KIEV, June 1 (Xinhua) -- An acrobatic troupe from central China's Hunan Province won the first prize at an international competition of circus art here Friday.

The acrobatic troupe from Hunan Acrobatics Art Theater (HAAT) beat more than 30 participants from 12 countries at the 3rd Kiev International Youth Festival of Circus Art "Golden Kashtan," held at the National Circus of Ukraine (NCU).

Liu Yang, a member of the troupe, said her team's victory was the result of hard work and long preparations.

"To prepare our performances, we trained for a year and a half, nonstop. Our coaches accompanied us day and night, so we achieved today's success," Liu said.

"The Chinese school of acrobatics is the oldest and the strongest one. We must learn from them," said Lyudmila Shevchenko, director of the NCU. "We also had quite strong performances, but China has everything special -- style, music," she added.

During the three-day event, circus professionals and amateur performers from China, Ukraine, Switzerland, Israel, Belarus and European Union countries competed for 12 medals in four age groups.

The contestants staged a total of 52 performances, demonstrating their skills in juggling and equilibristics. The Chinese troupe, in particular, amazed spectators by presenting an impressive contortion performance and a breathtaking handstand performance.

Founded in 1959, the HAAT has travelled to dozens of countries, introducing Chinese traditional culture and art to foreign audiences and promoting friendship with people around the world.