Beijing World Park

Beijing World Park
Bắc Kinh thế giới công viên

Location	Beijing, China
Coordinates	39°48′34″N116°16′53″E
Opened	October 25, 1993(1993-10-25)
Attendance	1.5 million
Area	46.7 hectares

Beijing World Park(simplified Chinese:Bắc Kinh thế giới công viên;traditional Chinese:Bắc Kinh thế giới công viên;pinyin:Běijīng Shìjiè Gōngyuán) is atheme parkthat attempts to give visitors the chance to see the world without having to leaveBeijing.The park covers 46.7hectaresand is located in the southwesternFengtai DistrictofBeijing.It is about 17 km fromTiananmen,the City center, and 40 km from theCapital International Airport.The park opened in 1993 and is estimated to receive 1.5 million visitors annually.

The park

The entrance to the park is made up of aGothiccastle, Roman corridor, and granite relief sculptures. Immediately inside the gate is an Italian-style terrace garden with grand staircases, fountains, and sculptures inspired by originals from theEuropean Renaissance.More lawns and gardens are scattered throughout the park. On these lawns are miniature models of around 100 of the world's most famous statues including the AmericanStatue of Liberty,Copenhagen'sLittle Mermaid,Michelangelo's David,and theVenus de Milo.Once inside the gates, Beijing World Park consists of two main parts: the scenic portion and the shopping, dining, and entertainment area.

Scenic area

The scenic area of the park models itself after the naturalistic layout of the globe, representing the four major oceans, and focusing on five continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. The park contains about a hundred (109) scaled-down replicas of famous landmarks from nearly 40 countries and regions around the world, including theTower Bridgein London, theEiffel Towerin Paris, and theGreat Pyramids in Egypt.There is even a miniatureManhattan,complete with twin towers of theWorld Trade Center.Each landmark represents its country or region of origin and is situated in the park according to its location on the map.

Close attention to detail was paid in modeling these landmarks after their originals. For example, detailed carvings and ornamentations are included. Even the materials used are modeled after their originals to create the most authentic look possible. For example, the replica of theGreat Pyramidswas constructed of 200,000 white marble bricks, each as large as a bar of soap.Red Squarein Russia, is replicated by paving the smaller model in World Park with over 5 million red bricks smaller thanmahjong tiles.

List of Some International Landmarks Featured in Beijing World Park

• Australia's Sydney Opera House
• Belgium's Atomium
• Belgium's Manneken Pis
• Egypt's Great Pyramids
• Egypt's Pharos of Alexandria
• Egypt's Great Sphinx
• France's Eiffel Tower
• France's Arc de Triomphe
• France's Notre Dame Cathedral
• India's Taj Mahal
• Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa
• ANetherlandswindmill
• The United Kingdom's Big Ben Clocktower
• The United Kingdom's Tower Bridge
• The United States’ Manhattan with Empire State Building and World Trade Center
• The United States' Statue of Liberty

Many of the locale-specific areas focused on the five continents also include live entertainment or some kind of an immersive cultural experience such as a dance performance or parade based on customs from their culture of origin. There is a special garden area in the scenic portion of the park that consists of China's Qingyingjing Park, Japan'sKatsura Imperial Villa,and an American-style garden villa. This allows visitors to see global styles of gardening.To get around the park, visitors can travel the four “oceans” by speedboat tour. They can also take a monorail that circumvents the five continents to give tourists a glimpse of the whole “world”. Or they can take a tour of the park in battery-operated cars.

Shopping, dining, and entertainment area

The other portion of the park includes the shopping and dining area. This area is modeled after Euro-American architecture. The various establishments allow visitors to purchase souvenirs and sample cuisine from the countries and regions represented in the scenic portion of the park. This second part of the park also includes the entertainment area where grand spectacles and cinema features take place in large theatres to showcase global cultural costume, movement, and customs. Some of these cultural activities include the daily opening ceremonies, which consist of a parade of large-scale floats. There are also culture-specific folklore dances that take place indoors or in open-air arenas. These dances may be performed by Beijing World Park dancers, or they may be performed by troupes representing their local cultures. In 2005 the park even hosted a Thai elephant that performed four times a day from May to October.

The 2008 Summer Olympics

During the2008 Summer Olympics,it was selected as one of the threeprotest zones.

The World

The Worldis a 2004 film directed byJia Zhangke,which was made at Beijing World Park and focused on the lives of some fictional park employees.

Nearby attractions

TheBeijing Dabaotai Western Han Dynasty Mausoleumis located 0.5 km (0.31 mi) southeast from the south entrance of the World Park. The mausoleum hosts the 2,000-year-old tombs of aWestern Han dynastyprince and his wife.

Transport

• Dabaotai station

Gallery

• 
  Ứng huyện mộc tháp
• 
  Thái cơ lăng
• 
  Thụy đại kim tháp
• 
  Bà La Phù đồ
• 
  Babylon môn
• 
  Ba Tư Polis cung di chỉ
• 
  Thánh Sofia nhà thờ lớn

See also

• Window of the World- a similar but older park located inShenzhen

External links

• Official Site for Beijing World Park(in Chinese)
• As a tourist attraction on the 2008 Olympic's website
• Review ofThe World,the film, from the New York Times