Chung Ling Soo was a stage magician from China who performed a show at the Tenley Theatre in London. He had a trick where he made items appear on a table, including a large drum, and a filled glass fish bowl, complete with goldfish. John Cutter sent Alfred Borden and Robert Angier to the show to work out how he did the fishbowl trick - the two observed the man exiting the theatre, being helped by his assistants due to his severe infirmity. Borden explained that the real trick was keeping up his disability in real life - he was actually in perfect health, and was able to carry the objects between his legs under his robe to make them appear.