MTravel China
← Back to Playgrounds

Playgrounds · Coasters · gardens

Happy Valley

Happy Valley is a theme-park series that grew in China rather than being imported whole. Coasters dive past Chinese gardens and pitched-roof stations. The juxtaposition is contemporary: steel and green sharing one map.

Where

Shenzhen / Beijing / Chengdu and others

Season

Best in spring and autumn

Stay

One day

Shenzhen's park grew up with the city; Beijing's sits in the eastern suburbs; Chengdu, Shanghai and Wuhan each have their own terrain. The core is coasters, water fights and a night parade. Festivals restage the grounds in another set of lights.

Theme parks in China are no longer only imports. Local teams turned queues, shade, food and shows into a system that can be copied, then let each city grow its own temper. Water rides in summer, lanterns in winter.

If you have one day, take the newest coaster and keep a night show. Do not try to clear the park. A garden is for choosing.