Dawn of new era

To make the show more exciting for viewers and more challenging for performers, Era 2 has introduced animal performances, with seven doves performing alongside aerial dancer Meng Lili. The combination of acrobatics with animal acts is unprecedented in China.

The 35-year-old acrobat, who can be seen dancing from an iron loop suspended 10 meters in the air in Era 2, has been with the company since she was 17. "I have been training with doves for six years, because we wanted to show something no one else had done before in the upgraded Era," Meng says.

In her act, Meng masterfully commands the doves as if she is one of them, and the creatures respond by flying around her before gracefully landing on her arms and feet.

"You need lots of patience with these beautiful birds. They will not fly when their wings feel heavy because of high humidity or bad pollution, or when they are not feeling well or simply having a bad day," she says.

"I used to take one of them home with me to strengthen the bond between us, so that it could trust me, answer my call and settle comfortably on my body."