Considered the best acrobatic troupe in China, the award-winning Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe is a tightly-choreographed marvel of human agility known all over the world. Starting every night at 730pm and continuing on for 2 hours at the Shanghai Theatre Centre, the feats of dexterity and magic performed by these entertainers have amazed and delighted visitors and residents of Shanghai with displays of contortionism, glasses-balancing, juggling, silk rope hanging, unicycling, chair-stacking and plate-spinning. What’s more, international audiences can appreciate the show due to its non-verbal content, letting impressive physical skills leave a mark for every one who attended a performance.

Chinese acrobats got their start during the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, when the annual harvest celebrations called for special entertainment. Talented farmers and other community members would spend their free time practicing with household items like plates, chairs, and so forth. The modern Chinese acrobatic circus  bega in the 1920’s when a Chinese street acrobat returned from Russia with his Russian wife and started the Great Chinese Circus. Although World War II led to a temporary decline of Chinese acrobats, the communist government itself launched a movement to revive traditional arts, sponsoring different arts troupes in each city and province, including the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe. They performed for then-President Nixon during his historic visit to China, with Premier Chou En Lai acting as his host. The Troupe only started their most famous shows in 1999, when the Shanghai Circus World opened.

One spectacular act is a woman who open and spin umbrellas with her feet, often 2 at a time. Another feature are knife-throwing clowns who narrowly miss selected audience members.  Another amazing segment is called Through The Tube, where a man folds himself in half, then squeezes himself completely through a tube rear end first. The Troupe constantly rotates its performers so that the show is not the same two nights in a row, and the endless rehearsals really pay off as each night sees the members showcasing the best efforts to the awestruck audience.

Another famous acrobatic troupe center is Shanghai Circus World. Covering an area of 22,500 square meters, this complex is a notable landmark of the city itself, with its golden dome-like roof and distinct architecture. The main hall contains an acrobatic field and 1,638 seats for the audience, while an auxiliary building supports a rehearsal room. A giant animal house with facilities for elephants, chimpanzees, tigers, and giant pandas is also provided here. Both Shanghai Theatre Centre and Circus World has allowed the Acrobatic Troupe to realize its potential, allowing the restoration of the high altitude and large acrobatics programs into its repertoire.

The Shanghai Center Theatre is located at 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu while the Shanghai World Circus is at 2266, New Gonghe Road; the best way to get to these places is by taxi, though the World Circus is a two-minute walk away from a Line 1 station of the Shanghai Metro. If you book for a weeknight performance a few days in advance you may be able to reserve front and center seat tickets. The weekend performances for Circus World are a treat for the inclusion of big animals during the show. If you can, try to catch Happy Circus, which marks the first time that Western-style clown comedy is presented to mainland Chinese audiences.  Flash photography is not allowed during performances.

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