The amazing acrobats and dancers of the Chinese State Circus are in Oxford tonight (January 13).

Guo Jingping

Guo Jingping and a team of lion dancers are among the company of 30 performers -- including trapeze artists, acrobats, contortionists, gymnasts and unicyclists --performing at the New Theatre until tomorrow.

The breathtaking acts include 14 girls balancing on a bike, head-to-head balancing plate spinners and a unicyclist who stacks a full tea set on her head as she rides around the stage.

Many of these acts have never been seen before in the UK. The full company join together in an extravagant costumed performance of the Lion Dance for a truly magnificent finale.

The circus have won a host of national and international awards, including top honours in Monte Carlo and Moscow. All a long way from home, which is found in a corner of the Zheng Zhou province beside the 5464km Yellow River, regarded by many as the birthplace of Chinese civilisation.