The death of Wonderland Amusement Park, China’s ‘Fake’ Disneyland
(All images (unless stated) by Adam Khan)
On the outskirts of Beijing investors envisioned a project that would rival Disneyland. An amusement park for an entire continent – with dreams of attracting millions of visitors each year. Ultimately this dream did not transpire; at least not on the pompous level that was expected.
Wonderland Amusement Park Beijing 2
Instead, construction of Wonderland Amusement Park continued for some time until contractors fell into a dispute with local officials and all work was halted in 1998. What was abandoned was an entrance façade with all the wonder of Disneyland, but beyond this a ghostly world existed.
Wonderland Amusement Park Beijing 6
(Image: Tormod Sandtorv, cc-sa-4.0)
Over 15 years the unfinished, decrepit buildings had become playgrounds for graffiti artists. Squatters could be heard whispering at the ends of long shadowy corridors, and farmers had reclaimed the open land for crops.
Wonderland Amusement Park Beijing 3
And the most magnificent failure; the skeletal structure of the ‘fairytale’ castle in all its unfinished glory. This derelict, abandoned amusement park was the perfect setting for film makers to capture its horror movie essence. It could also have provided the backdrop to an episode of Scooby Doo.
Wonderland Amusement Park Beijing 4
Wonderland Amusement Park created its own mysteries where silence and darkness existed as one. Eerie children’s masks lay cracked and scattered across the floor. It was possible to scale the castle’s spires where one could observe Wonderland in all its beautiful solitude; but only if you first dared to climb the pitch black spiral staircases which led to the top. What was a nightmare to some provided curious adventure to others.
Wonderland Amusement Park Beijing 5
For 15 years Wonderland Amusement Park was truly a fascinating setting, but in early 2013 builders moved in and began demolishing the site. Now mostly foundations remain and the land is likely to be converted into a giant commodity-based consumer adventure playground (or in layman’s terms a shopping mall).
Speaking of malls, check out 9 abandoned ‘dead malls’ here.