Juggling Objects with the Feet is an enchanting flower in the garden of Chinese acrobatic art. Its charm comes from the performers' superb feats of legs and feet. This kind of acrobatics was originated Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng in Henan Province), the then capital, in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

Many written records and real object materials show that the acrobatics in the Han (206BC-220AD) and Tang (618-907) dynasties mainly took variety shows with hands as their contents. The Northern Song Dynasty saw booming development of Chinese acrobatics. Due to the demand of political and social life, acrobatics troupes in Dongjing included various folk acrobatics troupes and many vaudevillians besides Zuoyoujun, an official acrobatics troupe. They staged performances at different celebrations and specific programs on irregular intervals, and often performed in bazaars in the capital.

Juggling feat was a category of acrobatics that enjoyed the most distinct features in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and vaudevillians juggled objects either with the hands or with the feet. Juggling gradually became the synonym of acrobatics.

Juggling Objects with the Feet involves objects of varying weight, including heavy objects like wine jar, wood block, ladder, gong and drum, and even quick, and light objects like parasols made of thin silk. The object juggled spins rapidly like flying wheels no matter it is a smooth painted jar made of pottery, or a heavy, square table. In the past, this acrobatics mainly focused on heavy objects, but nowadays it involves both heavy objects and light objects, and performers can shift the object from one foot to the other even it is a colored umbrella or a carpet as thin as a piece of paper.

Juggling Benches with the Feet by Lu Xinli and Shen Ning is a routine categorized as juggling heavy objects. Shen assumes a reclining position on a small table and balances a stack of 11 benches on her feet. The stack of benches stands eight meters in height and weighs over 100 kilograms. Shen securely balances the benches and at the same time uses her feet to juggle the "pagoda of benches" through two rotations before transferring the load to only one foot. Lu Xinli performs different types of handstands on top of the benches. The performance becomes increasingly novel and more difficult as the number of benches increases. Lu performs at a height of eight meters once the 11th bench is placed atop the pagoda. The routine climaxes with Lu stretching both arms while resting herself upside down on an iron flower gripped in her teeth. Lu and Shen won the Clown d'Or at the Tenth Festival International du Cirque Monte-Carlo in December 1984. They also won widespread audience acclaim for their superb skill and the strong national flavor of the routine.

Artists Deng Baojin, Meng Yan, Song Lihua and Yao Zhijiang with the Jinan Acrobatic Troupe introduced a new feature to the performance. The acrobat on the bottom combines turning, rolling and swaying with juggling that makes the benches appear to be "live objects." Acrobats on the benches perform elegant, difficult and thrilling routines. The team won a gold medal at the 11th Circus World Championships in London in December 1986.