China plans LED sphere venue bigger than Las Vegas Sphere
2026-11-04 · via AV Magazine
Plans for an LED sphere venue in Qiantang, Hangzhou, were unveiled last week, and the external display alone would dwarf anything currently running on a large-format LED install. The Eye of the World project calls for a 72,000 square metre external LED display, roughly a third larger than the 54,000 square metres on the Las Vegas Sphere, according to the official announcement.
For anyone who specs or operates large-format LED, the scale here is the story. Other dimensions given also top the Las Vegas venue: a 168 metre diameter versus 157, a height of 122 metres versus 112, and seating for 20,000 versus 17,600. The announcement does not give a pixel pitch, resolution, or manufacturer for the LED panels, and it does not disclose the size of any internal display, though it references a 270-degree wraparound theatre for indoor shows.
The project is projected to cost ¥8bn ($1.2bn), with the companies behind it forecasting ¥2.6bn ($400m) in annual revenue from nine to 13 million visitors a year, according to the announcement. No completion date is given. A Chinese display industry publication cited in the report says construction has not yet started, despite a signing ceremony and language from organisers describing the project as moving at full speed on design, land use, partnerships and transport planning.
A crowded field of LED spheres
This is not China's first large spherical LED venue. The Tiangong Nova sphere in Qianjiang, Hubei, lit up for the first time in May with a 7,500 square metre external display, far smaller than what is proposed for Hangzhou. Additional projects are reportedly in the pipeline, including the West Bund Starry Sky project in Shanghai and the Guangzhou Pearl Spherical Giant Screen in Guangdong.
Meanwhile Sphere Entertainment Co, which built the original Las Vegas venue, continues to expand its own footprint. Blue Rhine Industries has reportedly been selected to install and commission the Exosphere for a full-size Sphere planned in Abu Dhabi, and a smaller Sphere in National Harbor, Maryland, recently received government funding approval.
The Qiantang project is led by Xinshi International Investment Co, with investment and construction handled by Vision Eye (Hangzhou) Digital Entertainment Technology Co. Huang Junhao, investment president of Xinshi and general manager of Vision Eye, said the venue would be built using an entirely domestic design and would demonstrate that Chinese applied technology and cultural innovation have reached what he called world-leading levels.
For operators and integrators watching the large-format LED market, the project is another signal that spherical venues are becoming a competitive category in their own right, with scale as the headline metric, at least until someone discloses actual pixel density, content production costs, or a firm opening date.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from AV Magazine for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
By Guy Campos in APAC , Displays , Venues November 3, 2026 0
The Eye of the World sphere in Qiantang, Hangzhou will have a 72,000 sq metre external LED display, a third bigger than its famous US counterpart.
Plans to build an LED sphere in China that is bigger than its famous counterpart in Las Vegas were unveiled last week.
The Eye of the World immersive performance venue in Qiantang, Hangzhou will have a 72,000 sq metre external LED display, about a third larger than the 54,000 sq metres seen in Las Vegas.
Other proposed measurements are also bigger, including diameter (168 metres compared to 157), height (122 metres compared to 112) and seating (20,000 compared to 17,600).
The size of any internal LED display was not disclosed in the official announcement, which does however refer to a 270° wraparound theatre.
The Eye of the World LED sphere project is expected to cost ¥8bn ($1.2bn) and generate ¥2.6bn ($400m) in annual revenue from nine to 13 million visitors a year.
Inside it will stage immersive performances, concerts for tens of thousands of people, brand launches and sporting events such as esports, street dance, fencing and boxing.
Outside, it will host anime conventions, music festivals, holiday celebrations, drone light shows and themed cultural activities.
The aim is to turn the LED sphere’s location in Jinshazui New Town, about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai, into a world-class city landmark, using a “culture + technology” model.
According to an announcement at a Qiantang services-sector conference on 30 October, the project signing ceremony was held recently, and it is progressing at full speed, with preliminary design, land use planning, multi-party cooperation, and transportation arrangements being carried out simultaneously.
However, a Chinese display industry publication has reported that construction has yet to begin, and no proposed completion date is given in the official announcement.
The Eye of the World in Qiantang is not the first LED sphere in China to attract attention. The Tiangong Nova immersive LED sphere in Qianjiang, Hubei which was lit up for the first time in May has a 7,500 sq metre external LED display. Further LED spheres are also planned, including the West Bund Starry Sky project in Shanghai and the Guangzhou Pearl Spherical Giant Screen in Guangdong province.
Meanwhile, Sphere Entertainment Co is forging ahead with plans for its own additional spheres. It was recently announced that Blue Rhine Industries has been selected to install and commission the Exosphere for the new full-size Sphere in Abu Dhabi by ALEC Engineering and Contracting. A smaller Sphere in National Harbor, Maryland also received government funding approval last week.
The Eye of the World project in Qiantang is led by Xinshi International Investment Co (Hong Kong), with investment and construction by Vision Eye (Hangzhou) Digital Entertainment Technology Co.
Huang Junhao, investment president of Xinshi and general manager of Vision Eye, commented: “We are building a spectacle beyond imagination in size and form… When audiences enter the theatre, surrounded by a huge, ultra-high-definition screen, they… will have an immersive experience like never before.”
The official statement said the project would draw on resources from the companies’ previous technology, media and telecommunications investments and use an entirely domestic design.
Huang added: “The project’s entirely domestically designed structure will perfectly demonstrate that China’s applied technology and cultural innovation have reached world-leading levels.”