How six of Asia’s leading magicians play tricks on your eyes – and mind

Hong Kong illusionist Jeff Teo, Princess Tenko from Japan and Taiwan’s Will Tsai are among the stand-outs of Magic Week who will have you fooled with their mastery of the mystical arts

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Watch closely – a magician’s hands move in mysterious ways with a deck of cards.

Published: 8:30am, 26 Oct 2017Updated: 8:30am, 26 Oct 2017

Magic Week is upon us and, appropriately, the period devoted to the world of illusion ends on October 31. That’s also Halloween, which doubles as the day master magician Harry Houdini died.

In honour of this week devoted to the mystical arts, here’s a parade of some of Asia’s most remarkable modern conjurors. The emphasis is on sparkle – celebrity stardust with an East-meets-West tint.

Jeff Teo (Hong Kong)

Jeff Teo is trumpeted as Hong Kong’s most sought-after corporate entertainer – a firm fixture at bashes by Fortune 500 firms and celebrity parties across Asia since 2006. Inclined to mix magic with mind-reading, Teo is a practitioner of “strolling magic” marked by sleight of hand, even apparent miracles.

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The so-called “celebrities’ illusionist” is equally at home on cruise ships and in clubs. “His unique style is a breath of fresh air in an easily cliché industry,” his LinkedIn profile says. Still, Teo has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication so there is method to his magic.

Will Tsai (Taiwan)

In some footage of the previously homeless Will Tsai, the Taiwan-born magician comes across as shy and retiring. However, Tsai has since cultivated a dramatic gothic persona that smacks of Hogwarts.

His life has been dramatic, too. While working in Brazil, Tsai contracted a potentially lethal lung infection but defied the odds and staged a miraculous comeback. Tsai then devoted his life to pushing the boundaries of conjuring.

The Taiwanese-Canadian close-up magic exponent delighted the judges on season 12 of America’s Got Talent. Judge Simon Cowell said: “This is the best magic I have ever, ever seen on the show.” Tsai ended up with four gigantic yeses.

Yu Ho-jin (South Korea)

Born in Seoul, master illusionist Yu Ho-jin now lives in New York. Despite his fame, suave looks and reputation as a prodigy, Yu remains grounded. He always carries a deck of cards so he can perform for punters when randomly broke and lost on the streets.