An fara gina babban gidan wasan kwaikwayo na Shanghai a shekarar 1994, an kammala gina shi da kuma fara aiki da shi a watan Agusta na shekarar 1998. An yi amfani da dalar Amurka misalin miliyan 144.5 wajen gina wannan babban gida wasan kwaikwayo. A watan Febrairu na shekarar 1994, wani kamfanin zayyana gine-gine na kasar Faransa wato Jean-Marie Charpentier and Associates ya lashe sauran kamfanoni 12 da suka zo daga kasashe 11 na duniya, ya sami damar zayyana wannan gidan wasan kwaikwayo.

Babban gidan wasan kwaikwayo na Shanghai yana arewa maso yammacin kasurwar filin Jama'a na Shanghai wato filin Renmin na Shanghai. Rufinsa ya yi kama da bakan gizo, sa'an nan kuma, bangon gilas da ke walkiya na kan nuna wa masu wucewa abubuwan da ke cikin wannan gidan wasan kwaikwayo. Da dare kuwa, dukkan wannan gini na kasancewa wata fadar lu'ulu'u da take walkiya bayan da aka kunna fitilunsa.