Hangzhou Sphere Project Plans 72,000sqm LED Display, Topping Las Vegas
2026-11-05 · via invidis
A new venue planned for the Qiantang district of Hangzhou, China aims to outsize the Las Vegas Sphere with a 72,000sqm external LED display, according to a report by AV Magazine. The project, called The Eye of the World, was unveiled at the end of October and is still in early planning stages, but the scale alone makes it worth watching for anyone tracking large-format LED deployments.
The venue is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based Xinshi International Investment Co. and Vision Eye (Hangzhou) Digital Entertainment Technology Co. According to the companies, the structure will measure 168m in diameter and 122m in height, seating 20,000 people. That compares to the Las Vegas Sphere's 157m diameter, 112m height, 17,600 seats and 54,000sqm exterior display. If built as described, Hangzhou's screen would be roughly a third larger than its American counterpart.
The companies say the project will cost US$1.2 billion to complete and is projected to generate US$400 million in annual revenue once operating. It is planned as a multi-purpose venue for indoor performances, concerts, brand launches and sporting events, along with outdoor uses such as anime conventions, music festivals and holiday events.
What's missing
For the LED and display integration sector, the most relevant detail is what has not been decided yet. No vendor or installer has been appointed for either the giant exterior screen or the wraparound interior theater screen. Design, zoning and infrastructure arrangements are described as still underway, and there is no announced timeline for construction start or completion. In other words, the headline numbers are a target, not a spec sheet, and anyone evaluating this as a market opportunity should treat it as a proposal rather than a contracted build.
The venture was signed shortly before the October 30 announcement at a Qiantang services-sector conference, which suggests the project is still in its earliest commercial stages even as the figures being floated are substantial.
Part of a wider pattern
Hangzhou is not an isolated case. A smaller sphere venue, with a 7,500sqm external LED display, opened in Qianjiang, Hubei in May 2026. Additional sphere-style projects have reportedly been announced for Shanghai and Guangzhou, pointing to a broader trend of Chinese developers pursuing Sphere-style immersive venues at varying scales.
Huang Junhao, who leads the project as investment president of Xinshi International and general manager of Vision Eye, framed the venue as both a cultural landmark for Hangzhou and a showcase for domestic technology. He said the project's domestically designed structure would demonstrate that China's applied technology and cultural innovation have reached world-leading levels, according to the report.
For display manufacturers and installers, the project is one to track rather than one to plan around yet. With no vendor selected and no construction timeline, the practical opportunity remains theoretical until the venture moves past the signing-ceremony stage.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from invidis for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
The Eye of the World sphere in Hangzhou, China is planned as a multi-purpose indoor and outdoor cultural and entertainment venue. It will be one third bigger than the Las Vegas original, boasting a 72,000sqm external LED display.
At the end of October, a new LED sphere project was unveiled in the Qiantang district of Hangzhou, China. This is according to a report by AV Magazine .
Called The Eye of the World, the project is a joint venture between the Hong Kong-based Xinshi International Investment Co. and Vision Eye (Hangzhou) Digital Entertainment Technology Co. It is planned as an immersive performance venue with a 72,000sqm external display. This would make it one-third larger than its famous American counterpart in Las Vegas, which measures 54,000sqm.
The venue will measure 168m in diameter, 122m in height, and will seat 20,000 people. These figures also exceed those of the Las Vegas sphere, which is 157m in diameter, 112m in height and seats 17,600 people. It will cost US$1.2 billion to complete and is expected to generate US$400m in annual revenue once it is completed.
The structure will serve as a venue for immersive indoor performances, concerts, brand launches and sporting events, as well as outdoor activities such as anime conventions, music festivals, and holiday celebrations.
The project was first announced at a Qiantang services-sector conference on October 30, where it was revealed that the signing ceremony had been held a short while prior. However, it is still only in the planning stages. Design, zoning and infrastructure arrangements are currently underway. There does not seem to be any indication yet as to when construction will begin, or when the project is scheduled to be completed.
Most notably for LED technology sector, no vendor or installer has yet been appointed for the giant exterior screen or the wraparound theater screen that will be placed in the venue’s interior.
“Applied technology and cultural innovation”
The Qiantang project is certainly not the first or last of its kind in China. In May 2026, a similar sphere, on a much smaller scale (7,500sqm external LED display) was opened in Qianjiang, Hubei. More are planned too, with comparable projects announced in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The project is led by Huang Junhao, who serves both as investment president of Xinshi International and as general manager of Vision Eye. His statement indicated that the project is intended both as a major cultural and technological landmark for Hangzhou and as a demonstration of China’s design and technology resources. “The project’s domestically designed structure will perfectly demonstrate that China’s applied technology and cultural innovation have reached world-leading levels,” he said.