Tag Archives: theme parks

AO Events

Sat July 30: Join us at Copyright Infringement Park (aka Disneyland Beijing!)

Update: it's gorgeous out, so get your suntan lotion, your sunglasses, and camera, and prepare for an amazing day! There's no reason to travel all the way to Hong Kong, when Beijing has it's own Disneyland right here! Sure, it's fake, and weird, and... crumbling, but it couldn't be more fun! Discover the unlicensed ...

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 3 Comments

Beyond the Valley of the Dwarfs: The Strangest Theme Park Ever?

"Before coming here, I was tending cattle, and feeding pigs," Xiao Cao told me. "I never even knew how to dance." "And now, she's our leading dancer!" laughed Zhang Furong. Xiao Cao is a dancer. Zhang Furong is a singer. They're both under 4'3" tall. They live in, and perform at, The ...

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 3 Comments

Theme Parks

Incredible Low-Tech Laotian Merry-Go-Round

When I was living in Kathmadu 20 years ago (yow!) this summer, I found this awesomely makeshift ferris wheel in a nearby theme park. A teenager would stand in the middle, and walk from one bar to the next, giving passengers a slow, staggered ride. Much more recently in southern Laos, down on the island Don Khon, ...

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Strange Tourism, Theme Parks

Fiendishly Fun Photo Ops at World Park

While we were busy on our own adventures, Chinese tourists flocked to Beijing's glorious World Park of their own accord. Some of them with entire camera crews in tow. Wedding photos, engagement photos, bff shots, they were costumed, posed, and so immaculately arranged. Here's a couple of our favorites! Even those who didn't ...

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

AO Events

AsiaObscura at World Park: The Experience

Rickety rollercoasters, useless tour guides, and rather offputting cross dressers. Everything you could want in a Chinese theme park! What an absolutely glorious & outlandish day! Thanks to everyone who made it to AsiaObscura's inaugural event, A Trip to Beijing World Park! 世界公园, where Fengtai brings you the world! (A few pix nicked from A cuppa and ...

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

AO Events

A Trip to Crab Island – Sun, June 12th!

When the summer hits Beijing, there's nothing like the feel of the sand, waves lapping at your feet, sweet dolphins hopping at the horizon. Yep -- this summer, it's time once again to visit Crab Island, the best beach in Beijing! “But Beijing’s in the middle of the desert,” I hear you cry. "There are no ...

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Modern Ruins, Theme Parks

Another Abandoned Beijing Amusement Park

What is it with these half-built, then abandoned, Beijing amusement parks? We're old fans of The Romance Park of the Heart, which is filled with Swiss chalets, Siamese pagodas, and packs of wild dogs looking to tear your legs off. But we kept hearing about another one, in the opposite direction... Wonderland! Just ...

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 2 Comments

AO Events

AsiaObscura.com presents A Trip to Beijing World Park – May 7th!

Saturday, May 7th at 1pmWhy go all the way to Badaling when the Great Wall is right here in Beijing? Join AsiaObscura.com, as we spend a day exploring the eccentricities of Beijing World Park (北京世界公园), the city's quirkiest amusement park. Experience the skyscrapers of Manhattan, the pyramids of Cairo, and even the Taj Mahal of ...

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Beijing’s incredible (and completely fake) Disneyland

I was always sad Beijing didn't have a Disneyland for weekend fun, but it turns out we do. Well, a fake one. Not far from the center of town, at the Bajiao stop on subway Line 1, is the incredible Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park (北京石景山游乐园). Admission was about US$1.50, and what a ...

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 3 Comments

Uncategorized

Happy Year of the Rabbit! 新年快乐！

(Optimistically cute sign spotted at the Tiger Balm Gardens, a few months ago... the kids loved it!)Updates will be light this week, as Michelle and I are out on the road, exploring more wild China...

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Modern Ruins, Theme Parks

The Romance Park of the Heart – an abandoned Beijing theme park

Beijing's filled with hidden secrets. Behind all those highrise tower blocks and overpasses, there is awesomeness to be found. And so it was that we heard rumors of a decrepit half-built theme park, somewhere way out west. The rumors came from a Chinese film student, who'd heard them from a friend, who'd ...

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

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