The scene was frozen for a few seconds as cameras clicked among the audience and then a deafening applause broke out.

The Crocodile Garden inside Sunqiao Modern Agriculture Development Zone in Pudong has been drawing the crowds since its debut on May 18.

The garden is a joint venture between Sunqiao Farm and Hainan Nantai Crocodile Farm Zoo, the country's first crocodile reproduction centre set up in 1998.

When we arrived at the Crocodile Garden, it was drizzling. The road leading to the centre of the garden has crocodile enclosures on either side with wire netting to separate different creatures.

The enclosures have pools and sandy banks. Most crocodiles were sitting on the sands motionless; a few were swimming slowly through the water. All seemed oblivious to the crowds of tourists who stared at them.

One large crocodile opened its mouth revealing sharp, jagged teeth.

I was wondering whether the crocodile was hungry because I could not see any food in the crocodile yard.

Wu Weiqiang, a 21-year-old man from Hainan who can speak Thai, works as an interpreter for the Thai performers and serves as a narrator for tourists during the crocodile acts.

Wu told us that the crocodiles are fed once a week and during colder days in the winter, twice a month. Crocodiles digest their food very slowly which is why they don't need to eat very often. Even if a crocodile has no food for one or two months, it will not die - though it will become thinner, Wu said.

The diet of a crocodile includes various kinds of fish and chicken.

According to Wu, not every crocodile can be trained for the stage. Only smart crocodiles which can manage the training can perform for tourists.

The garden has a restaurant that serves special food from Hainan Island and food made from crocodile meat. Chen Qu, the co-manager from Hainan told Shanghai Star the meat comes only from "injured crocodiles" who have to be put to sleep and that they are not actually farmed for their meat.

Visitors can also watch a show called: "Knife Hill and Fire Sea." In this act, Chinese performers walk on the tips of knives and pass through corridors of fire with only their qigong skills to protect them from harm.

In the garden's "performing zone" is a large stage that looks a bit like a boxing ring surrounded by tiers of cement seats.

The crocodiles, of different sizes, lay motionless, as if frozen in a corner of the stage.

The seats filled up and finally the Thai performers entered the stage. It was show time!

Exciting Thai music was played which stirred the crocodiles out of their trance. Some began to crawl around the stage. The three Thai performers, dressed all in red, jumped onto the stage.

Wu told me the youngest Thai performer, Am, 23, was the most skillful crocodile trainer and performer.

It takes 10 years of training to become a crocodile performer, Wu said. But Am was born into a family that raised crocodiles so he has spent his whole life with them. "Am is the crocodile master," Wu said.

Tan and Wud waded into the pool and, because the creatures were reluctant to move in the muggy weather, pulled them by their tails and prodded them with bamboo sticks.

They sat on the backs of the crocodiles in the pool. Then they made the crocodiles stand up and wave their feet at the audience.

Am pulled the largest crocodile by his tail and repeatedly hit the crocodile with a bamboo stick.

The crocodile opened his huge jaws and - when Am hit his mouth several times - snapped his chops firmly shut once more. Having shown the audience the ferocity with which the beast would close his mouth if sufficiently aggravated, Am then stuck his head inside the mouth. He held the jaws open with his hands.

The most exciting moment was yet to come. Am once again placed his head inside the gaping mouth of the crocodile, but this time he did not hold the jaws open. The crocodile kept its mouth open of its own free will.

The audience, meanwhile, seemed to be holding its breath. If the crocodile suddenly chose to close its mouth, Am's head would be devoured.

Am's head remained literally within the jaws of death for a number of seconds. Then he removed his head from the animal's mouth, stood up gracefully - not a scratch on him - and bowed to the audience with a big grin.