This year there are three chances to watch professionals parachute in Shanghai during the National Day holidays, writes Xu Wei Imagine standing at the edge of an aeroplane and jumping out, or standing at the top of Pudong's Jin Mao Tower and leaping to the ground.
On October 2 and 3, more than 20 professional parachuters from China's National Parachute Team will take the plunge above Daning Lingshi Park for the show, ``Flying Ballet.'' Performers will jump from a plane and finally land on a 200-square-meter stage at the center of a manmade lake in the park. ``Landing at the center of a lake is a brand-new experience for us,'' says Zhang Angang, coach of the parachute team. ``It is the most beautiful landing site we have ever seen.'' According to Zhang, most of the participants had several thousand skydiving experiences. They have dazzling skills to handle unexpected situations. ``This is the second time we've held such a parachute jumping spectacle after last year's success,'' says Xu Haiyou, an official with Zhabei District Tourism Administrative Bureau. ``We're trying to make it an annual international event. Audiences can enjoy both the skydiving show and the tourist sites in Shanghai.'' Taking a plunge from the 420-meter-high Jin Mao Tower is of course very different from skydiving. For the first time last year, a team of 16 international parachutists successfully completed the mass jump from what is the highest building on the Chinese mainland. According to Chen Changqi, an official with the China Jin Mao Group Co Ltd, organizer of the event, 30 athletes from 16 countries, including Norway and the United States, will participate in this year's event. Six Chinese athletes will make their debuts. Also called ``base jumping'' -- using a parachute and jumping from fixed objects -- the sport originated in the United States in 1975 and then became popular in Europe. ``Parachutists jumping from a plane have more leeway in opening their parachutes,'' Chen says. ``Base jumping is more dangerous and quite new in China. The six Chinese athletes were carefully chosen and are being professionally trained in Shanxi Province.'' The average time a jumper spends in the sky is about 30 seconds. They open the parachute at least 200 meters above the ground. Last year, thousands of spectators lined the streets for hours below the tower in Pudong and across the Huangpu River along the Bund, cheering for the thrilling performance. Norwegian skydiver Terje Halvorsen, who also leapt from the tower last year, will select three lucky men from the audiences who are allowed to watch the plunge from inside the tower. Daning Lingshi Park skydiving Date: October 2-3, 3:45pm Venue: Daning Lingshi Park, 288 Guangzhong Rd W. Tickets: 30-100 yuan Tel: 6380-5390, 6652-3698 Jin Mao parachute Date: October 5, 2pm Venue: Jin Mao Tower, 88 Century Ave, Pudong Tickets: 100-180 yuan Tel: 5047-6688 ext 5304