Beijing World Park
Encyclopedia
Beijing World Park is a theme park that attempts to give visitors the chance to see the world without having to leave Beijing
. The park covers 46.7 hectares and is located in the southwestern Fengtai District
of Beijing
. It is about 17 km from Tiananmen
, the City center, and 40 km from the Capital International Airport
. The park opened in 1993 and is estimated to receive 1.5 million visitors annually.
castle, 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 the European 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 American Statue of Liberty
, Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid
, Michelangelo’s David
, and the Venus de Milo
. Once inside the gates, Beijing World Park consists of two main parts: the scenic portion and the shopping, dining, and entertainment area.
in London, the Eiffel Tower
in Paris, and the Great Pyramids in Egypt. There is even a miniature Manhattan
, complete with twin towers of the World 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 the Great Pyramids was constructed of 200,000 white marble bricks, each as large as a bar of soap. Red Square
in Russia, is replicated by paving the smaller model in World Park with over 5 million red bricks smaller than mahjong tiles
.
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's Katsura 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.
, it was selected as one of the three protest zones
.
is a 2004 film directed by Jia Zhangke
, which was made at Beijing World Park. The characters in the film are employees of the Park.
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The park covers 46.7 hectares and is located in the southwestern Fengtai District
Fengtai District
Fengtai District is a suburban district of the municipality of Beijing. It lies to the southwest of the urban core of the city.-History:In Qing Dynasty times, Fengtai was where the Imperial Manchu Army had its camps, trained, and held parades on festive occasions.It is 304.2 square kilometers in...
of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. It is about 17 km from Tiananmen
Tiananmen
The Tiananmen, Tian'anmen or Gate of Heavenly Peace is a famous monument in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is widely used as a national symbol. First built during the Ming Dynasty in 1420, Tian'anmen is often referred to as the front entrance to the Forbidden City...
, the City center, and 40 km from the Capital International Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport, is the main international airport serving Beijing, China. It is located northeast of Beijing's city center in an enclave of Chaoyang District that is surrounded by rural Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital...
. 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 a GothicGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
castle, 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 the European 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 American Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (statue)
The statue of The Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the harbour of the capital of Denmark. Based on a tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction....
, Michelangelo’s David
David (Michelangelo)
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence...
, and the Venus de Milo
Venus de Milo
Aphrodite of Milos , better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created at some time between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly...
. 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 (106) scaled-down replicas of famous landmarks from nearly 14 countries and regions around the world, including the Tower BridgeTower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
in London, the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
in Paris, and the Great Pyramids in Egypt. There is even a miniature Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, complete with twin towers of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. 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 the Great Pyramids was constructed of 200,000 white marble bricks, each as large as a bar of soap. Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
in Russia, is replicated by paving the smaller model in World Park with over 5 million red bricks smaller than mahjong tiles
Mahjong tiles
Mahjong tiles are tiles of Chinese origin that are used to play many games, most notably Mahjong and Mahjong solitaire. Although they are most commonly tiles, they may also refer to playing cards with similar contents as well.- Construction :Traditionally, Mahjong tiles were made of bone, often...
.
List of Some International Landmarks Featured in Beijing World Park
- Egypt’s Great PyramidsEgyptian pyramidsThe Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found...
- Egypt’s Pharos of AlexandriaLighthouse of AlexandriaThe Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria , was a tower built between 280 and 247 BC on the island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt...
- Egypt’s Great SphinxGreat Sphinx of GizaThe Great Sphinx of Giza , commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt....
- France’s Eiffel TowerEiffel TowerThe Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
- France’s Arc de TriompheArc de Triomphe-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
- France’s Notre Dame CathedralNotre Dame de ParisNotre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
- India’s Taj MahalTaj MahalThe Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
- Italy’s Leaning Tower of PisaLeaning Tower of PisaThe Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa...
- A NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
windmill - The United Kingdom’s Big Ben Clocktower
- The United Kingdom’s Tower BridgeTower BridgeTower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
- The United States’ Manhattan with Empire State Building and World Trade CenterNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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's Katsura Imperial Villa
Katsura Imperial Villa
The , or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan...
, 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 the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, it was selected as one of the three protest zones
Free speech zone
Free speech zones are areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of free speech in the United States. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law... abridging.....
.
The World
The WorldThe World (film)
The World is a 2004 Chinese film written and directed by Jia Zhangke. Starring Jia's muse, Zhao Tao, as well as Chen Taisheng, The World was filmed on and around an actual theme park located in Beijing, Beijing World Park, which recreates world landmarks at reduced scales for Chinese tourists. The...
is a 2004 film directed by Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke is a Chinese film director. He is generally regarded as a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema, a group that also includes such figures as Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Yuan....
, which was made at Beijing World Park. The characters in the film are employees of the Park.