Happy Valley’s joyful peak
An iconic Chinese amusement park turns 10 as a growing number of foreign competitors pushes domestic brands to enhance local characteristics, Yang Feiyue reports.
They screamed like never before. Indeed, Yuan Chen and four friends agree the Extreme Rusher roller coaster lives up to its name. “It was like being shot like a bullet,” Yuan says.
“I couldn’t feel gravity. It was like I was flying. I had to close my eyes at points when it seemed like I was going to be thrown from my seat.”
The quintet visited Beijing’s Happy Valley on July 29 to take advantage of the half-off admission to celebrate the amusement park’s 10th anniversary.
They spent about eight hours at the park. They held their breath as waves splashed over them on the flume ride and giggled nervously in the haunted house.
“The place was packed,” Yuan says.
“There was a long line for almost every attraction.”
Happy Valley ranks among China’s most-celebrated amusement parks.
It also has branches in Shanghai, Guangdong province’s Shenzhen, Sichuan province’s capital, Chengdu, Hubei province’s capital, Wuhan, and Tianjin.
The chain has received more than 100 million visits.
Adults aged 20-35 are the main demographic, deputy general manager Li Xiangyang says.
Beijinger Zhang Guangqi believes it’s “more thrilling” than Hong Kong’s Disneyland and Los Angeles’ Universal Studios.
The 33-year-old says the foreign parks are perhaps a better fit for parents bringing children.
Visits peak in July and August because of summer vacation. Up to 10,000 people visit during workdays and up to 20,000 arrive on weekend days, Li says.
Li believes bring not only foreign brands competition but also opportunity.
Disneyland focuses on its animated fairy tales and Universal Studios adopts movie themes, while Happy Valley focuses on the simple joys of thrills.
Shenzhen’s Happy Valley grew by more than 20 percent when Hong Kong’s Disneyland opened 45 kilometers away in 2005. The distance is comparable to that of both parks in Shanghai.
“Foreign theme parks introduce Western elements,” Li says.
“This entices domestic parks to differentiate themselves by developing more Chinese experiences.”
Happy Valley has continued renovating to provide new offerings, he says.
The Shenzhen branch spent 300 million yuan ($45 million) this year to upgrade its Hurricane Bay, where visitors experience virtual roller coasters in a multidimensional cinema and engage in interactive games. The haunted house features Tibetan elements.
The Shanghai branch also upgraded its water and land parks. It now offers a multimedia live-action water show and a family water park.
Visitors can use one ticket in both Beijing and Tianjin until the end of August.
Wuhan offers a seven-dimensional dome-screen cinema and a five-dimensional virtual roller coaster.
Chongqing will open a Happy Valley in 2017 and a new park is planned in Jiangsu province’s capital, Nanjing.
“Each park takes a particular theme,” Li says.
Nearly 40 percent of guests who’ve visited a Happy Valley have returned, the company claims.
Yuan says the trip helped him and his friends harness their inner child.
“We couldn’t play like that anywhere else, since we’re adults,” he says.
“It was a great break from work. I’ll come back soon.”