THE Chinese State Circus’s latest production is yet another mind-bending show of acrobatics, martial arts and folk theatre.

In the kind of show which would have entertained at emperors’ courts down the millennia, the Beijing-based troupe stopped off at The Sage with their latest – a show based on the legend of sixth century warrior princess, Mulan.

But history buffs won’t have learned much about the titular heroine. While the odd reference is made to the fable, the majority of the production is filled with the most outrageous stunts imaginable.

Acrobats and the Shaolin warriors, pictured below, steal the show with a series of unfeasibly dextrous dares.

Some of the challenges defy logic.

At one point, six girls totter on top of 8ft unicycles, tossing plastic food bowls into the air from the tips of their outstretched feet and catching them on their heads.

A shaven-headed monk snaps iron slats across his head, before tensing up his stomach to balance on a couple of upturned daggers.

The most gasp-provoking moment comes when a man balances a tower of what appear to be Black and Decker workbenches on the tip of his chin, adjusting his feet suddenly to prevent the members of the front row from ending up with faces full of timber.

While most of their ideas may be thousands of years old, the Chinese State Circus continues to amaze.