Longtan's Abandoned Ferris Wheel Set To Reopen This Summer

Original Joey Knotts theBeijinger

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Consider it a harbinger of a better year to come – an abandoned amusement park, famous among urbanophiles in recent years for its dystopian aura but still well remembered by old-time Beijingers, will be made new again and opened to the public this summer, Beijing News reports.

Tucked just inside the southeast corner of the Second Ring Road, Longtan Central Lake Park sits between the West and East Lakes encompassing a winding lake, in which two large islands sit. The larger island became home to Beijing Amusement Park in 1984, and its crowning jewel, the large Ferris wheel, stood 60 meters high.

A map of Longtan Central Park, whose amusement park will reopen to the public this summer

The wheel enjoyed a good quarter-century of use before it was decommissioned in 2010 when Beijing Amusement Park closed to the public, but it was still visible to visitors picnicking at the lake.

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Undeterred by the virus, Dongcheng district authorities sought to reconstruct the aging ride and reopen it to the public, after a survey of public opinion proved that nostalgia for the wheel remained strong. Reconstruction efforts began in May 2020 and the team managed to put the wheel back into view by September of that year. Now, we finally know their target for reopening to the public, which has been set before Jul 1, 2021.

Little has been reported about the state of the amusement park’s other attractions, but presumably, they too will get a good dusting if not a complete rebuild.

This all may come as pleasant news to many Beijingers who look forward to a beautiful view of the city from atop the wheel, but some urban explorers might be lamenting the loss of a cherished site. After all, what screams “This place is haunted,” like an abandoned amusement park surrounded by abandoned automobiles, and a rusty Ferris wheel towering above, its carriages vacant except for the ghosts presumably riding within.

Say farewell to these creepy old sights and hello to a brand new park!

Yet, admirers of landmarks in the capital should nonetheless rejoice that the park's reconstruction will include the Ferris wheel at all, as the alternative, of course, was that it would be torn down permanently.