchief, and again told everyone his hands were empty. He shouted, "Go in!" and then, holding
the handkerchief two adjacent corners, lifted it. Strange! The coin was gone, but when he opened the matchbox, he found the coin
inside.

The secret is to prepare an empty matchbox beforehand, and place a two-cent
coin Then, push the inner box about 2 millimeters (Figure 1). During the performance, the magician holds
the matchbox and coin with their left thumb on top and index finger on the bottom, while using their right thumb and index finger to pull the inner box out from the other end of the matchbox. Since
the coin remains in place, the audience sees the box as empty (Figure 2). Push the inner box back completely into the box,
and the coin will fall inside. Opening it again will reveal the coin. The coin on top of the matchbox is prepared separately.
Place it on top of the matchbox. Beforehand, apply some soap to the center of a handkerchief. When covering the coin with the handkerchief,
press the soap onto the soap. Hold the handkerchief near the top two corners of the magician's hand and lift it upwards. Because the coin
sticks to the handkerchief, the coin on the matchbox will disappear.

(Lin Yuan)

Folding glass

Can glass be folded?

After seeing this question, young readers will definitely shake their heads.

However, in the hands of the little magician, this seemingly impossible feat became effortless.
Let's watch his performance!

Prepare a handkerchief and a piece of glass for the performance. The glass is framed with wooden strips (Figure 1). The little
magician first places the handkerchief over the glass frame, then, holding one side of the frame with both hands through the handkerchief, gently
folds it, breaking the wooden frame and glass into two pieces (Figure 2). Did it really break?

Quickly restore it, remove the handkerchief, and lo and behold! It's still a complete piece of glass.

The secret lies in the illusion; the mechanism is beneath the wooden frame. The frame
has four sides: A, B, C, and D. Sides B and D are cut in half, with hinges connecting the cuts. These two sides don't have grooves, so
the glass isn't embedded within them. Side A has a shallow groove, and side C has a deep groove. One end of the glass is inserted into side A,
pressing against the bottom of the groove, while the other end is slightly inserted into side C, leaving a gap from the bottom of the groove on side C. Thus,
supported by the glass's own hardness, the wooden frame remains sturdy and intact (Figure 3).

When the handkerchief covers the wooden frame, hold side A of the wooden frame with your left hand and side C of the wooden frame with your right hand through the handkerchief.
Gently push the glass towards side C, making it slide towards side C and press against the bottom of the groove on side C. At the same time,
it will come out of the groove on side A (Figure 4).

Now, the wooden frame is "broken," but the glass is not broken. However, the glass is facing downwards when it is broken, so
the audience cannot see it through the handkerchief and it looks as if it is broken (Figure 5).

To restore the glass, first straighten the wooden frame to be parallel, then push the glass into the groove on side A, and everything will be back to normal.

(Fu Tenglong)

Six-compartment fruit box

The little magician took out a hexagonal fruit box, opened the lid, placed it on the table, and
showed everyone that the box was divided into six compartments, each of which was empty. After explaining, he closed the lid, made a motion as if he were pouncing on something into
the air , tossed it into the box, and immediately opened the lid again. Everyone saw that all six compartments
were filled with various kinds of candy.

The key to this magic trick lies in a specially designed interlayer, also divided into six compartments,
each pre-filled with a different type of candy. On the edges of two opposite compartments, a small eye is drilled,
in the same position as the eyelets on the interlayer itself. The interlayer is then slipped inside the box lid, and two pins are inserted through the eyelets on the lid's edge,
all the way into the small eyelets on the interlayer's edge, securing the interlayer firmly within the lid and preventing it from falling out (Figure 1). The box
body itself has no secret; it is also divided into six compartments, but the wooden pieces of the compartments are about 2 centimeters lower than the rim of the box body.

Before the performance, place the lid on the box (Figure 2).

During the performance, first remove the lid of the box and place it on the table (removing the interlayer along with it).
Then, simply pick up the box and show it; it's empty, of course. Replace the lid, and while doing so ,
secretly remove the large pins on both sides of the lid. The interlayer immediately falls onto the compartments inside the box. There's already a 2-centimeter gap , and
with the interlayer falling in, opening the lid again reveals a box full of candies. Because it's filled with
colorful candies, no one will notice that the six compartments inside are 2 centimeters higher than the rim of the box
—a bold illusion.

(Fu Tenglong)

Three-color matches

The little magician has a mysterious box of matches. The label inside the matchbox is white, and when you open it,
the match heads inside are also white (Figure 1).

Close the matchbox and cover it with your hand. Open it, and the matchbox now has a black label. Pull the box open, and
the match heads have also turned black (Figure 2).

The little magician then turned the black matchbox into a red box. When the box was opened, the match heads naturally
turned red as well (Figure 3).

The secret was to affix labels to both sides of the matchbox cover, with a red label on the bottom and
a could be flipped open. The bottom of the inner box was in
the middle, and it was filled with red matches. Black and white matches were placed at both ends of the front (Figure 4).

The first time, push out too much of the white label to prevent the red matches underneath from falling out. After closing the box
, while covering it with your hand, flip the label over so it turns black. Push open
the other , and the matches will turn black (Figure 5).

The second time, when the box was turned upside down, the black box surface turned red, and the match heads also turned
red.

(Fu Tenglong)

Airborne sugar intake

The young magician walked onto the stage with an empty tin can of candy. He held the can open with his left hand, showing everyone that
it was empty. Then he lowered his left hand, holding the can horizontally with the opening facing upwards, and raised his right hand, palm
facing the audience, who could see that his palm was also empty. He casually reached into the air and grabbed a piece
of candy, tossing it into the tin can with a "clink."

A crisp sound. The little magician kept reaching into the air, pulling out a piece of candy each time, and
kept throwing it into the jar, making a continuous "clang, clang" sound.

After grabbing four or five candies, the little magician shook the candy jar, making the audience hear the candies making
a sound against the jar's walls. He continued grabbing candies, as if countless candies were stored in the air, inexhaustible.

The sound a hard object makes when it hits an empty tin can is crisp and clear, a characteristic that provides an opportunity for magic
tricks . The young magician had five or six small pieces of
hard candy hidden in his left hand while he held the rim of the can (Figure 1). These candies were positioned with one side against the can's wall and the other side covered by his hand, so even if he raised his left hand to show
the rim, the audience wouldn't notice (Figure 1). Additionally, he had a piece of candy hidden behind the middle finger of his right hand
. He used adhesive tape to attach a piece of hard candy to a small metal piece, which he then bent like a ring and secured to
his middle finger (Figure 2).

The little magician stands sideways, facing the audience with his left hand. His right hand is outstretched, allowing the audience to see
only as if his hand is empty. As he
reaches up to grab the candy, his right hand clenchs into a fist, revealing the candy on the back of his hand – a gesture as if his thumb and middle finger are pinching it (Figure 3). When he throws the candy into the jar,
his right fingers open again, and the candy is hidden behind his hand once more. Simultaneously, his left hand subtly relaxes, causing a
candy to fall to the bottom of the jar with a clinking sound. The perfect coordination between his hands makes it seem as if he has actually thrown the candy from his right hand
into the jar.

After throwing the candy four or five times, the little magician ran out of candy in his left hand. He shook the
jar hit the sides of the jar and made a sound, as if to say, "I have turned this into so much candy." In fact, he took
advantage of the shaking to make the candy jump up and press it down with his left hand at the same time (Figure 4). In this way, the candy in the jar returned to the little
magician's left hand, and the performance could continue, as if it were inexhaustible.

(Fu Tenglong)

Building blocks change color

This small square building block is white (Figure 1).
When you gently cover it with your hand (Figure 2), the block turns red (Figure 3).
Did the little magician only show the front three sides and turn the white three sides around to the back?

Turn it around, the bottom is also red (Figure 4)!

The secret is that the blocks are actually made of paper. Sides A, B, and C are painted red, while during the performance,
the audience shown the white sides D, E, and F. Then, by turning the blocks around and bringing the back sides A, B, and C to the front,
the white blocks appear to turn red (Figure 5).

What if you want to see the bottom side? It turns out that the bottom side is a flip-up layer, one side is painted
red and the other side is painted white. During the performance, you can cover it with your hand and flip it over when you turn the blocks (Figure 6).

(Fu Tenglong)

Tea tray with flowers

Prepare a round tea tray and a folded round paper flower.

The little magician took a tea tray with his left hand and showed it to the crowd, saying it was empty. Then, he tossed it into the tray with his right hand, and
a paper flower immediately appeared.

The secret round tea tray is simply a regular tea tray with rims. In addition, a specially made folded paper flower,
folded into a semi-circle, is pasted onto the tray, filling exactly half of it. A piece
of paper of the same color is pasted onto the other half of the tray. When the magician picks up the tray to show it to the audience, he presses down the semi-circular paper flower with his finger, and with a flick
of his right hand , flips the red flower over with his finger, revealing a tray full of paper flowers.

(Cai Tianzhu)

Matchsticks standing on their own vs. dolls standing on their own

This magic trick is simple yet very interesting. It can
be performed , making it very convenient.

The little magician pushed open the matchbox and showed it, revealing a box full of matches. He stretched out his left hand, back of his hand facing up,
and knocked the matches over, placing them on the back of his left hand. He closed the matchbox, and the matches lay quietly on the back of his hand. He called out, "
Matches , stand up!" The matches slowly and automatically stood up, completely upright. Of course, if he wanted them to lie down, they
would automatically lie down again (Figure 1).

The secret matchbox must be new and filled with matches, and it must be pushed open
halfway before the performance can begin.

When the little magician flips the half-open matchbox over and lays it flat behind his left hand
, there is a trick to closing the matchbox. When closing it, he slightly pinches the skin on the back of his hand into the gap of the matchbox. From
above, the audience cannot see the secret at all. Now, the little magician slightly bends his fingers downwards, tightens
the skin , and the matchbox stands up (Figure 1).

Of course, when performing, you should be careful not to bend your fingers too much or too obviously. Do it slowly,
and use your right hand to coordinate the action of directing the match to stand up and lie down. This will make the magic trick look very magical.

It would be even prettier if you used a pen, a chopstick, or a small rag doll instead of a matchbox.

The little magician first explained that this was a doll he made himself .
He put a ping-pong ball on a small wooden stick about 5 inches long, drew the doll's face on it, and then wrapped it with some floral fabric, and that made a fun little
doll .

The little magician opened his left hand, palm down, and placed the doll on his palm. The doll was lying down.
He waved his hand, and the doll slowly stood up (Figure 2).

He told it to lie down, and it lay down again. Lie down, stand up, stand up, lie down... It was very obedient.

This little magic trick originated from the idea of ​​a matchbox standing upright, and
it's performed using hand muscle movements.

There's a small device used in making the rag doll. The doll is made from a wooden stick,
with an "L"-shaped needle attached to the bottom (Figure 2). This tiny mechanism is difficult for the audience to notice,
yet it plays a crucial role. During the performance, the performer holds the doll in their palm with their left hand outstretched, subtly pricking
the skin with the needle before gently laying the doll down. Does the needle prick hurt? Absolutely not.
If you're worried about pain, you can place a small piece of adhesive tape on your palm and use the needle to hold it in place (you can also apply a little makeup oil to the tape
to match your skin color). However, if you slightly open your palm, the muscles will move the doll,
causing it to automatically stand up. Subtly releasing the hand will cause the doll to lie back down.

(Fu Tenglong)

Unbreakable wooden blocks

The little magician holds a wooden box in his right hand and a wooden block in his left. The bottom of the box is hollow, and the box
is slightly longer than the two wooden blocks. Two large holes and two small holes are cut out of the top of the box. Two small holes are also cut out of the wooden block
. The wooden block is inserted into the box from below (Figure 1).

He took a small stick, threaded it through the small hole, and put the wooden block and the box on the stick together (Figure
2).

The little magician fiddled with the bottom of the box with his hand, and strangely enough, the stick didn't break, but the wooden block fell down
(Figure 3).

The secret was that a small piece of iron was installed under the wooden box, and a fake wooden block was made. It was an empty
sleeve that was pre-stuck under the box by the iron piece (Figure 4).

When the real wooden block was inserted into the box, it pushed the fake wooden block up, and the
real wooden block was stuck under the box by the metal plate. Then, by moving the metal plate, the real wooden block fell down. The fake wooden block fell down but was stuck by the metal plate; the wooden stick didn't
even pierce the wooden block (Figure 5).

(Fu Tenglong)

Glass perforation

The little magician prepares a glass cabinet with slightly larger frames and intact glass, without cracks or
gaps. Now, he wraps it in newspaper (Figure 1) and pokes the glass through the newspaper with his finger. The newspaper
tears, and a hole is made in the glass. He then inserts a handkerchief through the hole and
pulls it out from the other side (Figure 2).

When the newspaper package was opened, the glass frame was still intact, without any signs of being punctured.

The little magician first drills a hole in one side of the glass. The glass frame is relatively wide,
with deep grooves on both sides A and B. The length of the glass is exactly equal to the space in the frame plus the length of a side border (Figure
3). When the glass is pushed towards side A, the hole in the glass is hidden inside side A of the wooden
frame . To the audience, it appears as a complete piece of glass. Wrap it in newspaper and stand the paper package and glass frame upright (side C
facing down). At this point, the glass slides into side C, and the hole in the glass slides to the center of the frame (Figure
4). Now, the little magician can easily stick his finger into the hole.

(Fu Tenglong)

New Year's cards that can't be cut off

This act is suitable for a New Year's Eve party. First, prepare a New Year's card to give to a teacher or classmate
. The little magician takes out a long Chinese-style envelope, opens the seal to show everyone that it's empty.
Then, put the New Year's card into the envelope and seal it with glue.

Then the little magician picked up a pair of scissors and cut the envelope in half (Figure 1). Strangely enough, he blew
on it and pulled out a complete New Year's card from the envelope, which he then gave to his teacher or classmate on the spot.

The secret lies in making a long slit in the middle of the back of the letter. During the performance, the greeting card is inserted into the seal,
pulled out through the slit, and then folded back to the seal, held in place by hand (Figure 2). Because the envelope faces the audience
, these actions are performed behind their backs, so the audience won't notice. When cutting, be careful not to
cut the greeting card; only cut off the empty half of the envelope.

(Tianqi Yageng)

Transform into a handkerchief

This magic trick isn't complicated, but it's very interesting. On the table is a cylindrical glass tube (a paper tube will also work),
30 centimeters high and 8 centimeters in diameter, with no caps at either end and empty in the middle. The little magician places a blue
handkerchief turns around,
raising his hands upwards, and the audience sees that there are only two blue handkerchiefs left in the tube; the red handkerchief has disappeared.

The little magician had made two cloth covers beforehand, which were
placed over cloth cover had two small loops and a nylon thread threaded through it as shown in the picture, with one end fixed to the wrist.
The nylon thread was passed through the back of the shirt, and the cover was placed under the outer garment. A red handkerchief with a thread was placed inside the cylinder, and with a shake of both hands,
it would be pulled out and hidden inside the sleeve.

(Sun Weizi)

Photos of people running around at both ends

The little magician took a diary from his pocket, opened it to show everyone that every page was blank
except for a photograph tucked inside. He opened the diary again, revealing two pristine white pages. The little
magician asked a spectator to place the photograph flat on top, closed the diary, and the photograph was now tucked inside
.

The little magician showed everyone the front and back covers of the diary, then held it flat with the cover
facing up and said:

"The photos tucked in the notebook will listen to everyone and come out."

He first asked an audience member next to him, "Do you want it to run out from the top or the bottom
?"

"From the bottom end."

As soon as the audience member finished speaking, the photo peeked out from the bottom edge of the diary (Figure 1),
gradually "crawling" out. When half of the photo was revealed, the little magician said, "Okay, go back now!"

The photo then shrank back into the diary, at which point some audience members asked it
to crawl out . At the little magician's call, it emerged from the top again (Figure 1). This experiment was repeated, and
the photo truly obeyed.

The secret lies in two identical photographs. The first half of the diary is real, while the second half is an
empty box . The method involves cutting a square hole in the center of each page of the second half of the diary and inserting
a small frame made of four small wooden strips. A wire is threaded horizontally through sides A and B of the frame, with a
small gear (Figure 2) attached to it, taken from an old clock. The diameter of the gear is slightly larger than the thickness of the box, so
a small portion of the gear protrudes from the bottom of the diary (Figure 3). Before the performance,
a photograph is placed inside the diary to cover the gear (Figure 4). During the performance, the first half of the diary
is shown to everyone, and then everyone is asked to place a photograph on any page of the first half. Then, the performer asks
which end the photograph should come out from. At this moment, the fingers holding the diary secretly rotate the gear underneath,
causing the pre-hidden photograph to move freely (Figure 5).

(Fu Tenglong)

Black tea turns into green tea

"Today I'd like to invite everyone to have some tea." The young magician held up a teapot and poured a cup of tea for the audience. "This..."

"It's green tea—Longjing tea from Hangzhou."
"I don't like green tea, I want black tea," a spectator said.
The little magician said, "Okay!" and twirled the teapot around, presenting it to the spectator.

He poured another cup of tea.

"Wow, it really turned into black tea, and it even tastes sweet!" the audience member exclaimed in surprise.
The secret was that it was a specially constructed teapot, divided in the middle with two spouts. The lid could rotate.
When the little magician turned away, he secretly rotated the lid, pouring out a different kind of tea.

(Fu Tenglong)

Orange juice was poured out of the magazine

The little magician picked up a magazine from the table and flipped through it page by page to show the audience that it
was an ordinary magazine. He turned to one page, pointed to an advertisement for orange juice, then
closed the magazine, picked up an empty glass from the table, and tilted the magazine towards the rim. Hey!
A stream of (Figure 1), quickly filling the glass. Was it real orange juice?
The little magician picked up the glass, took a sip, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, "Ah, it tastes wonderful!"

Amidst the audience's laughter, he raised his glass, indicating there was an even more exciting twist. He
poured the remaining orange juice onto the pages of the book. The audience wondered, "Is there a plastic bag tucked inside? Otherwise, how come the juice isn't
leaking ?" The little magician seemed to know what the audience was thinking. Unconcerned, he simply
turned the magazine around, holding it horizontally, then upside down. Even if there really was a bag, it
was now upside down, yet no juice spilled out. Examining each page of the magazine, there was no dampness or
anything unusual . How strange! How could the orange juice have appeared and disappeared without a trace?

The secret magic trick is ingeniously designed; all the changes are made with
the help of .

Prepare a picture book with orange juice illustrations, a plastic bag smaller than the illustrations, a soldering iron,
some orange juice, and a cup.

First, the plastic bag needs some modification. Lay the plastic bag flat on a table and use a soldering iron to burn a large meander pattern on
it . First, seal half of the top of the plastic bag, then burn a
diagonal line two-thirds the length downwards from this line. The orange juice will flow out smoothly through this meander-shaped channel without leaking a drop. Place this meander-shaped
plastic bag between two pages of a picture book, with the top edge aligned with the page and the opening close to the spine. Except for the page at the opening,
glue the rest together to form a picture book (Figure 2). Before the performance, pour the orange juice into the opening.
When the juice is released, it will flow out of the meander-shaped bag. After turning it back, rotate the picture book twice to the left, and the juice will flow
to the bottom of the meander-shaped bag (Figure 3). At this point, it doesn't matter if the picture book is turned upside down. When releasing it again, slowly
rotate it twice to the right, and the juice will return to the outer edge and flow out of the page again.

(Xu Qiu)

Orange juice turns into water

The little magician asked the students to sit on his bed. He reached to a cabinet opposite him and picked up
a handkerchief covered with something—a tall glass filled with bright yellow orange juice. He
held the handkerchief in his hand, turning it inside out to show everyone. There was nothing inside. He covered
the glass and made a magic gesture, then lifted the handkerchief to reveal that the orange juice had turned into clear water. The little
magician said, "This isn't a chemical reaction; you can all taste the water." Indeed,
those who tasted the water said it was just plain water. Do you know how that happened?

The secret lies in finding a piece of bright yellow plastic sheet beforehand, cutting it to the same size as
the inside of , placing it in the cup before the performance, and pouring in the same amount of boiled water. From the front, it looks just like
a cup of sweet orange juice. To turn it into plain water, simply
remove .

Note: Do not place the cup sideways to the audience. This is why the cup is covered with a handkerchief before the performance (to prevent
students from seeing the side as they walk by) and the audience is asked to sit in the opposite row.

(Xu Qiu)

Guess the bread

The little magician took out a large cardboard box, opened it, and inside were three loaves of bread
of the same size but different varieties, all sealed tightly with wax paper. They were an egg bread wrapped in yellow paper; a cream bread wrapped in red paper
; and a savory bread wrapped in blue paper (Figure 1).

Next, he asked a member of the audience to blindfold themselves with a handkerchief. Then, he asked everyone to put three loaves of bread
into a cardboard box, arranging them randomly. After they were packed, they were tied with string. Once this was done, the little
magician took a small tube from his pocket and said, "This tube contains a see-through lens. Even though I'm blindfolded
, I can use this lens to see clearly inside the box." As he spoke, he placed the tube against the box
and carefully peered inside (Figure 2). After a while, he exclaimed, "In the middle of the box is savory bread,
on the left is egg bread, and on the right is cream bread!"

After saying that, he removed the blindfold, untied the string, opened the box, and sure enough, he was right.

After secretly buying three different types of bread, carefully
unwrap the wax paper from two of them (such as savory bread and egg bread), insert a small piece of clean metal into the center of the savory bread,
and do the same on the corner of the egg bread, then wrap the paper up (Figure 3).

A small magnet is placed at the bottom of the small tubular mirror (Figure 4). Thus,
peeking through the "tube mirror" while blindfolded is a ruse, while detecting with the magnet at the end of the tube is the real thing (Figure 5). On the surface of the cardboard box, if there is a magnetic attraction along the center
line , that is the location of the savory bread. If there is a magnetic attraction along the edge of the box, it is the egg bread, and
if there is no magnetic attraction, it must be the cream bread.

(Yan Dong)

Magic Box

The little magician opens the small round box in his hand; the box and lid are empty (Figure 1).
He drops a small pin inside (
Figure 2). He closes the lid, shakes the box, and the pins inside make a sound as they hit the cardboard box (Figure 3).
He opens the box and reveals a box full of pins, which he can take out for everyone to check—they're real (Figure 4).

The secret box is made of cardboard, with the lid and bottom identical, made without using cardboard strips to follow the
pattern . A small magnet is placed inside the bottom, and a small round piece of paper is pasted on top to seal the magnet. A round piece of iron, slightly smaller than the opening of the box, is cut and painted the same color as the box. Many pins are placed between
the iron piece and the magnet (Figure 5).

Before and after the performance, the bottom and lid of the box were reversed. This caused the pin, which was originally hidden between the magnet and the metal sheet,
to be moved to the top (Figure 6).

(Fu Tenglong)

Boxes and tubes

On a table in the center of the stage sat a square wooden box. A cloth, like a
small curtain, hung over the side facing the audience, obscuring the contents. A cylinder sat in the center of the box. The young
magician removed it and explained that the cylinder only had a bottom, no lid, and was empty. He placed it back on the box.
Then, his assistant brought over a large basin of porcelain shards, far exceeding the size of the cylinder. The young
magician dropped the shards one by one into the cylinder in front of everyone. Strange, could such a small cylinder hold so
much? He picked up the cylinder again—and lo and behold! The cylinder was empty, and it even had a bottom.
Where had the shards gone? Had they leaked into the box below? Then, the young magician
removed the cloth hanging in front of the box, revealing nothing inside except a vase with fresh flowers (Figure 1).

The secret porcelain shards were actually dropped into the box through a cylinder. Therefore, the bottom of the cylinder
was not just an illusion; it was movable and could rotate on both sides (Figure 2). The round bottom iron plate
was connected to the bottom of the cylinder by a rivet.

Slightly towards the back of the wooden box, there's a round hole about the size of the tube. When the young
magician
instructs the audience to hold the tube firmly at the bottom, preventing the hinged bottom from moving, making it appear like a very sturdy vessel, he places the tube over the round hole in the wooden box. At the same time, he secretly opens the hinged door on the tube,
connecting it to the wooden box, and then drops pieces of broken porcelain into the box through this opening.

Logically, since these fragments were thrown into the wooden box, there should have been a large pile inside, right? So
why were there no broken porcelain pieces inside when the little magician pulled back the curtain covering the front of the wooden box? This is because the two
mirrors refracted the light.

The wooden box is made into a square, with two mirrors erected on each diagonal of the base. The height of the mirrors
is equal to that of the inner wall of the box (Figure 3). This creates an invisible
space in the triangular area behind the two mirrors. Because the mirrors are at a 45-degree angle to the box walls AO and BD, when viewed from the front, the refraction of light
makes AC and BD appear as the back wall, giving the impression that the entire box is empty (Figure 4).

However, there are a few marks along the edges of the mirror that need to be concealed; otherwise, viewers will notice the problem when they see
the edges. First, there's the junction between the top and bottom of the mirror and the top of the box.
Here, as shown in the upper part of Figure 3, you can simply draw patterns diagonally. Most importantly, the straight line where the two mirrors
intersect must be covered. Place a vase with fresh flowers (all the way to the top) here, and the mirror
will reflect the flowers, making it look richer and more beautiful.

(Fu Tenglong)

Empty tube turns into a rabbit

Two square tubes, slightly different in size, were placed on the table. The little magician picked up each tube and
showed them to the audience, with the openings facing outwards. The audience could see the little magician's face through the openings, and both tubes were empty
(Figure 1). The little magician placed the smaller tube on the table first, then placed the larger tube over the smaller one, and
immediately pulled out a lively and adorable little white rabbit.

In the two square tubes of the secret little magician, the outer tube has no mechanism, but the smaller inner tube is specially made
. A horizontal partition (A) at the bottom of the tube occupies half of the bottom.
A . The two partitions (A) and (B) are connected by hinges, and partition (B) can be
moved closer to the two walls. On one side of partition (A), where partition (B) is close together, a small hole is drilled, and an
iron wire is bent into a U-shape and threaded through the hole. The iron wire can rotate up and down, and when it faces downwards, it can lock partition (B). The white rabbit is
hidden in the triangular area formed by partitions (A) and (B). The inside of the tube is painted black. The construction of the inner tube
is shown in Figure 2.

When the young magician performs, the actions of revealing the tubes are cleverly designed. When revealing the large tube,
since it has no secrets and can be used freely, the young magician only points the opening of the tube at the audience and scans it around so that
everyone can see the inside clearly. The actions of revealing the small tube are the same, but the opening of the tube is tilted slightly higher, so that
the audience's line of sight is exactly parallel to the opening of the partition, and they can see the young magician's face peeking out from behind the tube (Figure 3).
Since everyone has seen the large tube just now, they have no doubt about the small tube.

After the little magician finished explaining to the small tube and put it back on the table, he removed the wire on the tube wall,
opened the partition, put the large tube over the small tube, and forcefully opened the partition inside the small tube, and the little white rabbit appeared
.

Stick magic

Color-changing sticks

The little magician walked onto the stage with a small stick in his hand and said to the audience, "This is a
magic stick that can change color. It's very beautiful. It's red in the middle and shiny silver at both ends. I hold both ends with
two fingers of each hand and just say softly, 'Change!' Isn't it strange? The red stick has turned into
a pure white one. It's very fun (Figure 1)."

The secret lies in the production method. Prepare two 330mm pieces of old photographic film (120
film). Roll them up tightly, soak them briefly in boiling water, then quickly rinse them
under running tap water. After cooling, untie the binding thread. This process will
shape a stick. Treat both pieces of film in the same way. The two sticks only need to be rolled into a single layer of film;
trim off any excess (Figure 2).

Unfold them separately, nail them to the wooden board with thumbtacks, and then paint them. Paint one end of each piece
silver , and paint the middle part red and white respectively (Figure 3).

After the paint dries, remove the two pieces of film from the wooden board, restore them, roll them into two sticks, and then
interlock the two sticks together to form one stick (Figure 4).

During the performance, the little magician holds the silver end of the red stick in one hand and pinches
the silver tip of the white stick hidden inside the red stick in the other hand. He rotates his hands in opposite directions, and the white film moves to the outer layer,
covering the red film part, so the stick changes color (Figure 5).

(Fu Tenglong)

Flying blossoms welcome spring

At the New Year's Eve party, a little magician dressed as the Spring Maiden appeared on stage. Holding a folding fan, she
alternately , revealing that she wasn't hiding anything. Just then, the bells symbolizing the New Year rang, and she opened
the folding fan with "Happy Spring Festival" written on it with her right hand, while her left hand released many colorful confetti, creating a unique "
flying flowers welcoming spring" atmosphere.

The secret lies in first cutting various colored thin papers into small pieces, then
wrapping them in a piece of paper the same color as the fan. The package must not exceed the size of the fan handle, and the opening is tied with a thin thread of the same color. The other end of the thread is tied to the fan handle.
During the performance, the package is held in place by the hand, so the audience doesn't notice. First, the right hand
holds the fan, while the left hand is extended to indicate this. Then, the fan is handed to the left hand, and the package is secretly handed to the left hand as well, thus indicating this to the right hand. Next,
the right hand takes the fan, while the left hand tightly holds the package, and the thread is broken as the hands separate. At this moment, the left hand forcefully
tears the package, and when the right hand opens the fan and fans it towards the left hand, the paper scraps are fanned out.

(Fu Tianqi, Chai Yageng)

Automatic lifting ring

The little magician holds a thin wooden stick in his right hand and a small ring in his left (Figure 1). He puts the ring on
the stick, and the ring naturally slides to the bottom (Figure 2). The little magician calls out, "Little ring, go up!"
and the ring rises up along the stick (Figure 3). The little magician then tells it to go down, and the ring obediently
slides down again (Figure 4).

The secret is that there's a thin black
thread When you move your hand forward, the thread tightens
, and the ring is pulled upward. When you move your hand closer to your body, the thread loosens, and the ring slides down.

(Fu Yandong)

The Magical Ring

The little magician took a folding ruler from his pocket, stretched it out into a square with both hands
, twirled it, blew on it, and strangely enough, the square turned into a ring. He blew on it again, and the ring turned back into a
square.

Next, the little magician took out two hardcover books and stacked them to form a ramp. He first placed the ring on
the ramp , and the ring rolled downwards (Figure 1). Then he took out four small squares from his pocket (Figure 2) and
evenly stuck them on the inside of the ring with tape (Figure 3). At this point, he said, "Now I'm going to make it roll upwards!"
So , he carefully placed the ring on the ramp, but after several attempts, he failed; the ring still rolled downwards. He
pretended to be very anxious, calmed himself down, and shouted, "Upwards!"

As soon as I let go, the ring rolled up the slope from bottom to top until it reached the top (Figure 4).

The secret lies in the fact that the ring is made of a highly malleable metal sheet.
Four the corners of each strip are rounded, and a small hole is drilled at each end. The four steel strips are then
connected together with rivets, being careful not to rivet them too tightly, allowing them to move freely. This way, pulling them apart creates
a square frame, and turning them creates a ring. As for blowing air into them, that's just a trick to mislead the audience.

The secret to the ring rolling upwards lies in the four small squares. Three are made of wood, and one is made of iron. They all
look the same, so the audience assumes they are all wood. Place the iron ring in the position shown in Figure 5, and due to gravity,
it will roll upwards. During the performance, first remember which square is iron. After a few failures, the audience will become engrossed in your performance
. Note that once it rolls to the top, immediately catch it with your hand. Otherwise, if the squares reach the bottom and stop
moving, the trick will be exposed.

(Fu Tenglong)

An obedient stool

On the stage of the New Year's Eve party, there was a stool, and the little magician was gesturing and directing the stool (Figure
1).

The stool really did swing back and forth (Figure 2). The little magician told the stool to stop, and then used his hand on the stool...

A gentle stroking motion (Figure 3).
Suddenly, a sharp upward lift—and lo and behold, the stool sticks up! (Figure 4).
The secret is that the stool wobbles because someone is hiding behind it, pulling it with a string. The string is the same color as the curtain.

It's not obvious (Figure 5).
A small stick is tied to the arm, and a wire loop is twisted on the stool. The stick is inserted into the hole, and
the stool is lifted up (Figure 6).

(Fu Tenglong)

Magic Wand

The little magician called a little assistant to help him. He said to the assistant, "Wherever I point, water
will come out."
Look, the magic wand tapped the apple lightly, and water gushed out.

Then, the magic wand was tapped on the toy panda's head, and water sprayed out.
When the magic wand gently touched the little helper's head, water also sprayed out (Figure 1).
Of course, water didn't spray out from the secret fruit, the toy bear, or the little helper's heads; the key was the little wand.

The stick consists of three parts: a thin hollow tube with a slight bend at one end, and the other end inserted into a rubber ball.
A hollow sleeve is then fitted over the thin tube to form the magic wand (Figure 2).
Before the performance, the rubber ball is squeezed to draw water into it. During the performance, the person holds the rubber ball at one end of the magic wand and
squeezes it, causing water to spray out from the other end of the stick (Figure 3).

(Fu Tenglong)

Egg standing

The little magician took out two eggs, first placing one egg on the tip of a small stick, trying to keep it steady.

But as soon as he let go, the egg slipped off (Figure 1).
The little magician tried several times, and finally, one time, he managed to stop the egg from falling (Figure 2).
He then picked up the second egg and carefully placed it on top of the first. Ha! The two eggs were stacked on top of each other!

How wonderful! (Picture 3)! Is the egg fake? No! Break one egg, and the yolk flows out—
it's real! (Picture 4)
The secret is that one of the two eggs is made of wood. Drill a hole at one end of the wooden egg, and remove
a small piece from the other end to create a small concave surface.

The stick is a hollow tube. A small groove is cut into the lower half of the tube. An iron wire is hidden inside the tube,
with the lower end of the wire bent over and protruding from the groove outside the stick. Then, tape is wrapped around the stick, leaving only
a small part of the groove and the iron wire exposed (Figure 5).

During the performance, the bottom hole of the wooden egg is aligned with the tip of the tube. At the same time, the bent end of the wire is secretly pushed upwards, and
the other end of the wire extends out from the tip of the tube and is inserted into the wooden egg, so that the egg "stands" on the stick and will not fall down (Figure
6).

The second egg is real. Carefully place it in the concave side of the wooden egg, and it will stand upright.
After the performance, explain that you just need to break the real egg.

(Fu Tenglong)

Short to Long

The young magician presented the audience with a rectangular wooden box. He opened the front door of the box;
it was empty. He closed the door, placed the box on the table, and with a flick of his wrist, said "Come here!" He
immediately opened the lid and took out a short
glass rod . He tossed the rod into the air, and an assistant came to catch it. However,
the rod the assistant caught instantly transformed into a long one, at least
three times longer than before (Figure 1). The young magician continued to produce short glass rods from the box and toss them into the air,
the rods automatically lengthening in mid-air, leaving the assistant overwhelmed. In no time, the assistant was carrying a bundle of
long glass rods, dazzling the audience.

The secret "glass rod" is not made from transparent polyester film; it undergoes heat treatment.
The heat treatment method is as follows: Cut the polyester film into strips 1000 mm long and 200 mm wide. Prepare
a wooden stick 1000 mm long and 20-30 mm in diameter. Tightly wrap
the stick with the polyester film strips, then tie it tightly with thread. Immerse the rolled-up stick in a bathtub filled with boiling water for about
5 minutes. Remove it and rinse it under a cold tap to cool it quickly. Then, untie the knot and
pull out the stick; the long "glass rod" is now formed. Each "glass rod" is
made . Even if the heat-treated polyester film is forcibly unfolded by hand, it will
immediately return to its original rod shape as soon as it is released (Figure 2).

The wooden box also contains some mechanisms. It has two doors, one opening forward and the other upward.
A blackened wooden board is inserted diagonally inside the box. Before the performance, the top door is opened, and a rolled-up
polyester film is unrolled and then rolled horizontally back into a rod shape. At this point, the "glass rod" is only 200 millimeters long
, as it is only the width of the polyester film. These short rods are then inserted through the top door of the wooden box until it is full,
the door is closed, and it is bolted shut with a pin (Figure 3).

During the performance, first open the front door to explain, because the partition is black and looks like it's empty.
Close the front door, pull out the latch on the upper door, open the upper door, press down on these short sticks with your left hand (they
often jump out automatically), take one out with your right hand and throw it high into the air. At this time, the heat-treated
polyester film will automatically restore to its original long stick shape in the air.

(Fu Tenglong)

Handkerchief upright

The little magician first showed both sides of the handkerchief, finding nothing suspicious (Figure 1).
He then laid the handkerchief flat on his palm, and with his other hand, he pinched the center of the handkerchief and lifted it upwards (Figure 2).
Upon releasing it, strangely, the handkerchief stood up (Figure 3).

Take a breath, and the handkerchief softens again (Figure 4).

The secret lies in a corner of the handkerchief. A small pocket, sewn onto the
handkerchief contains a steel measuring tape, with the end of the tape slightly extended. When revealing the handkerchief, the right hand holds this small
pocket, making it invisible to the audience (Figure 5).

With the handkerchief flat in your palm, secretly place the corner where the steel measuring tape is hidden in your palm,
covering it with the rest of the handkerchief. Locate the end of the steel measuring tape through the handkerchief and pull it upwards. Press the opening of the steel
measuring tape ; the handkerchief will stand upright, supported by the steel measuring tape. When you blow air into it,
release the fingers pressing the opening of the measuring tape, and the measuring tape will retract into the box, and the handkerchief will soften (Figure 6).

(Fu Tenglong)

Physical Magic

A thing that can be thrown out and then fly back.

Mongolian herders, as well as hunters from Oceania and Africa, possess a unique skill: when
hunting , they throw a curved object towards the prey. If it misses, it
returns to their hand. This device is called a boomerang. Mongolian herders call it "Bulu."

The little magician takes a narrow-brimmed straw hat, holds the brim of the hat in his hand, making it form a 60-degree angle with the ground,
and throws it upwards and forwards while spinning it (Figure 1). In this way, due to the power of the air, the straw hat will
fly out and then fly back to your hand along the original route.

You can also play with a single playing card. Slightly tilt the card upwards with its four corners facing up,
pinch the edge of the card with your right thumb and forefinger, and throw it upwards at a 60-degree angle. The card will then fly back.

The secret is that you need to practice both of these magic tricks. The straw hat and the card are both vertical, so there's not much
variation . Now, let's make our own cross-shaped boomerang; that would be even more fun.

Cut two strips of wood, each 300 mm long, 30 mm wide, and 5 mm thick. Also prepare a few shards
of broken glass, being careful not to cut your hands with them.

Wearing gloves, use a sharp glass blade to scrape away some of the wood strips, as shown in Figure 2,
gradually scraping away some of the edges of AO and O′B′ from the sides towards the center to form rounded corners. Then,
gradually , making sure to scrape away more. Scrape the intersection of the two inclined planes from A to A′ and from B′ to B flat,
forming the cross-sectional shape shown in the figure.

After scraping, cross the two wooden strips into a cross shape, with the scraped bevel facing up, and tie them securely with thin thread.
A little gadget that can fly back is now complete.

When playing, the hand position is very important. Hold one end of the cross with your thumb and forefinger,
with the cross perpendicular to the ground and the scraping side facing inward. Throw it to the right front, and the cross will
circle in front of you and fly back, which you can catch with both hands (Figure 3).

If you throw the crossbow directly in front of you, it will fly back in a
figure (Figure 4).

If it can't fly back, you keep practicing and fixing it, slowly scraping the profile until it finally "obeys".

(Fu Tenglong)

Pearl Transformation Necklace

The young magician held a plate with dozens of silver pearls on it. He picked them
up to show the audience; the pearls were scattered and not connected. He pointed to a
glass half-filled with water on the table, placed all the pearls in it one by one, then borrowed a handkerchief from the audience to cover the glass. He
made a magic gesture towards the glass, then uncovered the handkerchief and reached into the glass to pick up the pearls. Strangely,
all the pearls were strung on a string, forming a beaded necklace.

The secret lies in the glass half-filled with water. The glass appears empty,
transparent from front to back, but something is hidden inside: a small, double-sided mirror is embedded in the center.
It acts as both a screen and a reflector, making the glass appear whole. Therefore, the glass contains
something , yet appears empty. In addition, prepare two identical beaded chains; keep one as is, and
break the other into loose beads, placing them on an empty plate.

Before the performance, place the entire string of beads into one side of the cup, leaving the other side empty and facing the audience (note that
there should be no audience members on either side or behind). During the performance, first place the beads one by one into the front half of the cup,
then cover it with a handkerchief, adjust the handkerchief, and take the opportunity to turn the cup around, bringing one side of the beaded chain
to the front. Uncover the handkerchief, and the beaded chain will be "connected" into a string.

The magic trick using a cup with a mirror isn't limited to this one. You can also perform tricks like "making objects appear from an empty cup,"
"turning empty water into fish," "turning playing cards into dots," and "turning cookies into candy."

(Xu Qiu)

Pouring water from the teapot

The curtain rose, and the little magician entered carrying a pot of tea. He took out a small teacup, seemingly ready to
drink. He casually poured water from the pot into the cup, but after pouring only a little, the pot suddenly appeared to be empty. The little
magician feigned surprise, checking that the spout wasn't blocked. He shook the pot, then gently
tapped it, and said to the audience, "It's coming out!" The tea indeed poured out again. But after only a little, the water was "gone
."

The secret magic trick is quite simple. The little magician used the principle of atmospheric pressure to make
a special treatment to the teapot. A small hole was drilled in the teapot wall near the handle, and
a small amount of Vaseline was applied to the part where the lid contacts the teapot and to the air vent on the lid. When
the lid and the hole in the wall is plugged, the spout is sealed, preventing air from entering the teapot and thus
controlling the flow of water.

Before the performance, the water level in the kettle is brought to below a small hole in the kettle wall. During the first pouring demonstration, the hand holding the kettle
blocks the hole with its fingers, creating a sealed space above the water. After a small amount of water is poured out, the space expands,
and without air entering to replenish it, the pressure decreases. Since the internal pressure is lower than the external pressure,
the water runs out quickly. During the second performance, the kettle is pretended to be shaken, but the hole is actually opened,
allowing air to enter and the water to pour out.

(Zhang Yunpeng)

Eggs suspended in water

The materials used in this magic trick are an empty glass, salt, a cup of water, and an egg.

The little magician first fills a cup halfway with water and adds a generous amount of salt, then stirs it well (Figure 1). Mark
the spot . Slowly add fresh water to the same cup until it's almost full (Figure 2), trying to avoid
mixing it with the salt water at the bottom. The little magician then gently places an egg into the cup. You'll see the egg sink to the boundary between
the salt water and fresh water and remain still (Figure 3). Think carefully about why this happens.

The secret is that an egg is heavier than an equal volume of water, so it sinks in water. However,
compared to an equal volume of concentrated salt water, the egg is lighter, so it floats on the salt water.

(Xie Ping)

The distance of the spring

The little magician placed an iron bucket with three holes drilled in it among the audience. The bucket was filled with water, and water
shot out from the three holes. The water shot out of the top hole traveled the shortest distance,
the water shot out of the middle hole traveled the farthest, and the water shot out of the bottom hole traveled the farthest (Figure 1). This is due to the water pressure; the higher the water is,
the lower the pressure, so it shoots the shortest distance, while the lower the water is, the higher the pressure, so it shoots
the farthest.

Based on this principle, the little magician designed another program.

The little magician's iron bucket also had three holes, each with a parallel nozzle. When filled with
water, the water jets from the top hole traveled the shortest distance, the middle hole the longest, and the bottom hole the furthest.
However , the little magician could adjust the distance at will. He said, "The top one is farther," and sure enough,
the water jet from the top suddenly traveled much farther than the bottom one; he said, "The bottom one is closer," and the water jet from the bottom
suddenly shortened its distance; he said, "Stop the middle one!" and the middle hole indeed stopped leaking; he said, "
Stop all three at once!" "Shoot all three at once!"... and all three jets of water were completely at his mercy.

The show "Secret" seems to defy the rule that the greater the water pressure, the farther the range. In fact
, it not only does not violate this rule, but it also utilizes it and adds some magic tricks to make it seem
strange. Therefore, magic uses scientific principles and magic tricks to make people feel that it is profound and unfathomable.

There are three assistants operating in the background.

The iron bucket can be fixed to the screen. A rubber tube is attached to each of the three holes in the bucket,
and all three tubes pass through the bottom of the bucket. The gaps where the tubes pass through the bottom can be sealed with waterproof glue to prevent leakage.
The three rubber tubes are then passed through the screen together, and an assistant behind the screen holds one tube each, inserting
one end into a measuring cup.

As soon as the little magician makes a request, the assistant raises or
lowers . If the measuring cup is raised, the water level rises, the water pressure is greater, and the range is longer. Conversely,
if the measuring cup is lower than the iron bucket, the water will not flow out. In this way, the distance of the water shooting out of the hole in the iron bucket at the front
can be controlled by the little magician (Figure 2).

Whether the iron bucket is filled with water or not has absolutely nothing to do with the range of the shot.

(Fu Tenglong)

Coin in a Bottle

The little magician took out a bottle and explained that it was empty. He applied a little oil to the bottle's mouth, then
took a five-cent coin from his pocket and placed it on top of
the mouth. He heated the bottle over an alcohol lamp and put it back on the table. He rubbed the bottle vigorously with both hands for a while, then heated it over water. Suddenly,
he held the bottle in his hands, and the coin on the bottle's mouth seemed to be flicked by something, jumping off the bottle
(Figure 1) and falling onto the table with a "clang".

The secret is actually the phenomenon of "thermal expansion and contraction." The air inside the bottle expands when
heated. During the performance, the bottle gets warm, and so do your hands. The heat from your hands when holding the bottle raises the temperature of the air inside, causing
it to expand and be forced out of the bottle, making the coin bounce.

The little magician performed another trick similar to the "coin-in-a-bottle" trick, but even more interesting. He first
filled a glass bottle with water and said to everyone:

"This glass bottle is flexible and can be squeezed flat, making the water inside spray out, just
like a rubber bottle."

The little magician tapped the bottle a few times with a stick, making a "clanging" sound to prove that the bottle was
glass . Then he put down the stick, rubbed his hands together vigorously for a while, and then hugged the bottle, pretending to
squeeze it. Strangely, as he squeezed the bottle, water sprayed upwards from the mouth (Figure 2).

The secret magic trick is also based on the principle of thermal expansion. To perform this
trick , the bottle must be filled with water, the cap tightly closed, and a small hole drilled in the cap.
After rubbing your hands together to warm them (preferably by baking), hug the bottle tightly. The water inside will expand due to the heat and then overflow from the small hole in the cap
.

(Fu Tenglong)

Strange eggshell

The little magician is a second-grade elementary school student. It's Sunday, and she's at home performing a new show for some of her
classmates .

She took an egg from the kitchen cupboard, cracked it, and collected the egg white and yolk in a bowl. Holding up
the remaining eggshell, she said, "I'll use this eggshell for the magic trick." The little magician filled a large glass with
water, dropped an eggshell into the water, and then used a spoon to push it underwater. The eggshell floated
gently to the bottom. The little magician said, "Eggshells always sink like this, but
after I perform the magic trick, it changes." She dropped another eggshell into the glass, and this time, strangely, the
eggshell flipped over in the water and sank to the bottom face down. Some classmates thought this was just a coincidence and asked
the little magician to repeat it. She did it several times, and the eggshell obediently flipped over
each time, while other classmates never managed to do it. How did the little magician do it? Did she really have magic?

The secret is this: every cracked eggshell has an
air sac . As long as it's not broken, the eggshell will flip over in the water, just like a sinking
ship that can easily capsize if you fill it with air.

When the little magician performs, the first half of the eggshell is without an air bag. When thrown into the water, it
sinks upside down. The second half has an air bag, and when thrown into the water, it
flips over. (While throwing the eggshells, secretly make two magic gestures). Retrieve it and repeat
the performance several times. But before handing it to other classmates for testing, secretly puncture the air bag. This way, no matter who does it
or how many times it's repeated, the magic won't happen, and the classmates will be
confused .

(Xu Qiu)

Color difference and chicks

The young magician took out a small, pea-green jar, its shape delicate and exquisite. Although the jar was small, its opening
was quite large . The young magician showed the opening of the jar to everyone, and they could see that the inside of the jar was black and empty.
He stuffed a red silk handkerchief into the jar, and then turned the opening of the jar towards the audience below. The bright red silk handkerchief
stood out exceptionally clearly in the jar (Figure 1, left).

The little magician covered the mouth of the jar with his hand and said
,
"Transform!
"
A chirping sound came from inside the jar. The little magician removed his hand, and lo and behold, a
lively

The adorable chick, the red silk handkerchief is nowhere to be found (picture 1, right).
People's vision often perceives black as empty and deep, and the magician used
this to his advantage, concealing the chick that was originally hidden in the jar with black.

The small jar is made of paper, and the steps are shown in Figures 2 and 3:

1. Find a ceramic or glass jar of suitable size, large enough to hold three chicks.
2. Paste five or six layers of small pieces of paper onto half of the jar, letting it dry in the shade before removing it. Then paste the other half.
Cut a circle as the base, and paste a piece of cardboard that can tilt to the left or right in the center of the base as a movable partition.
3. Glue these three parts together.
4. Paint and draw patterns to create a beautiful little jar (Figure 3).
The little magician hides the newly hatched chicks on one side of the partition. During the performance, holding
one side of the jar's opening, the magician shows the opening to the audience, making it appear dark inside, obscuring the view and the
presence of chicks. Actually, the magician's hand is simultaneously holding the partition.
After placing a red handkerchief inside, the magician flicks the partition to the other side, covering the handkerchief, and the chicks emerge.

(Fu Tenglong)

Egg learns to swim

The little magician placed a large glass on the table, took out an egg and put it in the glass, then poured water into the glass,
but the egg didn't move. He then poured in another glass of water, and soon the egg started swimming up and down.

The secret is that the second time water is poured in, hydrochloric acid is poured in instead of water. This is because the main component of eggshells is calcium carbonate,
which produces carbon dioxide when it comes into contact with hydrochloric acid. As the number of bubbles increases, the buoyancy of the egg increases, causing it to rise to
the surface . Once the bubbles escape into the air, the buoyancy of the egg decreases, causing it to sink. This cycle repeats itself, making it appear as if
the little egg is swimming.

Young friends, please be aware that hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive. When conducting experiments, please take precautions to avoid danger.

(Wang Dong)

Railroad riches

The little magician put pre-wrapped powdered anhydrous copper sulfate into a cup of water and dissolved it
completely . Then he immersed a polished small iron rod in the water. After a while, he took it out and it turned into
an orange-yellow "gold" rod.

The secret lies in the anhydrous copper sulfate solution, which, when dissolved in water, forms a blue solution. Because iron is more reactive than copper,
it displaces the copper from the sulfate, transforming it into elemental copper. This copper adheres to the surface of an iron rod,
resembling gold in appearance, but is actually copper.

(Compiled by Yan Li)

Obedient Fountain

The little magician asked his assistant to bring over a large basin, which was a very beautiful bonsai with artificial mountains,
ponds , pavilions, and towers. What was eye-catching was a spring of water gushing out from the artificial mountains, which made the whole scene
full of life.

The little magician picked up a glass rod from the table and said to the audience, "The fountain in this bonsai can understand
me."

After saying that, he used a glass rod to direct the fountain, pointing it left and right, but
the fountain didn't react at all. Water sprayed all over the glass rod, but it still didn't work. The audience
chuckled, the little magician's baton had malfunctioned.

The little magician wasn't in a hurry! He wiped the water droplets off the glass rod with a silk cloth, rubbed it vigorously
a few times, and then shook the glass rod a few times on the left side of the fountain. A miracle occurred: the fountain
tilted slightly to the right; when he shook the glass rod on the right side of the fountain, the fountain tilted slightly to the left.

The secret is that this is a set of electrostatic magic tricks. The water droplets sprayed out are positively charged, and the glass rod
also becomes positively charged after being rubbed by the silk cloth. According to the principle that like charges repel each other, when the glass rod gets close to the fountain,
the water will deflect in the opposite direction (Figure 1).

Everyone suddenly understood. Then the little magician showed them an even more amazing sight: he
vigorously rubbed the glass rod a few times with a dry cloth. This time, he held the glass rod far away from the spring water, and the water
sprayed straight out, completely unaffected by the glass rod. The little magician then slowly
gestured behind the rod with his other hand, as if practicing qigong. Hey! The spring water slowly tilted to the right until it was almost level.

The little magician picked up the glass rod, and the fountain resumed its straight spray. Even more amazingly, the little
magician gently swung the glass rod above the fountain, and the water level dropped lower and lower, as if the magic of the glass rod
was pressing the water down. Finally, the fountain stopped.
After a while and then slowly guided it upwards. The water gradually gushed out, not only returning to its original state but also spraying
higher and higher.

This is a program that combines electrostatic experiments with magic tricks. The fountain's structure
is shown in Figure 2:

The artificial rockery in the bonsai is hollowed out. Inside, a small plastic eye drop bottle is placed,
with a ballpoint pen refill (the tip cut off) inserted into the bottle opening . A rubber tube is attached to the bottom of the eye drop bottle, leading all the way to
the backstage area. A thin string is then tied to the opening of the eye drop bottle, also leading to the backstage area. Backstage, there's a
measuring cup filled with water, its height exceeding that of the bonsai. This creates a continuous fountain effect; as the measuring cup
rises higher, the fountain sprays higher and higher.

The little magician moves his glass rod away from the fountain and pushes it, while his assistant pulls a thin rope, causing
the water to slowly flow to one side until it stops spraying.

As for the glass rod swaying above the fountain and the fountain gradually decreasing, this is because the assistant
moves . When the height of the measuring cup is lower than the height of the bonsai, the fountain disappears;
when the height of the measuring cup is higher than the height of the bonsai, the fountain seems to spray higher and higher along with the glass rod.

(Fu Tenglong)

Fun balloons

At the weekend party, the little magician performed a new balloon game.

The little magician inflated two large balloons, one red and one green, and tied them securely with string.
He handed one balloon to his assistant and kept the other for himself. He took out a white silk
handkerchief , wiped the balloon clean, and then tossed it into the air. As it fell, the balloon
floated towards the little magician, and this happened several times in a row; it seemed to follow him. The little magician
could (Figure 1).

Next, the little magician and his assistant wiped their respective balloons. Then the assistant handed the balloons to the little
magician , who held the two strings that tied the balloons together with one hand. A strange phenomenon occurred again:
although the two balloons were hanging down, they refused to touch each other (Figure 1).

The little magician then hands a green balloon to his assistant, while he holds a red balloon. They
stand facing each other and simultaneously toss their balloons to each other. The moment they catch their balloons, they burst with a "pop," and
a green handkerchief appears in the little magician's hand. The red balloon that the assistant caught also bursts and turns into a red handkerchief.

The secret is very simple. Both the balloon chasing people and the balloons repelling each other are due to the static electricity
generated by . Just try it a few times and you'll succeed.

The balloon-to-handkerchief trick involves a young magician performing a "balloon repulsion" act. He secretly
pulls a rolled-up green handkerchief from his pocket, as shown in Figure 2. A
pin . The magician holds the handkerchief between his thumb and forefinger (Figure 2), with the back of his hand facing down towards the audience. So, the audience
can't see the handkerchief. When his assistant tosses a green balloon, the magician secretly catches it with
the pin. The balloon hits the pin, pops, and the magician simultaneously flicks his wrist, unfurling
the handkerchief . His assistant performs the same trick.

(Fu Tenglong)

Chemical Magic

Candles can burn

Find a camphor ball (sanitary pill), wrap it in a small piece of cloth the same color as the curtain,
tie it with a thin thread of the same color, and hang it on the curtain so that the audience cannot see it.

The little magician drew a candle on a screen with chalk, the stub of which landed precisely on the mothball.
After finishing, he pointed it at the audience, lit it with a match, and the candle ignited. When he blew it out, the cloth covering the
mothball remained completely unburned. This magic trick is most effective when performed at night.

The secret behind this little magic trick is that the main component of camphor balls is naphthalene, an
organic compound . This substance is flammable and sublimates, so it ignites easily with a match, and
some of the heat released during combustion is absorbed by the sublimation process. Therefore, the cloth wrapped with camphor balls will not burn at
all .

(Compiled by Yan Li)

Five-colored matches

The little magician's box of five-colored matches, which he always kept in his pocket, was the envy of many.

Normally, a match lit produces a yellow flame, but the little magician's box of matches, when
struck on the phosphor paper next to the box, produced a red flame; another, a bright
white flame; and yet another, a blue flame. The little magician often performed at night with the lights off
, and it was truly a spectacular show.

The secret lies in the fact that these matches have been chemically treated (as shown in the picture). The method is simple:
matches soaked in a strontium nitrate solution will emit a red glow when struck. Matches soaked in a potassium nitrate solution...

Matches that are lit with a white flame will produce a white light when struck. Matches soaked in a potassium salt solution will produce a blue light when struck.
After being soaked and dried, these matches can be stored in a matchbox for performances.
However, to easily identify the match and the color of the flame, a mark can be made on the matchstick.

That way, you can use whatever color matches your classmates want you to create.

(Fu Tenglong)

dazzling light

Amidst applause, the little magician walked onto the stage. He asked everyone to look at a candle on the stage. It was
a brightly lit candle, its flame flickering gently. The stage lights gradually dimmed, making the
small flame even more eye-catching. The little magician gently waved his hand over the candle, and instantly
a cluster of silver stars appeared around the flame. He switched hands and waved the candle over the flame, and
a cluster of , as beautiful and dazzling as fireworks.

The little magician then dipped a small tube into soapy water and blew soap bubbles in the air. These soap bubbles were large, colorful
, and very beautiful. The little magician then lit them with fire, and the soap bubbles popped and burst open, displaying
dazzling light—it was truly wonderful!

When the little magician came on stage, he held some aluminum powder in one hand and some iron filings
in the other. As he waved his hand, he gently sprinkled them onto the flame. The aluminum powder burned silvery-white, like silver
stars, while the iron filings burned golden-yellow, like golden stars.

The little magician added a suitable amount of glycerin to the soapy water. He also
stuffed . Because oil has a low boiling point and is easy to evaporate, when the little magician blew
the soap bubbles, the soap bubbles would explode and produce dazzling sparks because they contained gasoline vapor.

(Fu Tenglong)

Beautiful Mars

The little magician took a clay pot, showed it to everyone inside and out, and revealed that it was empty. He placed it on
a small wooden table. Then he picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and sprayed it into the clay pot from a distance.
As soon as the water touched the pot, it burst into many colorful sparks, which was quite beautiful (Figure 1). Each time the little magician
sprayed water, sparks flew up until the glass of water was empty.

The secret lies in the inner wall of the earthenware pot. Beforehand, drill some
holes , being careful not to drill through it. Then, obtain a small piece of metallic sodium from the chemistry lab. Sodium atoms
are chemically very reactive and highly flammable, so they must be stored in kerosene. The little magician cuts the
sodium, soaked in kerosene, into small pieces, then carefully removes each piece and inserts it into the small holes in the inner wall of the earthenware pot (Figure 2).

During the performance, the little magician sprays water into the earthenware pot from a distance of about 60 centimeters. The sodium
reacts with the water, causing it to burn and produce sparks that emerge from the pot.

When performing this magic trick, be careful to ensure there are no flammable materials around.

(Fu Tenglong)

The Magic Wand

The little magician walked onto the stage, holding a glass rod in his right hand and a wooden tray in his left (containing two
glasses of water and a small amount of powder). He then explained that the glass rod was a magic
wand, and that if you didn't believe him, you could watch his performance.

The little magician first tapped the cup with his "magic wand" and stirred it a few times, but the water
remained unchanged. Then he said, "Now I'll use my 'magic wand' to make it change color!" Saying this, he
placed the glass rod in a wooden dish, then took out a large handkerchief, covered the dish tightly, blew on it a few times,
then the handkerchief, picked up the glass rod, and stirred it a few times. Strangely, the water in one cup
turned red, and the water in the other cup turned blue. The secret magician, after
stirring the water with his "magic wand" for the first time, deliberately placed the "magic wand" in the wooden dish, one end on potassium permanganate powder and the other
end on baking soda powder. When he picked up the glass rod again to stir, he used the end with the potassium permanganate powder
, and the clear water immediately turned red; he used the end with the baking soda powder to stir the other cup of
water, which had two drops of phenolphthalein added beforehand. Phenolphthalein turns blue when it comes into contact with baking soda (an alkaline substance), so the water turned
blue.

(Zhang Yunpeng)

Miracle of Burning Paper

On the table were two porcelain plates, some scraps of paper, a sheet of blotting paper, and a small glass of wine. The little
magician first picked up one of the porcelain plates, grabbed a handful of scraps of paper, put them in it, and gently shook it. The scraps of paper
spontaneously combusted, bursting into flames.

The little magician then picked up another porcelain plate, placed the blotting paper on it, and
poured a few drops of liquor onto the blotting paper with a small wine glass. The blotting paper immediately burst into flames, but the fire went out after a short while. The little magician picked up
the blotting paper, but there wasn't a single trace of burning on it.

The secret lies in the first porcelain dish. On the left side, there are a few drops of sulfuric acid, and on the other side, a small amount of potassium chlorate.
During the performance, paper scraps are placed in the middle (Figure 1). When the dish is shaken, the sulfuric acid and potassium chlorate react chemically
and ignite, setting the paper scraps ablaze.

The second dish was empty; the small cup contained not alcohol, but
yellow phosphorus (Figure 2). When this solution was dripped onto blotting paper, the carbon disulfide immediately evaporated, and the yellow phosphorus was
oxidized and ignited. The reason the blotting paper did not burn was that the burning of the yellow phosphorus produced phosphoric acid,
which surrounded the paper. Phosphoric acid is non-flammable and does not conduct heat, thus preventing the fire from spreading,
and therefore there were no traces of burning.

Flammable materials such as phosphorus and potassium chlorate must be stored in the school chemistry laboratory, used only when needed
, and these experiments must be conducted under the guidance of a teacher.

(Fu Tenglong)

Eat candles

The little magician, holding a lit candle, announced to everyone, "I'm going to eat it (Figure 1)!"
Eat fire? What a thrilling act that is!

Look, he puts the candle to his lips, opens his mouth towards the flame, blows it out, and then puts the candle back into his mouth (Figure
2).

He bit off the candle stub and ate it with relish, then ate the whole candle (Figure 3).

Did he really eat the candle? No, he unzipped his jacket and suddenly took out a lit candle
. Could it be that he didn't eat the candle after all (Figure 4)?

The secret is that the candle at the beginning was fake, made from apple slices. It was strung together with toothpicks and an almond was embedded
in one end . The almond could be lit, just like a real candle. During the performance, be careful
to blow out the flame when you put it in your mouth, and spit out the almond and toothpicks (Figure 5).

The candle on her body is real, and several match heads are stuck in her hair, which she has placed inside her clothes beforehand. You can sew
an elastic bandage on it and insert it inside. Sew a small piece of phosphor paper next to it so that you can light the match while pulling out the candle
(Figure 6).

Water turns into milk

The little magician walked onto the stage carrying three glasses filled with water. He poured the water from the middle glass
into the glass on the left, and the water instantly turned into a glass of milky white milk!

Then, he poured the water from the right cup into the left cup, and in the blink of an eye, a cup of milk became
a cup of clear water again!

The secret lies in the middle cup containing limewater, while the left cup contains alum water. The limewater and
alum water react to form a white, milky precipitate, resembling a glass of milk. The right
cup contains hydrochloric acid, which dissolves the white precipitate, turning the "milk" back into "clear water."

(Wang Dong)

Snowflakes in the water

The little magician placed an empty glass on the table, picked up the wooden bucket next to it, and
poured water into the glass. On one side of the table was a shallow glass basin with several goldfish swimming in it. Seeing that there wasn't much water in
the basin poured all the water from the glass into the basin. Now that there was more water in the basin, the goldfish
swam happily around inside.

The little magician said to the audience, "Today I'm going to create a miracle. Please watch my
performance . Just now, all the water in the cup was poured into the basin, and the fish were swimming leisurely in the water, which shows that
it was a cup of clean water. Now, I'm going to pour the water back into the cup. Please watch carefully to see what changes occur."

After saying this, the little magician picked up the bucket again, filled the cup with water, and placed it in the
goldfish bowl. Everyone watched to see what would happen in the cup. After a while, nothing happened. After
another while, there was still no change in the cup. "What's going on?" Everyone was getting impatient. Suddenly, a miracle
occurred! The clear water in the cup instantly turned into snowflakes, falling from the top of the cup to the bottom
, creating a scene reminiscent of a heavy snowfall in the dead of winter! Except this "snow" fell in water (Figure
1).

The cup and basin hold no secrets; only the wooden bucket is specially crafted. The bucket
is divided in two by wooden planks, and has two half-lids on top (Figure 2). To pour water, simply lift
the half-lid on the side you want to pour from, and the water will flow out.

Secondly, there's the secret of the "water" inside the wooden barrel. One compartment of the barrel contains clean water (tap water),
while the other contains a saturated, hot boric acid solution.

During the performance, the first water poured from the wooden bucket into the cup is clear water, so the goldfish swim normally.
The second "water" poured into the cup is hot boric acid solution, which is also colorless and transparent.
When pouring the boric acid solution, the wooden bucket is turned in one direction so that the audience will not easily notice.
The cup full of hot boric acid solution is then placed in the goldfish bowl. Because boric acid dissolves more easily in hot water than in cold water, when
the cup full of hot boric acid solution is placed in the bowl of cold water, the boric acid solution cools down, and the excess
boric acid will solidify, thus separating from the solution, like snowflakes falling.

Other magic tricks

The Vanishing Coin

This magic trick was quite ingenious. In front of the young magician was an empty glass and
a paper sleeve that just covered it. The magician borrowed a coin from an audience member, placed it on
the table, covered the glass with the paper sleeve, and then moved the glass over the coin, covering it completely. The
magician made some gestures towards the glass, then gently opened the paper sleeve. To everyone's surprise,
the coin had vanished from the glass.

When performing this magic trick in secret, there must be a mat on the table. The mat can be made of paper, cloth, or plastic
. No matter what material you use, you must cut a piece that is larger than the mouth of the glass and seal it
over the mouth of the glass. This way, when the glass is placed mouth down on the mat, it will appear that the inside of the glass is empty and the mat at the mouth of the glass and
the mat on the outside of the glass will blend together.

During the performance, a coin is borrowed from the audience. First, a paper sleeve is placed over the cup, and then the cup is moved over to cover the coin (
if the paper sleeve is not placed first, the audience will discover the secret of the cup mouth when the cup is moved). When the paper sleeve is removed,
because the cup mouth pad covers the coin, from the outside, the coin suddenly "disappears".

(Xu Qiu)

Interesting hanging pot

The young magician hands a narrow-necked jug to the audience for inspection. There is nothing inside, except for
a red ribbon in his hand (Figure 1).

The little magician folded the red ribbon in half, inserted it into the pot from the top, poured in several cups of water (Figure 2),
and then lifted the red ribbon up, raising the pot and water together, suspending it in the air (Figure 3).

The secret is to sew a wire into the middle of the red ribbon. The wire should be relatively stiff and
slightly longer than the diameter of the inner wall of the pot's neck. Fold the red ribbon in half and insert it into the pot so that the wire is folded to
one side of the ribbon. When you lift it up, subtly adjust the distance between the two ends of the ribbon so that the wire is horizontal and
fits the neck of the pot, thus lifting the pot (Figure 4).

(Fu Tenglong)

An undamaged hat

The little magician's performance is called "The Hat That Doesn't Break" (Figure 1).

The little magician slowly drilled a hole in the center of the hat with his right index finger, as if he were trying to make a hole in it (Figure
2). Sure enough, a hole was made in the hat, and his finger emerged from it (Figure 3).

The little magician held the hat in his left hand. He slowly flicked his right hand outwards, and the
finger came out intact, while the hat remained undamaged (Figure 4).

The little magician made a realistic fake finger beforehand. He used hard foam plastic
to carve a fake finger in the shape of his right index finger, covered it with a layer of thin paper, glued a
small nail to the base, and then painted it the same color as his skin (Figure 5).

Before the performance, the little magician hid the fake finger in his left palm.

The performance begins with the action of drilling into a hat. The right hand drills through the back of the hat while the left hand
holds the small nail at the base of the fake finger in the palm of the hand is inserted into the hat. The right hand inside the hat holds the small nail,
so from the front it looks as if the finger is passing through (Figure 6).

(Fu Tenglong)

The trick of rising and falling

The little magician took out a beautifully crafted, adorable toy doll of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King). He then performed
a trick to show Sun Wukong rising and falling.
This Sun Wukong was threaded onto a thin string. The little magician held the top of the string with his left hand and the bottom of the string with his right hand.

At the bottom, Sun Wukong seemed to be sitting on the little magician's right hand.
"Sun Wukong, listen to me! I tell him to climb up, and he will!"
The little magician pulled the rope with his right hand, and sure enough, Sun Wukong rose up along the rope. "Come down!"
The little magician pulled the rope with his left hand, and Sun Wukong obediently fell back down.
"Up!"
"Come down!"
Sun Wukong still obediently followed the little magician's commands, "Up!" "Come down!"
The secret was that there was a mechanism installed inside Sun Wukong's body. Inside Sun Wukong's body was...

A hollow paper tube about 16.6 cm long is used. A thin rope is fixed to the lower wall of the paper tube.
A loop is made with another thin rope (A). The loop passes through the fixed thin rope (B). The thin rope
comes out from Sun Wukong's head. It looks like one rope, but it is actually two ropes (as shown in the figure).

During the performance, the left hand pulls and the right hand releases, the rope loop pulls the lower rope, and Sun Wukong falls down;
the right hand pulls and the left hand releases, the lower rope pulls the rope loop down, and Sun Wukong rises up. In this way,
Sun Wukong seems to be following the commands of a little magician.

Sun Wukong can be made by sewing velvet or carving foam plastic.
A , and a paper tube is inserted and glued in place. A thin layer of paper (
different for velvet) is pasted onto the embryo, and it can be painted with pigments, making the exterior very beautiful.

(Fu Tenglong)

Paper to Egg

The little magician walked onto the stage and with a "whoosh," unfolded a colorful fan. He fanned it a few times, then
closed it up. Next, he took a piece of white paper from his pocket, showing both sides to make sure there was nothing hidden on it.
Then he tore the paper in half, then into quarters, then into eights, and so on, until it became a small strip. He crumpled it
into a ball held it in his hand. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he displayed the fan again, placing the crumpled paper on its surface. At this moment,
he danced gracefully, shaking the fan up and down. The small paper ball rose and fell with the fan's movement,
sometimes tossed high into the air, sometimes gently landing on the surface, like a playful, fluttering white
butterfly.

Amidst the gentle, melodious music, the small paper ball bouncing on the fan gradually grew larger and rounder,
eventually transforming into an egg.

The method for making this magic trick is quite simple. First, soak an egg in an acetic acid solution
until the outer shell softens. Then, peel off the shell to create a "shell-less egg." Next, gently draw out
the egg white and liquid from the egg with a syringe, leaving only a thin membrane. Then, use the syringe to draw in clean water and
inject it into to wash away the egg white and liquid inside. Repeat this process several times until the inside of the membrane is clean (Figure 1).

This membrane is very soft and can be folded without breaking. As long as the fan is turned and the air flows a little faster, it can
inflate itself and gradually expand, eventually returning to the shape of an egg.

During the performance, a small folded "egg membrane" is placed between the index and middle fingers beforehand.
After tearing the paper, the strip is folded into a small piece, and the "egg membrane" is placed underneath it. After the small piece
is crumpled into a ball, the paper ball and the "egg membrane" are swapped, and the small paper ball is placed between
the middle and ring fingers. The "egg membrane" is then placed on the fan surface. Because the paper ball and the "egg membrane"
are similar in color and shape, the audience will not notice. When the fan is fanned, the "egg membrane" will automatically expand into
an egg shape (Figure 2).

When removing the egg from the fan, gently pinch both ends of the egg with your thumb and middle finger. Do not use force to avoid
flattening the egg.

(Fu Tenglong)

"Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl" and "The Immortal Pointing the Way"

The young magician walked onto the stage and said to the audience, "I'd like to borrow a five-cent coin from everyone."
An audience member took a coin out of his pocket. The young magician asked, "How many do you have?" The audience member replied,
"Only one." He took the coin, then felt the audience member's pocket and said, "Indeed, only one." He waved
the coin , letting the audience see it clearly, and said, "This magic trick has many variations: it
goes in through the left eye and comes out through the right eye (making a gesture, pretending to use his right hand to go in through the left eye and his left hand
to come out through the right eye), this is called 'Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl'; it goes in through the left shoulder and comes out through the right shoulder,
this is 'Erlang Carrying a Mountain'; it goes in through the front of the heart and comes out through the back of the heart, this is called 'Piercing the Elixir Through the Belly';
it goes in through the head and comes out through the chin, this is called 'Leaking from the Bottom of a Copper Pot'; it goes in through the back, comes
out through the mouth, and comes out through the elbow, this is called 'The Immortal Points the Way' (Figure 1)." "Okay, today I'll
press it into my eye, hey—in!" He opened his hand, and sure enough, the coin had vanished. "So,
where did the coin go?" he said, drawing a cross in the air and pointing to a spectator's pocket: "It's in his
pocket, check it—" The spectator who had lent the magician the coin indeed found it in his pocket
, and the audience applauded enthusiastically.

The little magician holds a coin in his hand and borrows coins from the audience. When the audience takes out their coin and gives
it to him, he pretends to ask if the audience has any more coins, then casually touches the audience's pocket, taking
the opportunity to slip the coin from his hand into the audience's pocket. The audience won't notice. If the audience pays even a little attention, the little
magician will continue performing and talking to distract the audience from his pocket. The key is to make the coin handed to him by the audience
disappear . Because the little magician is very talkative, he distracts the audience from the coin in his hand. When the little
magician says, "It goes in from behind and comes out from the mouth," the audience will laugh. The little magician then
says, "It goes in from the top of the head and comes out from the elbow," while his right hand stuffs the coin into his collar (Figure 1),
and then his right hand makes an empty fist (Figure 2). The audience thinks the coin is still in their hand, but in fact, the coin
is no longer in their hand.

(Li Guofu)

Amazing photos

Children's Day is here, and the students came to Teacher Wang's house for a celebration. Amidst the joy, little magician
Ding Wenwen took a picture of Teacher Wang.

A few days later, the photos were developed, and one of them was incredible: Teacher Wang was standing in front of
a dark wardrobe, holding a bouquet of flowers, with a student's portrait in the center of each flower (as shown in the picture).

Hey! That day at Teacher Wang's house, Wenwen asked Teacher Wang to stand next to the wardrobe and raise her hand for a photo, but
she didn't bring any flowers! Not to mention, there were classmates' pictures in the center of the flowers.

How was this peculiar photo taken?

The secret lies in the fact that Wenwen didn't use darkroom techniques to take this photo; instead, she employed double
exposure . Because Wenwen was familiar with the camera's viewfinder and capabilities, she first drew
a grid on the viewfinder and planned the shots she wanted to take. For example, to capture the shot of Teacher Wang holding flowers, she prepared a bouquet of fresh flowers, cut out
photos of several classmates and embedded them in the center, hung a black cloth at home, and had her mother
wear , black clothes, and a black hood, holding the flowers. Then
, she focused the light on the flowers and took the photo, ensuring that only the flowers were exposed on the film. When photographing Teacher Wang, Wenwen had to choose a
dark background and have Teacher Wang stand in front of her, assuming the gesture of holding the flowers. By aligning the already photographed flowers with Teacher Wang
's hand on the grid within the viewfinder, she was able to capture this unique photograph.

Students, you can try taking these special effects photos during the holidays; they'll definitely be a lot of fun.

(Fu Tenglong)

Fast money

This little magic trick only requires an old one-yuan bill.

The young magician holds a banknote between his fingers, ready to release it, while his assistant
reaches for it. The instant his assistant's hand reaches for it, the magician immediately lets go, allowing the banknote
to fall . The banknote slips between his thumb and forefinger, and his assistant misses it.
Why is this?

The secret is that when the little magician drops the banknotes, his assistant's eyes catch the
fact that it takes time for him to release the money, and the man's brain also needs time to instruct his hand to grab the banknotes.
At the same time, it takes time for the hand muscles to follow the brain's instructions to grab the banknotes. Therefore, he does
n't grab the banknotes.

Of course, this little magic trick depends on a person's reaction time. Because the banknotes are affected by the buoyancy of
the air , their falling speed is somewhat affected, and some people with quick reflexes can catch the banknotes.

If we replace the banknote with something like a pencil or a stick, the person catching it definitely
won't be able to catch it. You can try it if you don't believe me; you can explain the logic yourself.

(Lü Jian)

Ears can blow trumpets

The little magician held a toy trumpet and blew on it, making a "toot-toot" sound.
Strangely, when he put the trumpet to his ear, it also made a "toot-toot" sound (Figure 1).
However, when the audience tried to put the trumpet to their ears, they couldn't get any sound out.

The secret is that there are two horns, one of which has a balloon attached to its mouth. Squeezing
the balloon makes the horn make a sound (Figure 2).

Tie this horn with balloons inside your clothes under your armpit with a strap. When you tuck it under your arm, the horn will
make a sound. When performing, put the horn to your ear and tuck it under your arm at the same time, as if your ear
is blowing a horn (Figure 3).

(Fu Tenglong)

Who stole the goldfish?

The little magician came onto the stage, picked up a piece of colored paper from the table, and showed it to everyone
repeatedly . There was nothing special about it. He casually rolled the paper into a cone-shaped paper bag. Then
, he took a 150mm long, bright red, colorful goldfish from a box on the table. He tossed the
goldfish into the paper bag, and it fit perfectly. Next, the little magician pulled the goldfish out of the bag and
said to everyone, "This little fish may be made of paper, but it can change color! What color do you want it to be?"
As he spoke, he lifted his hand, and the goldfish fell back into the paper bag. Some audience members said they wanted blue, some said yellow
... The little magician said, "Okay, let's make it blue first." He lifted the bag and spun it around, then
used two fingers to reach inside and pull out the fish. Had the fish changed color? Everyone stared wide-eyed at
the paper bag . The little magician confidently pulled it out, but what he pulled out made everyone laugh.
The fish didn't turn blue; instead, it became a skeleton. The little magician said awkwardly, "
Who messed this up? They ate the magic fish!" He unrolled the paper and shook it, hoping to find the fish.
But instead, everyone discovered a large tabby cat on the paper, its mouth still drooling.

The little magician, feigning a sudden realization, said, "The goldfish was stolen and eaten by this lazy cat!" He closed
the roll of paper, slapped it three times, and said, "I'll punish you, you greedy cat!" When he opened the roll again, the cat was gone.
He angrily said, "Fine! You're going to run away again!" Just then, the little magician cleverly glanced at the audience and
pointed to a corner, saying, "Quick, catch the cat! Don't let it slip away behind you!" An audience member turned around in
surprise , and the little magician quickly stepped forward and pulled the audience member onto the stage. The little magician said, "The cat
is hiding on you!" The audience member looked around in bewilderment, then checked his bag, but couldn't
find any trace of the cat. But the audience burst into laughter; the cat was hiding on his back.

The following props are needed for this magic trick performance:

1. Prepare a piece of white drawing paper, 800 mm long and 400 mm wide. Fold it in half to form a square, and
draw the same pattern on both sides. Then fold it diagonally into a triangle. Apply glue along the diagonal to the folded side
to form a triangular pocket. The other side will then become a triangular interlayer.
Draw a cat in the center of the interlayer (Figure 1). Before the performance, close the interlayer; the audience will only see a piece of
paper with a pattern (Figure 2).
2. Draw a cat on the drawing paper that is exactly the same as the cat in the interlayer, and cut it out along the outline (Figure
3). Fold it into a small paper roll, with the cat's head facing up, and attach a small piece of transparent tape to the top.
Place .
3. Cut out two fish of the same size from cardstock. One fish is colored on both sides, and the other is shaped like a skeleton
(Figure 4). Before the performance, hide the skeleton fish in the triangular pocket of the drawing paper (Figure 1),
and place the colored fish on the table.

Paper scraps become goldfish.

This was a wonderful magic show. The little magician placed a cardboard box on the table, along
with a large glass bowl filled with colorful confetti cut from paper. He
poured the confetti into the box, gently blowing on it as he poured, causing the confetti to float away. It was very beautiful.

The little magician picked up a porcelain cup and showed everyone that it was empty. He used the
cup to fill a box with paper scraps, then poured them back into the box, demonstrating that neither the paper scraps nor the cup contained
anything. He then scooped more paper scraps from the box, making them higher than the rim of the cup, so everyone could see them clearly. The little
magician blew on them, and the paper scraps that had risen above the rim fell to the ground.

The little magician then covered the cup with a paper tube slightly taller than the porcelain cup, and said, "Transform!"
He removed the paper tube and poured the cup into a glass bowl. Strangely, the paper scraps in the cup had vanished,
replaced by a full glass of water with goldfish inside. See how amazing that is!

The secret lies in having two identical porcelain cups, along with a lid roughly the same size as the cup's rim and a
paper tube slightly taller than the cup (Figure 1). First, fill cup A about halfway with water and place a small
goldfish . Then, put the lid on and place it in a box. When paper scraps are poured into the box, they fall
onto the lid of cup A (Figure 2). Next, the magician uses cup B to scoop up the paper scraps. The first time, it successfully scoops them
up and pours them back into the box. The second time, cup B is left in the box, and cup A is used instead. Because the two
cups are identical, and the rim of cup A is covered with paper scraps, the audience cannot tell that the cups have been switched (Figure 3).

Blow away any excess paper scraps from the rim of the cup, cover it with a paper tube, and when you remove the tube,
take . This way, the water and goldfish can be poured out (Figure 4).

(Fu Yandong)

Dove in Hat

In the center of the stage was a table with a "Liberation Cap" on it. The little magician picked up the cap from the table and
showed it to everyone. He explained that it was a plaid cap, empty inside and out.
Then he put the cap down and showed his hands, which were also empty.

The little magician picked up the hat from the table, turned it upside down, made a "grab" gesture,
reached his hand into the hat, and as he tossed his hand into the air, a plump, white dove fluttered
its wings and flew out of his hand.

The little magician secretly placed the pigeons in a thin silk bag, tying a loose
knot at the top. He then placed the bag in a half-open drawer behind the table, with one end of the knot tied to the edge of a hat,
which was placed on the edge of the table near the drawer (Figure 1). When the magician showed the hat to the audience,
he opened it from the front. During the performance, he opened the hat from the back, thus hiding the bag containing the pigeons
inside (Figure 2). The magician simply loosened the knot at the top of the bag, and the pigeons
flew out freely.

(Fu Tenglong)

Appendix: Unveiling the Secrets of a Super Magic Trick

Oil tank that can't be filled

In the history of magic abroad, magic is often divided into two types: black magic and white magic. White magic is
the most common form of magic performance we see today. Black magic, on the other hand, is magic combined with religion and miracles,
showcasing the supernatural powers of witches and shamans, the strange properties of religious buildings and objects, and possessing a strong mystical
element. Today, I'll introduce a very famous black magic trick.

Legend has it that in 480 BC, the Persian King Zekes encountered a temple during a campaign.
Entering the temple, he discovered some gilded statues and the tomb of a king named Beres. He
decided to open the tomb and steal its treasures. However, upon entering, he found
a stone trough filled with oil on the coffin, with an inscription on it: "He who destroys the tomb without filling it with oil will
face great calamity." This ominous warning frightened Zekes, and he ordered his men to fill
the trough . Strangely, no matter how much oil was poured in, it never filled completely. Zekes suspected
a leak mechanism, but after examining it thoroughly, he found nothing amiss .
Growing increasingly anxious, he finally ordered his men to restore the tomb to its original state and seal it again.

This oil tank was ingeniously designed for its time. As everyone knows, to continuously fill an oil tank without it
ever filling completely, it must have a drain outlet. This tank utilizes the siphon principle for its drain outlet. As
shown in the diagram, tiny pipes are hidden within the inner wall of the tank. These pipes bend upwards from the opening, then
curve downwards again near the top of the tank wall, leading directly to the oil reservoir below. When the tank is filled with oil, the oil level is just above the drain outlet,
making it invisible to the naked eye. Because the pipes are curved, oil drainage is somewhat restricted.
When oil is poured in, the oil level rises, and due to pressure, the oil enters the pipe, rises to the bend, and as
more oil is added, it flows downwards past the bend into the reservoir. Since there is no air inside the pipe, but
atmospheric pressure exists outside, the oil continuously flows within it. When the oil level approaches the opening and air enters,
the oil stops flowing, forming air bubbles at the bend. This causes some oil to flow back, raising the oil level and
obscuring the opening. Since the oil tanks and pipes were made of stone,
it would have been difficult to discover their secrets given the level of common sense at the time, unless they were dismantled .

(Xu Qiu)

People wearing walls

The Chinese mythological novel *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* tells of the ability to walk through walls, and at the beginning of this century, the great American magician
Houdini performed this act on stage. It is said that he had himself locked in a sealed safe,
then escaped. He also put himself inside the safe, had ropes tied around it, and submerged it in water, from which he then
escaped again.

Houdini was an enlightened magician who publicly revealed his secret of walking through walls. Let's see
how he did it.

Before each Houdini performance, two construction workers would
build a brick wall on a sturdy long wooden plank in front of the theater. This attracted many passersby, who, upon learning it was for his wall-walking performance, thus serving as initial publicity
.

During the performance, a large platform made of wooden planks is erected on the stage, symbolizing its separation from the stage and making
it clear to the audience that the magician cannot crawl through a hole in the stage to escape. A
rubber . In this way, it seems impossible for even a needle to slip through the gaps in the platform.

Then, the magician invited audience members to come up on stage to check and prove that there were no tricks. He then asked four audience members
to sit at the four corners of the platform to observe everything on stage.

Next, more than ten workers carried the wall that had been built at the entrance of the theater to the stage and placed it vertically in the center of the stage,
dividing the stage into left and right halves.

The wall-penetrating maneuver began. Houdini first placed a small three-panel screen against the wall on the left, blocking
the middle of the left side of the wall, forming a small hut. Then, he stood in the middle of the right side of the wall and had his assistant use another small three-panel
screen to surround him, also forming a small hut (Figure 1).

It seemed foolproof; how could Houdini pass through a brick wall? Just then, a command
gun fired , the assistant removed the right-hand screen, and the magician vanished. A moment later, a miracle occurred: the left-hand screen was
pushed open, and Houdini appeared on the left side of the wall!

How strange! How did he crawl through? It turns out the secret was on the platform; a panel under the platform wall was movable
. The carpet covering it was incredibly elastic, allowing the magician to grip onto it and use the
opening to crawl to the other side of the wall.

The author has now designed a magic trick involving passing through walls. However, instead of a person passing through a wall, it's a pen passing through glass.

First, embed a piece of glass in each of the three wooden frames. Then prepare a piece of white paper. Try
to pierce the glass with three pencils; obviously, they won't go through. But after covering it with the paper, it's different. All three pencils pierce the glass
and can be pulled out from below (Figure 2).

Where is the secret?

The glass was originally a single piece with three small holes pre-drilled in it. This piece of glass could slide, and
when fully inserted into the frame, the three holes were perfectly concealed by the frame grid. After covering it with paper, simply pulling the glass gently
would move the small holes to the center of the frame (Figure 3).

In this way, the pencil will naturally pass right through.

(Tan Mo)

Escape from the safe

One day in 1900
, a portly middle-aged man was smoking a cigar and reading
a newspaper. Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he saw this statement: "
I challenge all the safes in London; I can escape from any locked safe
—Houdini."

The owner of the famous safe company tapped the ash from his cigar and muttered to himself, "This is impossible!"
His company happened to be producing a new type of large safe, and he was confident that once the safe frame was locked,
no one could escape from it. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but slam his hand on his desk: "That's it! I'll take the challenge.
This will be a perfect opportunity to use Houdini to give me a brilliant advertisement."

The following day, many London newspapers published the company's challenge,
touting the performance of their safes: sturdy and thick, airtight and lighttight when locked,
allowing only a few minutes for a person to remain inside. Houdini signed a contract with the company, agreeing to perform in
a .

The news caused a sensation in London, and curious people flocked to the concert hall. The theater was packed, and the area outside
was crowded with spectators who wanted to see how Houdini would escape from the safe!

The bell rang—the curtain rose, and the stage was illuminated by spotlights. The first thing
the audience was a huge, heavy safe. Houdini, known as the "Prince of Magic,"
smiled and strolled from the side of the stage to the front, his eyes fixed intently on the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen,
good evening! The escape act I'm about to perform is rather dangerous. I'd like to invite a few gentlemen up on stage,
both to supervise my performance and to ensure my safety. Now, I'm
handing this gentleman who made the safe. Now, gentlemen, please inspect the safe."

The man with the key unlocked the safe, struggling to pull open the door. The audience saw walls over
ten centimeters thick, seemingly impenetrable even by a sledgehammer weighing several tens of pounds. The supervising team
entered the safe and carefully inspected it. After they emerged, the company representative
checked the lock. Houdini, smiling, asked him, "Do you see anything
wrong ?" "Ah, no!"

“Alright!” Houdini said, “The performance begins now.” With that, he removed his coat and trousers,
leaving him in only a vest and shorts, and went into the safe. Just as the door was about to close, Houdini suddenly said to one of the doctors in
the group , “Please come in and check if I have any tools with me.”
The doctor said, “I certify, as a doctor, that Houdini cannot be carrying anything.”
Houdini then went back into the safe, and the door was securely locked. A huge screen surrounded the entire safe
.

Five
minutes passed, and the audience continued to chatter and make noise.

Ten
minutes passed,
then fifteen minutes. The room was unusually quiet as everyone listened
for any distress knocking sounds coming from inside the safe.

As the clock struck 40
, the theater began to stir.

Just as the audience was excitedly rushing toward the stage, Houdini suddenly stepped out from behind the screen, smiling and
waving to the audience.

"Ah, the great Houdini!"

The safe remained tightly closed to the audience.

This is incredible!

So what's the secret? The key to this show lies in this: before the performance, Houdini first...

The internal mechanism of the lock on the safe had been altered. He replaced the original complex
mechanism with one he was familiar with and easy to manipulate. The appearance and key remained identical to the original. Houdini, relying on
his expertise in locks and handcuffs, created a special tool (as shown in the picture) to pick the safe from the inside.
This tool was worn on the right ring finger of Houdini's good friend, the doctor, in the monitoring group; from a distance, it looked like
an ordinary ring. When the magician had the doctor finish his final inspection of the safe and shook hands with him goodbye,
he casually took the tool. Therefore, Houdini could easily open the door from inside the safe.
Because the safe's appearance was the same as before, most people wouldn't discover the secret of the changed lock. After the performance,
Houdini reinstalled the original lock mechanism. Thus, even if the safe was inspected, no one would discover Houdini
's escape.

(Fu Qifeng)

Escape from the iron box

The prop for this program is very simple; it's just an iron box big enough to fit one person (Figure
1). The walls of the box are about the thickness of a little finger, and several sides of the box are firmly riveted together.
Each side of the lid has four small holes, corresponding to each other, and there are also four small holes along the top edge of the box walls. Once
the lid is closed, the holes on all four sides must be aligned. If screws are tightened into these holes, the box
cannot be opened.

As the performance began, the first thing the audience saw was a sturdy iron box on the carpet. Houdini
strolled over to the box and greeted the audience with a beaming smile: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great
honor to perform for you all today. I have an iron box here, and in a moment I will crawl inside it. Please
use screws to tighten the box and lid together to test my escape technique. Now, I would like to invite four
gentlemen to come up on stage to inspect whether the iron box I am using has any mechanisms and whether it is sturdy.
Thank you!" Those in the audience who hoped to guess the mystery were eager to get closer to the iron box. Houdini
shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the audience representatives who came onto the stage. "What's your profession?" one of them asked. "I'm an engineer,"
Houdini replied humorously. "Then you're an expert in this field!" he said, handing the audience member a high-powered
magnifying glass. "Please examine it carefully." The four representatives surrounded the box, meticulously inspecting every side and
every rivet. The engineer bent over, using the magnifying glass to carefully examine the box inside and out,
searching for any hidden passages or secret doors. The audience members craned their necks, trying to uncover the box's
secrets. Finally, Houdini asked the four audience members to announce their findings. After they all confirmed that the box was indeed
without problems, Houdini handed them four sets of screws and nuts to inspect. They confirmed that the four screws
were also flawless. Then, Houdini gave four nuts to the four audience representatives, and, holding four
screws , entered the box. With the help of his assistant, the audience members closed the box tightly. At this moment,
Houdini pulled a screw from the box through a small hole in the rim, and four audience members tightened the nuts onto the bolt
. Then, the audience representatives retreated to one side of the stage, and four assistants opened a canopy to cover the iron box
. In a short while, Houdini emerged from the canopy, waving to the audience in a triumphant manner
! The assistants removed the canopy, revealing that the box and lid were still tightly screwed
together with nuts and bolts.

How did he manage to escape from the metal box?

The key lies in the four bolts that were brought into the box. The bolts he showed the audience were ordinary
bolts without any mechanism, but the four bolts that later emerged from inside the iron box were specially made
bolts that Houdini had secretly brought in (Figure 2). By simply removing the nuts from inside the box, it could be opened and closed at will. Therefore,
the box was not actually secured, making it easy for him to escape.

(Fu Qifeng)

The Statue of Liberty disappeared

On April 8, 1983, renowned American magician David Copperfield performed a
magic trick that shocked the world: making the 93-meter-tall Statue of Liberty in New York City disappear in front of everyone. The show
was broadcast live on television, leaving millions of viewers stunned.

During the performance, the audience sat in front of the goddess statue, with a curtain separating them from the statue. Twelve
searchlights shone on the statue, and a helicopter was taking pictures overhead. Then, David recounted
the goddess's history, pulled back the curtain, and the statue had indeed vanished. The searchlights illuminated nothing, and
the area under the helicopter was empty (as shown in the picture).

What happened? William Ponceton, an American investigator who specializes in uncovering secrets, conducted an investigation and
finally revealed the truth about magic.

It turns out that David spent a lot of time and money to perform this magic trick in order to "deceive" the audience.

He built a large rotating platform for the audience to sit on and watch. Because the platform was so large and rotated
so steadily and slowly, the audience could not even tell that it was rotating.

He then installed numerous dazzling lights on the platform, pointing them at the audience to create a temporary
sense of blindness. There were two sets of searchlights and helicopters in front of the statue: one set positioned in front of and above the statue
to initially create a genuine impression on the
audience create a false impression.

As David recounts the history of the goddess in front of the curtain, the rotating platform has moved to face another empty object.
At this point, the audience sees another set of searchlights and another helicopter, while the goddess in front has disappeared.

(Fu Qifeng)

Obedient Waves

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin, the famous American scientist, was not only a physicist but also a magician
? His magic tricks often drew inspiration from his scientific discoveries. For example, in his youth, when asbestos
was a relatively rare and not widely recognized substance, he made a wallet out of asbestos and carried it with him. If someone showed interest or disbelieved that fire-resistant cloth existed, he would immediately take out his wallet and demonstrate its fire-resistant properties.

In his later years, he performed a legendary act imbued with mythical grandeur. Franklin
was strolling with his friends along a stream. Suddenly, he stopped, pointed his cane at the
wind-blown waves, and solemnly announced to the crowd that he could command the rolling waves to vanish, making
the water perfectly still. No one believed him. Then, Franklin walked to the riverbank,
placed the end of his cane on the water, and, muttering incantations, repeatedly commanded the waves to cease.
Soon enough, the onlookers were astonished, for the waves had indeed disappeared without a trace—
an unbelievable miracle.

Later, after returning to his lodgings, Franklin took out a book and read it aloud to everyone. The book told
the story of how ancient sailors poured oil into the sea to calm the raging waves. His magic trick actually used
this principle.

Franklin's cane was hollow and filled with oil beforehand. During the performance, he would
put the water and slowly shake it, as if he were summoning the gods. In reality, he secretly opened
a small vent at the top of the cane. The oil hidden inside the cane slowly flowed out under the pressure of the air, floated on the water, and
spread Because the oil layer formed was extremely thin and transparent, it was difficult for people around to notice (as shown in the picture).

Even today, when conducting rescue operations at sea, the method of pouring oil into the sea is sometimes used to stop
the waves.

(Xu Qiu)

Bull head repositioning

This magic trick dates back more than two thousand years. Later,
it was frequently performed in the gladiatorial arenas of the Western Roman Empire.

Two magicians, dressed as bullfighters, entered the arena carrying large red carpets, facing a charging bull.
One magician, holding a knife in his right hand and the carpet in his left, teased the bull. The other magician, carrying
a suitcase, followed closely behind. Suddenly, one magician seized the opportunity, covering the bull with the carpet, while the other
magician, knife in hand, slipped under the carpet. With a shout, the bull collapsed, and a bloody bull's head was pulled from the carpet.

The magician carried the bull's head around the area, then returned to the bull's carcass covered by a blanket. He stuffed the head back into
the blanket , then took out "holy water" from a box and sprinkled it on the blanket. Finally, the two magicians shouted and
pulled back the blanket. The bull suddenly leaped up from the ground, its head restored.

The secret to this magic trick is this: First, you must prepare a cow's head that has just been slaughtered and place it in
a magician's box. When the cow falls to the ground under a blanket, he seizes the opportunity to take the cow's head out of the box and place it
under the blanket.

Secondly, the magician uses a bullfighter's technique, pinching the bull's weakest point—
the tender flesh —causing the bull to fall. Alternatively, the bull can be tamed beforehand so it falls automatically during the performance.

Finally, the magician pulled the bull's head from the blanket. After placing the bull's head back into the box under the blanket, he pretended to sprinkle "
holy water ." Then, he used taming methods to wake the bull up, and it stood up again.

Below, the author has designed a similar magic trick for everyone to perform during the festival.

The show is called "Chicken and Duck Head Swap".

First, design a cloth bag with a lining, similar to a dark bag for storing film. Make two holes on each side of the bag.
Next, make one chicken and one duck headgear. Additionally, select one chicken and
one .

First, hide the two hoods in a hidden compartment of a cloth bag (as shown in the picture). Then, turn the bag inside out to reveal another
hidden compartment, creating the illusion that the bag is empty. Next, place the chicken and duck into
the compartment containing the hoods. The audience should see that the chicken's head is on its body and the duck's head is on its body. Then,
reach and put the duck hood on the chicken's head and the chicken hood on the duck's head. Finally, take the chicken and duck
out of the bag, and everyone will see that the duck has grown a chicken's head and the chicken has grown a duck's head.

(Tan Mo)

Broken waist

A beautiful woman is sawed in two from the waist in front of everyone. After being cut, her face continues to smile and
her feet continue to move. This magic trick is a traditional part of many large-scale magic shows. In Western performances
, blood is often shown flowing from the saw blade to create a terrifying and unbearable spectacle.

The audience was on tenterhooks the whole time watching this magic trick, worried about the beautiful woman! But the woman
could still move and laugh after being "sawed," and finally stood up to meet the audience, proving that the sawing was all fake.

So, where's the fakeness? It's in the props. Let's look at the saw prop; it turns out to be a
rectangular wooden box. There's a hole at each end of the box, so a person lying inside can stick their head and feet out.

This box has two secrets: First, it's divided in the middle; if two partitions are inserted, it
becomes two separable square boxes. Second, there's a removable
panel at the bottom of one of the square boxes. There's also another prop: a wooden platform for placing the box. This platform is an empty box, large
enough for a person to lie down inside. At one end of the platform, there's also a removable panel. When
the box is placed on the platform, the bottom of the box and the removable panel on the platform perfectly overlap.

Alright, now we can begin the performance. Note that before the performance, have a beautiful woman lie flat on the wooden platform
. Then place the wooden box on the platform and bring it onto the stage. At this point, the magician opens the box, drawing the audience
's attention to the box so they won't suspect anyone is hiding on the platform below.

At this point, the magician asks a beautiful woman to lie down inside the wooden box. After the box is closed, the woman sticks her head
out from one end, then tucks her legs in, so that her entire body is halfway inside the box. Meanwhile, another beautiful woman hiding on the
platform gently uses her foot to pry open the movable panel between the platform and the bottom of the box,
sticking her foot out through another hole in the box (Figure 1).

At this moment, the audience would never guess that the head and feet inside the wooden box belonged to two different women, not just
the one woman from before.

Now it's time to saw the person. The magician uses a saw to cut the wooden box in half, but in reality ,
he can't saw the person at all. After sawing all the way through, he inserts two planks through the saw cut, dividing the box into two parts.
The magician can also move the box slightly to show that the person is completely separated. In reality, one box
doesn't move a complete person, while the other box moves the person's legs. To make it
invisible to the audience, the legs must extend and retract into the box accordingly. The other person must move forward with the box, and their entire
body must also move forward.

This magic trick can also be performed by just one beautiful woman.

A rectangular wooden box is placed on a platform. The box has doors on all sides that can
be opened , revealing no special structure inside. A woman lies in the box, her head, hands, and feet able
to protrude from either end. The doors are closed, and an assistant takes out a long wooden saw. The magician and assistant each hold
one end and saw through the box from the middle, continuing until they reach the platform. When the magician joins the two pieces of the box together,
the woman seems to awaken. After opening the doors, she immediately sits up and nimbly steps off the platform
without a trace of saw marks.

The secret to this magic trick lies in the ingenious design of the props. A relatively simple method is to make
the wooden box shorter and bottomless, fitting snugly onto a platform. The platform is actually an empty box.
The woman, a trained assistant, lies inside the long wooden box on the platform. After the doors are closed, her
waist and hips immediately retract into the platform (Figure 2). On the side of the box facing away from the stage, there is an attached
wooden board. Before the sawing of the box, this board is secretly placed flat on the platform,
preventing and thus avoiding injury to the woman. This clever design is truly baffling. This is
why this act has been performed on stage for hundreds of years and still retains its magical charm.

(Qi Feng Tan Mo)

Flying Fish

Ji Yun, a renowned scholar of the Qing Dynasty, was the chief editor of the monumental work *Siku Quanshu* (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries). In his
*Yuewei Caotang Biji* (Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Observation), he recounted a magic trick he witnessed during his childhood at his maternal grandfather's house:

The magician placed a wine glass on the table, tapped it, and the glass sank into the table, level with it.
He then pulled the glass out of the table without breaking it. Next, he picked up a bowl of fish from the banquet table,
tossed it into the air, and both the fish and the bowl vanished. The host asked him to make them appear again, but the magician said, "I
ca . It's in your study drawer; please look for it yourself!" The study door was already locked, so the host
had someone fetch the key to unlock and check the drawer. He was immediately astonished: the fish was indeed in the drawer, but placed on
a plate. Looking up, he saw the bowl that had originally held the fish on top of the cupboard, with five Buddha's Hand fruits inside. Ah,
those Buddha's Hand fruits had been on a thin plate!

It was so complicated and ingenious that Ji Yun was completely baffled.

Now let's unveil the mystery of this magic trick. Between the lines, you can see that this great scholar
's record has an oversight: the magician must cover himself with a handkerchief or blanket during the performance. In fact,
the success of this magic trick requires the following conditions:

1. Two bowls of fish that are the same or similar in appearance.
2. The skill and tools to pick locks.
3. An unseen assistant blending into the crowd.
4. The props must be piled up at the performance venue.
Given these conditions, how should this be handled? My idea is this: Before the performance, an assistant secretly
goes to a study away from the crowd, picks a lock, puts the fish into a drawer, and replaces
the plate . After secretly completing these preparations, the assistant goes to the performance venue, gives a signal to the magician, and the magician begins
the performance with composure.

Now I will repeat the magic trick from before. During the performance, place the glass on the table and cover it with a handkerchief
. Pick up the glass with your right hand through the handkerchief, and pinch a corner of the handkerchief with your left hand. With a flick of the wrist, the handkerchief
falls to the ground, and the glass disappears (Figure 1). It turns out the glass was inside the magician's clothes.
Then, retrieve the glass from the clothes. The secret is that there is a pocket inside the clothes
where another glass filled with wine is hidden beforehand. To prevent the water from spilling, a balloon cut in half is placed over the rim of the glass
(Figure 2). The other prop is a specially made handkerchief made of two identical pieces of fabric with a double-layered design.
Inside, a wire loop the same size as the rim of the glass is fixed. First, stand behind the table and open the drawer
a crack. Place an empty glass near the back of the table, then cover the glass with a handkerchief containing a wire loop, with
the loop pressing against the rim. Pick up the glass with your right hand, move it over the drawer, and release it; the glass will fall into
the drawer (Figure 3). However, from the audience's perspective, because the magician is still holding the
wire loop in the handkerchief, it appears as if the glass is still in your hand. Next, discard the handkerchief, reach into your clothes,
and find the glass that was previously hidden there. First, remove the balloon cover from the rim of the glass, then take the glass out.

(Tan Mo)

Stones on the belly

You may have had the opportunity to witness the amazing performance of a qigong master "breaking a stone on his stomach." When performing this act
, the qigong master is usually shirtless to show that he has no protective gear. After gathering his energy,
he lies supine on a bench, and several people lift a large stone to weigh him down. Then,
a and grabs a hammer, striking the stone repeatedly
until it shatters. The qigong master then stands up, completely unharmed.

There is an even more thrilling act: "Lying on a Plank Covered with Nails and Breaking Stones." Before the performance,
a plank covered with sharp nails is brought onto the stage. The qigong master, shirtless, lies supine on the nails.
Assistants place large stones on his body and then repeatedly strike the stones with sledgehammers
until they crack and fall to the ground (as shown in the picture). The qigong master stands up and turns his back to the audience. The audience
can see that there are no cuts or bloodstains on his body, only dents from
the pressure .

This kind of performance by a Qigong master is a type of magic show. A Qigong master must master certain methods and
secret techniques. Once we analyze the latter part of the performance, the former becomes clear.

First, the nail board on which the Qigong master lies must be made of many nails, and they must be arranged closely together. Because with more nails
, the weight of the hammer blow can be distributed to each nail, increasing the contact area and
reducing the average force on each nail tip. This makes it less likely for the Qigong master to get injured. He only needs to lie down carefully
and flatten his body so that the nail tips make even contact with his skin and flesh.

Secondly, the stone on the qigong master's stomach should be as large as possible. Although this will increase the weight and pressure
on the qigong master, the larger the stone, the safer it is for striking a stone with a hammer. Because a large stone can
disperse and absorb the force of the hammer blow, so that the force of the hammer is mainly consumed by the stone. Conversely, if
a stone of similar size to the hammer is used, the qigong master will not be able to withstand it.

In addition to these, there are many technical issues such as the selection of stone quality and the coordination between the hammerer and the qigong master,
which require repeated practice to master. Young people should not try this
lightly to avoid injury.

(Xu Qiu)

Sword swallowing technique

Beijing Television once broadcast the American
series "A Moment of Magic," a blend of magic, deception, stunts, and miraculous events. Young viewers might remember the sword-swallowing act from it. The performer
was an elderly man with white hair. His movements were incredibly skillful. He picked up a long, thin, and
sturdy steel sword, bent it slightly, wiped the blade with a cloth, then tilted his head back and placed the tip of the sword into his mouth.
The sword went deeper and deeper, clearly past his throat and into his abdominal cavity. After the sword was fully inserted, he released it,
paused for a moment, then pulled it out by the hilt. There was no blood on the sword, and he smiled calmly, clearly
unharmed. Finally, he placed half of the sword down his throat, released it, and let it fall on its own. Doesn't
a sword tip have eyes? Won't it injure his internal organs as it falls? Truly, skill and daring! (See picture).

There are similar performances in China, which belong to a type of hard qigong. During the performance, the qigong master will
hand the sword to the audience for inspection, and then swallow the sword by gathering enough qi. Excellent performers can swallow two
or three swords at the same time.

As shown in the diagram, we can see that the human mouth connects to the pharynx, esophagus, cardia, and stomach.
These organs can be aligned in a straight line. In adults, the distance from the teeth to the cardia is generally 450 mm.
The steel sword used for sword swallowing is typically 500 mm long. Subtracting the length of the hilt, the actual length of the blade is 330 mm, allowing
such a sword to be inserted into the body through the throat. However, this is very difficult to perform in practice because the pharynx is very sensitive;
even the presence of a foreign object can cause nausea and vomiting. Doctors in hospitals use similar methods for esophagoscopy and
gastroscopy , but they always use anesthesia beforehand to neutralize the pharyngeal reflexes.
Sword swallowers cannot use anesthesia; they must rely on sensory organs to guide the sword tip correctly. This requires
extensive adaptive training to acclimatize the pharynx to the stimulation of hard objects. Therefore, mastering this act is
extremely difficult, and young people should not attempt it lightly.

(Xu Qiu)

Barehanded into the oil pan

Legend has it that in medieval Europe, some cultures used boiling water to determine guilt or
innocence . They would have accused criminals place their hands in a pot of boiling water,
remove stones or other heavy objects from the pot, then bandage their arms. After several days,
the wounds would heal, indicating innocence; otherwise, the person would be guilty. This method undoubtedly wrongly convicted
many, and thus it was abandoned. However, the practice didn't disappear; instead, it gradually evolved into a kind of
special skill magic performance, such as putting one's hands in a pot of boiling oil or taking a naked bath in boiling water.

Some students may have seen in religious ceremonies how qigong masters or shamans can reach into boiling oil
to retrieve items without getting burned. In religious ceremonies in Japan and India, performers can even jump into
boiling water, rolling and playing without getting scalded. Looking at their flesh and blood amidst the rising steam,
one can't help but feel awe. Why aren't they afraid of getting burned?

According to some insiders, the boiling oil in the pot contains a portion of oil and mostly vinegar . Vinegar is
lighter than oil, so when the oil boils, the top part is actually vinegar. Vinegar's boiling point is only around 70 degrees Celsius,
lower than that of boiling oil. The performance of bathing in boiling water utilizes the principle of rising heat. When the surface of the water
begins to boil, the temperature of the water below is not as high. The performer tumbles and rolls in to
mix the water at the top and bottom, thus lowering the overall temperature. Of course, whether it's a pot of oil or boiling
water , although the actual temperature is lower than it appears, it's still very hot. Therefore, each performer
must undergo extensive training to adapt; untrained students should never attempt this.

(Xu Qiu)

Stealing peaches from the Heavenly Palace

The classic novel *Journey to the West* tells the story of Sun Wukong causing havoc at the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet and stealing peaches from the Heavenly Palace. Dunhuang
murals depict Tang Dynasty magicians climbing ropes to the heavens. The Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling's *
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* provides a detailed account of the "Stealing Peaches" magic trick.

During the Spring Festival, an old man and a young boy were performing magic tricks in the courtyard in front of the government office. An official asked them to
conjure peaches. The old man said, "Where would peaches come from in winter? They'd only be found
in the Heavenly Peach Garden!" So, the old man took a long rope from a cage and threw it into the air. The rope stood upright in the air, and the old man
kept raising it until it reached the sky and the end was no longer visible.

Then the old man had the boy climb a rope to steal a peach from the sky. The boy climbed the rope until he disappeared into the horizon.
A moment later, a peach fell from the sky. The old man showed the peach to the officials, when suddenly the rope
fell from the sky. The old man said, "Oh no! Someone cut the rope!" Just then, the boy's head, body, and legs
fell from the sky. The old man asked the audience for some money to bury the child. After receiving the money, the old man put the head,
body, and legs into the cage with the rope and closed the lid. At this moment, the old man cried out in anguish, "Child, come back
to life and thank me for the reward!" Suddenly, the lid of the cage opened, and the boy stood up from inside. This is the complete
magic trick . It is said that this trick later spread to India, and many magicians from around the world went there
to learn it. A British magician even advertised, offering a large sum of money to buy the performance.

The secret to this magic trick is that the first half was designed by the British magician Gordon Goldstone. The performance takes place in a forest clearing at
night . A horizontal rope ladder is erected between towering trees to serve as a sky bridge,
with a thin string hanging down from it. Both the ladder and the string must be dark-colored to be invisible in the darkness. The magician's assistant hides
on the ladder in the forest.

The magician grasps a thin thread and hooks the rope in his hand onto a flexible line. At this moment, his assistant pulls the flexible line upwards,
creating the illusion that the rope in the magician's hand is being sent upwards. When the rope reaches the sky bridge, the assistant ties it to
the ladder. The latter half of the performance was designed by the author. Besides an assistant hidden in a tree, the old man also has a pair
of identical twin sons participating in the performance. First, one son climbs onto the rope and hides in the woods.
Then, a pre-prepared peach is thrown down, and simultaneously the rope is cut, along with pre-prepared fake heads, bodies, and
limbs.

The old man placed the fake head, body, and limbs into the cage. Note that there is a movable
partition inside the cage (as shown in the picture), painted black. When the old man takes a rope from the cage, he deliberately tilts the cage
so that the audience can see that there is nothing else inside. In fact, the old man's other son is hiding under the partition. When
the old man calls him to thank him for the reward, he pushes open the partition and stands up.