Dressed in an ill-fitting black Mao suit, a pair of baggy pants and a rainbow wig with a red hat, the 1.8-meter-tall man bends over to shake the hand of a diminutive 4-year-old girl. As his hand touches hers, his hat falls to the ground and the child bursts into giggles. While most magicians revel in applause, Chris Parsons is all about the laughter.

Parsons, who goes by the stage name Mr Magic, has been using magic tricks and clowning around to entertain young and old in China for the past 14 years.

Having held a series of jobs from working at China Radio International and Renmin University, to playing various characters on Chinese TV, Parsons is now working the live show circuit in Beijing.