05
Playgrounds
Play
The blue of an aquarium tunnel, ice lit from inside, a coaster over a garden roof. Contemporary China knows how to play.
In this volume
9 pieces
Playgrounds · Harbin, Heilongjiang
Harbin Ice and Snow World
Built from a whole river
Playgrounds · Lingang, Pudong, Shanghai
Haichang Ocean Park
Deep sea on the edge of the city
Playgrounds · Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
The sea, fitted onto an island
Playgrounds · Shenzhen / Beijing / Chengdu and others
Happy Valley
Steel rail over a garden roof
Theme parks
Shanghai Disney Resort
Opened 2016. Avoid the first week of October and Chinese New Year.
Theme parks
Universal Beijing Resort
Opened September 2021, in Tongzhou east of the city
Theme parks
Window of the World and Splendid China
Theme parks
Fantawild
Theme parks
How to plan a park day
One disclosure, because it is the sort of thing a page like this usually leaves vague. We are not an authorised ticket distributor for Shanghai Disney Resort or Universal Beijing Resort — both sell through their own channels and a closed list of partners. What we do is the day around the gate: transfers, a guide who speaks your language and knows the app, hotels within reach, and a plan that puts you at the right park on the right weekday.