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records have been discovered that show that traditional chinese acrobatics are at least 2,500 years old. from a very young age, performers undergo intense training to accomplish breath taking feats. but as china becomes wealthier, fewer youngsters are choosing acrobatics as the career. in 2002, the chinese government began a program inviting students from overseas to train at top acrobatic schools. covering their tuition and living expenses.

>> i'm from kenya. i come here to train hard because i want to go to get my -- i want to train harder. at the training, i would like also to -- let me see. whatever i can be i can do. >> african youngsters learning acrobatics in china is a turning point for one of the country's most prestigious traditional arts. wu chow is the home of chinese acrobatics. the town attracts 600,000

tourists a year and it's said that every credible circus group in the world has a performer who trained here. acrobatics became popular because the farming was poor. most of the residents made a living from work related to the art. the china wuqiao act oh battic arts school was founded in 1985 as the first school dedicated to acrobatic arts. it's a boarding school where students can enroll from as young as 8. compulsory, elementary and junior high school classes are provided, but from early morning

through the evening most of the day is spent training in acrobatics. >> the cool began accepting international students at the request of the government as part of the forum on china and africa cooperation first hosted in 2000.

>> this year, 25 international students from six countries aged between 11 and 35 are enrolled in the year-long course. most are already circus performers in their home countries, but some have month prior experience. >> if there is a chance for you to stage -- would you like to take it? >> yes, i would like to take it. i would like to take it.

students can learn during their stay, the higher their status and income will be when they return home. everyone is focused and determined to learn. for chinese students, the school agains at the crack of dawn and until dusk their schedules are broken down by the hour.

they train almost every day of the year. apart from the few days off during the chinese new year.

>> this dormitory was made especially for international students, in a separate place to where the chinese students stay. each room is shared by a maximum of four, usually from the same country. they come with a bathroom and also computers. unlike their chinese counterparts, international students start training at 8:00 a.m. they are free to do what they like beforehand as long as they have breakfast at a set time. they use a dedicated gym. warm up begins when everyone has gathered.

a lot of time is devoted to improving flexibility for the first three months of the course. working hard on this basic element of acrobatics is a school policy. students are then split into groups depending on their experience, level and age. after some basic they are left to practice by themselves. chinese lessons are given three times a week, but other than that, international students train interpretly until evening.

from government funding, living expenses are covered by the school. students get a fixed number of meals in $95 u.s. a month for daily necessities. different dishes and is based on what international students like. they can eat as much as they want. they get preferential treatment as they pay nine times more per year for tuition and board than chinese students. the total cost for chinese

students is around $7,500 for six years of schooling. on this day, an acrobatic troop is here to scout some new performers. parents and guardians of students with a high level of schools school have been asked to come to the school. in a bid to recruit the balt best talent, the leader try toes convince families that their children should join. the school principal offers his support.

>> the briefing continues until all the families are satisfied.

>> the life of a typical professional acrobat isn't easy as they can only earn around $800 a month. the equivalent of a factory worker. only a handful make it big. this was the winning duo performance at the prestigious monte carlo international circus festival. the school lends out such video toes international students to help them deepen their

understanding of acrobatics. >> the performance was great and it was nice. that teachers here i think we can train that. >> and then it goes into a

performance and perform that performance. at the ends of it, people stood up and start applauding to him. now we can -- enter into my life. i think we say that we're thankful the way they treat us in terms of maybe accommodation or brilliant. we can't complain about that. but the main thing is, we didn't come here for accommodation. we came here for training. >> so i can see that you guys are a little bit disappointed about this, right? >> yeah. to be disappointed.

>> back in training, a teacher suddenly summons the students. >> yesterday i go to your -- room. now i want to see something. the second floor, not very pretty. your room, not very -- next w k week, maybe i'll give you pocket money. you will take some money from your pocket money if very dirty. >> students and teachers communicate in english, but no one is a native speaker and some don't understand english at all. many students are dissatisfied and complain about not receiving their allowance.

>> i am very huangry. very angry. >> such is life. if only they could give us the basic stuff, soap, lotion. >> so it kind of upset, right? >> yeah. in a way. because in a way, most of us here are actually upset due to the fact that they have been they keep telling us something different every single day. >> international students say they haven't been given this week's $95 pocket money and it's

already friday. their allowance was delayed last month, as well. and talk of the fine for not cleaning their rooms has left the students feeling more unsettled. meanwhile, an african student trains alone in another gym. ethiopian adane bedabo has been with the circus in his home country since he was 11. he came to china because he felt he had reached his limit learning the same skills in ethiopia. >> i am very, very, very hot.

he needs the -- this training, i was passing out. when you come this country and i come this -- i would start this program. not big. only in the capital city of ethiopia. have been only the one place. china good. i think the air-conditioning is very hot. but strong money every day we work here. huh? no train. no sun. take this turning. >> as the oldest son in a family of four children, adane is the bread winner.

back home as a circus performer, he can earn around $5 a month, double the average income. as a student at the school, however, he's given a $95 monthly allowance. some of which he sends home to his family. the following day, the international students -- for morning training.

>> ten minutes later, the female students show up. but the males decided to visit a teacher who they know can speak english. >> we don't have money. they no -- they don't have soap, they don't have wash powder, they don't have -- >> very, very thirsty. >> he want your money, yeah? >> yeah.

>> if you don't pay us in this mon month, can you provide the basic stuff? shampoo, every single one. >> now what we find is that a very -- >> yeah. >> all the teachers, they show you video and then they say to -- the students' dissatisfaction with the school has been building up since they arrived. >> we ask our government, our chinese government in south

africa, do we need experience? they said no. they'reyou, you don't need any experience. we come here, they show us video. how can we learn from a video when we don't know anything? it means, like, we can't learn from a video. do you understand? if they're not going to teach me, give me a video to learn from, i'll go home. >> i will tell that to the leader in charge of the -- of the teaching, okay? let them to have a meeting with the teacher. let them teach you by themselves, okay? >> the school promises the

students their allowance and better instruction. three months of uncertainty and unclear communications is finally cleared up. >> an hour later, the students are paid. the teachers immediately inform

the principal of the situation and the students are given their lou allowance as promised. by chinese standards, $95 isn't much. but for students from africa, it's precious money to help support families back home. the students feedback is incorporated into their daily training, as well. due to the boycott, adane

couldn't train for half a day, but he starts again immediately. >> what is your dream? >> my dream? my dream is i need change my -- that is dream. our family. i am very hard train -- in the world and after that, change my family life. that's my big dream. ♪

>> wait, wait. >> chinese acrobatics are a display of elegance, beauty and strength. skills that can't be acquired without years of thorough training. students from africa and beyond want the most from their short stay in china. and work hard to improve their skills day by day.

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glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. officials with russia's defense military say their military has launch air strikes against islamic state militas in syria. president vladimir putin says they will be supporting the syrian army in its fight against extremists. a ministry spokesperson said the air force targeted the group's military equipment. putin said they will provide air support but not participate in ground operas.