Wonderland Amusement Park (Beijing)

Wonderland

A grey concrete and brick castle, wood frames outlining the conical roofs

View of Wonderland in 2010 before structure was demolished
Location Changping District, Beijing, China
Coordinates 40°13′59″N 116°09′50″E / 40.2330°N 116.1638°E / 40.2330; 116.1638Coordinates: 40°13′59″N 116°09′50″E / 40.2330°N 116.1638°E / 40.2330; 116.1638
Owner Reignwood Group
Opened Never opened (abandoned)
Closed Demolished May 2013
Area 120 acres (49 ha)
Status Closed

Wonderland was an abandoned and never completed amusement park project located in Chenzhuang Village (陈庄村), Nankou Town (南口地区), Changping District, China, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside of Beijing. Originally proposed by the Thailand-based property developer Reignwood Group,[1] and designed to be the largest amusement park in Asia (to have covered 120 acres (49 ha)), construction stopped in 1998 following financial problems with local officials, while a 2008 attempt to start construction again also failed.[2]

The site featured a number of abandoned structures, including the framework of a castle-like building and medieval-themed outer buildings. Land was reclaimed by local farmers to grow their various crops while the site was abandoned. People have reported when visiting the site that, sometimes, there would still be parking attendants in the site's parking lot, presumably to tend to onlookers and curious sightseers that came to visit.[3]

The abandonment of such a massive construction project raised concerns about the existence of a "property bubble" in China.[4][5]

The incomplete and abandoned structures were demolished in May 2013, leaving no hope for the abandoned park to ever be finished. While there is no official indication of what will be done with the grounds of where the park once stood, An Feng, Reignwood Group's chief inspector for the company's investment supervision department, has stated a "comprehensive luxury product supermarket" would be built on the site, but that the project was still going through "planning permission formalities".[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alsop, Zoe (2011-12-22). "Pictures: China's Fake Disneyland, Overgrown and Ghostly". National Geographic Daily News. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Taylor, Alan (2011-12-13). "China's Abandoned Wonderland". The Atlantic. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. ↑ Judkis, Maura (2011-12-13). "See China's 'Wonderland,' an abandoned fake-Disneyland (PHOTOS)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Shedlock, Mike (2011-12-13). "This Abandoned Theme Park On The Edge Of Shanghai Is Only The First Sign Of A Major Crash". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Gray, David (2011-12-12). "Editor's Choice Slideshow". Reuters. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  6. ↑ Liqiang, Hou (2013-05-13). "Beijing's Wonderland amusement park demolished". China Daily USA. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
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