This picture appeared in a library book entitled "The Art of Chinese Acrobatics".

The wheel has no tyre, just a rim (possibly one that is narrower and deeper than a rim designed for a tyre). Riding right off the wire is therefore not very likely but maintaining side-to-side balance is extremely difficult. The parasol is an aid; the trick could probably even be done without it; albeit with less grace, as more arm movement would be required to equal the parasol. It is obvious that she's actively walking the wheel, not just posing. This is probably a performance on a professional stage based on the costumes and the backdrop.

(There were many more "undoable" skills in this book, most of which however had nothing to do with unicycling.)

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