People who enjoyed an exciting evening of David Copperfield's grand illusions at Beijing's Capital Gymnasium two years ago might still be wondering how the man made 13 randomly selected people vanish in front of the audience -- all at the same time.

Now, this world master of disappearing acts is making a reappearance in China.

Copperfield will bring 40 tons of equipment for 39 shows with many new illusions to this, his third as well as his longest tour, working his magic in five cities in the country.

The shows are schedule for April 20 to 25 in Beijing, April 28 to May 2 in Hangzhou, May 4 to 8 in Nanjing, 10 to 16 in Shanghai and 18 to 23 in Changsha.

According to Poly Culture & Art Co Ltd, the promoter of the tour, many Chinese people are eager to see him "flying." One of Copperfield's trademark illusions performed in many of his shows, it took him more than seven years to perfect.

However, this time, the magician himself will not fly. Instead, he will make two people randomly selected from the audience fly on a sofa in a huge glass box.

Not to be outdone by his guests, Copperfield himself will be cut into two by a horrible huge electric saw. Other items on the programme include making a girl vanish, moving the moon and some sleight-of-hand tricks.

Witty, engaging and supremely entertaining, Copperfield has transformed the way the world looks at this age-old art.

"David Copperfield has revolutionized magic. He has taken it to heights of artistry and imagination undreamed of by wizards and audiences of the past, combining spellbinding illusions with extraordinary theatre," comments Wang Zhiwei, a magician from Beijing Magicians Club.

While others might think, "it can't be done," Copperfield's approach is always "Yes it can!" Making the Statue of Liberty vanish, walking through the Great Wall, and soaring through space with the greatest of ease -- to David Copperfield, his passion for magic is everything.

"The secret," says Copperfield, "is to consider nothing impossible, then start treating possibilities as probabilities. If I am in the impossible business, and I am, then I want to go beyond the impossible."

Originally named David Kotkin, the 48-year-old magician performed professionally in his home town of Metuchen, New Jersey, at the age of 12. Two years later, he became the youngest person ever to be admitted to the Society of American Magicians.

By 16, he was teaching magic at New York University.

During his first week in college, he was cast as the lead in the Chicago musical "The Magic Man." He acted, sang and created all the magic in the show, which became the longest running musical in Chicago's history.

As a result, he was chosen to host and star in "The Magic of ABC." His performances were so successful that CBS signed Copperfield for a series of specials, the first of which was "The Magic of David Copperfield."

With each new special, Copperfield created and performed ever more mind-boggling feats, before live audiences, without the aid of camera tricks of visual effects.

Now Copperfield performs over 500 shows per year to sold-out audiences around the world. His tours have set box-office records across the world.

(China Daily April 15, 2004)