Zhao Juan, Gong Huiling and Xiao Miao, all college students in Fuyang, Anhui province, play mermaids in a show at the city's aquarium.

In their costumes, they swim through swaying grass, passing turtles and fish, and smile and wave at the audience. Zhao twists her "tail" to the soothing and melodious music, then dives, flips and rotates. This wins her much applause.

The mermaid show requires years of painstaking practice, requiring many hours of rehearsal in the water. The tank is 4 meters deep, and once submerged the women have to hold their breath for at least 1 minute.

"Initially, I could hold my breath for only 10 seconds, but after practice I can now hold it for about 60," Zhao says, adding that the temperature in the tank is kept at 29 C year-round.

During this year's Chinese New Year celebrations, the trio performed more than 10 shows a day. To protect their skin, they bathed after every performance, Zhao says.

She adds that although the work is tough, it is worth it to hear the audience's cheers.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/08/2016 page4)