Show Guide
ERA at Shanghai Circus World: What the Show Actually Is
ERA is Shanghai Circus World's signature multimedia acrobatic show, running since 2005, built around a motorcycle stunt inside a steel cage.
See ERA show dates on GetYourGuide ↗ERA at a glance
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Show debut | September 2005 |
| Venue opened | 1999 |
| Signature act | Motorcycle cage, marketed as "Space Motorcycles" |
| Riders | Commonly reported as 3 (single-sourced) |
| Current official title | ERA2 — Spirit of Shanghai |
What ERA Actually Is
"ERA — Intersection of Time" premiered at Shanghai Circus World in September 2005, six years after the venue itself opened in 1999. It isn't a traditional circus: there's no ringmaster and no clowns, and this particular production has no animals in it. Instead, ERA fuses traditional Chinese acrobatics and martial arts with contemporary theatrical staging — projected visuals, water effects, and choreographed lighting built around each act. The format leans on movement and spectacle rather than spoken dialogue, which is part of why it plays well to visitors who don't speak Chinese. Over two decades it has become one of Shanghai's most visited theatrical attractions, still running nightly performances.
The Motorcycle Cage Finale
The show's climax is a motorcycle stunt performed inside a spherical steel-mesh cage, which the venue markets as "Space Motorcycles." It belongs to the stunt family internationally known as the Globe of Death, though ERA doesn't hold or claim any Guinness World Record for it — that particular record belongs to a different production entirely. Riders circle the inside of the sphere at speed, inside a cage reported to be around 20 feet (roughly 6 meters) across. How many motorcycles run at once varies by source; it's commonly reported as three riders simultaneously, though that figure comes from a single source and isn't independently confirmed. It's the most photographed moment of the night.
Other Acts on the Bill
The motorcycle finale gets the attention, but ERA is built from a full sequence of acrobatic and theatrical acts. Expect Mirror Mirage, Magic Water, and Floating Gondola alongside more classical circus disciplines like Bowl Balancing and Jar Juggling. Sinan and the Wheel of Life bring in traditional Chinese movement and prop work, while a piece titled "Forever" and ribbon dancing sequences add a softer, more visual counterpoint to the higher-adrenaline stunts. The mix is deliberate: the show alternates between quiet, precise balance work and large-scale ensemble spectacle, so the pacing builds rather than sitting at one intensity throughout. Which acts appear in which order can shift between the 60-minute and 100-minute versions.
No Animals in This Show
ERA does not use animals in its performance — everything on stage is acrobats, dancers, motorcycle riders, and stage technology. If you've read about an animal act at Shanghai Circus World, that's a separate production called "Happy Circus," which runs at the same venue but is a distinct show with its own tickets, schedule, and pricing. The two are easy to conflate because they share a building, but they're marketed and sold separately, and a ticket to one doesn't include the other. If animals are a deciding factor for your group — for or against — check which show you're booking before you buy, since the venue's site lists both.
The Show's Many Names
ERA has been re-versioned more than once since its 2005 debut, and the branding has changed along with it. Earlier titles included "Intersection of Time" and "Journey Through Space and Time"; the current official booking title is "ERA2 — Spirit of Shanghai." Listings and travel sites often use "ERA" as shorthand for whichever version is currently running, which is accurate in spirit but can cause confusion if you're trying to match a specific title to a specific ticket. Because the venue periodically re-versions the production, don't assume a title on an older review matches what's being sold today — confirm the current title and content — verify at official booking before you travel.
Seating and Scale
Shanghai Circus World's main theatre seats approximately 1,638 people, based on the most commonly cited figure — treat that as a reasonable but single-sourced estimate rather than an official capacity figure. The venue sits on a substantial site and was purpose-built for large-scale theatrical acrobatics, which is part of why it can support a production as technically heavy as ERA, with its rigging, water effects, and cage apparatus. None of this changes seat-by-seat visibility, which depends more on your ticket zone than on the room's total size. Whatever capacity or seating detail you're relying on to plan a visit, verify at official booking before travel, since configurations can change.