By Qian Ding, CCTV.com editor
The theme park industry is booming in China. According to the World Travel Market Global Trend Report, by 2020 more than 330 million people will visit a theme park in China and China's theme park retail sales will hit $12 billion. The parks usually mix Chinese and Western styles, with rides, theaters, performances and hotel resorts. These are some of the most famous theme parks in China.
1. Happy Valley theme parks
Happy Valley theme parks have a good reputation around China, and they can be found in many first-tier cities.
On July 8, Overseas China Town Group opened its seventh Happy Valley theme park in Chongqing, a city in southwest China. The park covers an area of 500,000 square meters and has nearly 50 recreation facilities and six themed zones.
Chongqing Happy Valley
The first Happy Valley park opened in Shenzhen in 1998. It was built at a cost of 2 billion RMB and attracts about 3.5 million people to visit each year.
Shenzhen Happy Valley
The group has since built theme parks in other Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu and Wuhan.
Beijing Happy Valley offers more than 50 landscape themes: 10 themed shows, 30 theme rides, and more than 20 gaming and business support facilities. It has 'Snow-Covered Gold Wings,' the largest suspended roller coaster in Asia, the Titan Car — Asia's largest pendulum ride, 'Heaven and Earth Shuttle'— the only twin towers shuttle in Asia, and the Apollo Wheel — one of the world's tallest Ferris wheels.
Beijing Happy Valley
2.Shanghai Disneyland
Shanghai Disney, which opened in 2016, is getting more and more popular. It is "authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese." The park consists of seven themed areas: Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Treasure Cove, Adventure Isle, Tomorrowland, and Toy Story Land.
Gardens of Imagination is unique to Shanghai Disneyland; it features seven 4-5 hectare (11-acre) Chinese gardens where each animal of the Chinese zodiac is represented by a Disney character.
Gardens of Imagination, Disneyland, Shanghai
3.Guangzhou Changlong Holiday Resort
Changlong Holiday Resort is one of the most popular places in China. It has a large safari park, a world-class circus, a water park and other interesting sections all in one place. The safari park's most popular attractions are its hundreds of species, including giant pandas and large African mammals. Its Crocodile Park is the biggest crocodile farm in the world with 100,000 crocodiles, and Changlong Circus features world-class acrobatics and animal shows.
Changlong Safari Park
4.Beijing World Park
Beijing World Park is a theme park that gives visitors the chance to see the world without leaving Beijing. The park covers 46.7 hectares and contains about 100 replicas of famous landmarks from nearly 40 countries and regions around the world, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Great Pyramids in Egypt. The park also includes an entertainment area where cultural activities such as parades and folk dances take place.
Beijing World Park
Windows of the World in Shenzhen is similar to Beijing World Park; it is also known for replicas of world famous sites. About 3.5 million people visit it each year.
Windows of World, Shenzhen
5.China Dinosaurs Park
China Dinosaurs Park
China Dinosaurs Park, located in Changzhou, a city in the south of China, is dubbed "Eastern Jurassic Park." The main building in the park is the museum of dinosaurs; it has a nearly complete fossil skeleton of Sinosauropteryx and other large fossils. The park's Dinosaur Island offers a variety of activities, including dinosaur-hunting in the bushes, cable-sliding and mountain adventures.
(The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com)
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