Beijing's Rickety Love Affair With the Ferris Wheel
This article originally appeared in our blogs section on November 10, 2016 (Thursday).
Throwback Thursday takes a look back into Beijing's past, using our nine-year-strong blog archives as the source for a glance at the weird and wonderful of the city's past.
News that Shijingshan Amusement Park, Beijing's answer to the Disney Land it never got (or as one droll Trip Advisor reviewer dubbed it, "Dismaland"), has erected its newly renovated Ferris wheel last Wednesday marks a happy moment in the long and complicated history the city has had with the world's most humble of amusement rides.
Back in 2007, in preparation for the Olympics and the city's chance to dazzle by going large, it was announced that Beijing would receive its very own "Great Observation Wheel," a 208-meter giant, smackdown in the northeast corner of Chaoyang Park.
Not just an Eye, an entire bloody Observation Wheel
Unfortunately, the aptly named Great Wheel Corporation (there can only be one) botched the USD 99 million (RMB 672 million) project, which was set to overtake the then world's biggest wheel, the Singapore Flyer, by 40 meters. However, the project went t*ts up and the Great Wheel Corporation slowly deflated, eventually accused of embezzlement before going receivership in 2010.
The scars of this ugly failure were still fresh on the face of Chaoyang Park, making it an attractive location for Beijing urban explorer Burbex (burbex.org) who probed the ferris wheel's now rotten foundations earlier this year.
It was no doubt that this event was still fresh in the minds of many Beijingers, bringing pangs of sadness whenever muttered on Beijing's cold, dusty streets. Then, in March of last year, Shijingshan Amusement Park undertook a complete overhaul of their very own 62-meter Ferris wheel which had stood strong since 1986, and looked a little something like this:
Just kidding, here it is:
The new Ferris wheel, which was originally due in October, will go into operation around January 2017, and stands at a somewhat diminutive 100 meters. From the pictures, it appears as though someone has merely Photoshopped the London Eye behind the park.
However, the wheel's similarity to the London Eye is unlikely to be a fluke. In 2007, Shijingshan Amusement Park was implicated in a trademark scandal after a number of the costumes used around the park were accused of resembling Disney and comic book characters.
If the Hulk ate the Hulk and then had a bowel movement
Spin-off-ness aside, this new wheel will boast having free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, sofas, and "simply everything," according to a toutiao.com article, rekindling the Beijinger dream of having a massive wheel of their own. Alternatively, screw the dream and head to Tianjin where even they have unabashed (and bigger) ripoff: the 120-meter Tianjin Eye.
Bonus round/Urass Adventure – Trip Adviser reviews of Shijingshan Amusement Park
“Dismaland Beijing” – 2/5 stars
We visited here with low expectations after reading the other reviews online and said low expectations were duly fulfilled. IF you are going to the park expecting a fun day out at an amusement park, expect to be hugely underwhelmed. We saw maybe one in ten rides operational, the water features had all been drained and looked awful, the whole look and feel of the place was eerie and decrepit. At one point we genuinely wondered how they can charge people to enter. However, IF you are going to explore what looks like an old abandoned theme park; you'll have a great afternoon wandering around for a couple of hours. It's 10yn in and it felt almost post apocalyptic which makes for some great photos (that's why it got 2*!) but not in the traditional Disneyland sense.
– Nathan M, Belfast
“You just gotta laugh” – 2/5 stars
Bajiao Amusement Park is certainly not the most fantastic place to visit but it is something to do if you live here locally. If I was just visiting Beijing, this would certainly not be anywhere near my top of the list of my must things to do. However, if you have nothing better to do and want to explore the city without having any real expectations of a real thrill amusement park to behold, then it’s a place and thing to do.
For starters, it’s very cheap. If you want to ride everything then it starts to add up but don’t worry, you won’t want to ride everything. That isn’t even a dilemma for you because most rides aren’t even open. I love Disneyland and it’s kind of funny because this park rips off some of the elements of Disneyland shamelessly but T.I.C. Just go with the flow, have an open mind, enjoy yourself as much as possible and enjoy the sights. If I was here to entertain my children, I’d definitely stay away but it’s fun just to laugh at everything and be glad you spent USD 1.50 to get in. It’s right off the subway line 1 stop so you can’t miss it and enjoy the snack food as it’s relatively cheap and not horrible.
– Daniel A, Beijing
“The worst park I have been to!” – 1/5 stars
I never thought an amusement park (that is open) can be bad, but this actually felt like being in an abandoned amusement park. Almost freaky! It felt like two sections to this park, the part we entered first was absolutely abandoned, all rides were closed. Then we walked up the steps to the other section, and began to see some people, which was a relief. Even there, only few rides were open. At least we weren't ripped off as we pay for each ride. The staff are not friendly, can't speak English and pretty much stare at you. It was convenient to get to the park using the subway but not worth it at all. We did not spend more then 2 hours there. If you would like to see what an abandoned park looks like, you might want to give it a shot.
– Kraz2013, Melbourne
... Well, maybe a shiny new Ferris wheel can't hurt.