A THEME PARK OF YESTERYEAR

With Ocean Park’s Water World set to open as HK’s newest theme park (see page 50), we thought we’d take a look in the history books at a much older one instead.

Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park ( pictured) opened in April 1949 near Lai Chi Kok Bay (the name means “lychee corner”) on the west side of Kowloon. It was Hong Kong’s biggest park of its kind, remaining so for decades. Highlights included: • thrill rides called “Dragon Coaster”, “Space Car”, “Sky Merry” and “Astro Swinger”;

• fun- house experiences called “Surprising House”, “Haunted Mansion” and “Grandish House”;

• a carousel, Ferris wheel, shooting

gallery and bumper cars;

• a monorail for touring the whole park; • knife-throwing exhibitions and an

ice-skating rink (winter only!); and, • a zoo with everything from a Bactrian camel to a German goat, plus star attraction Tino the Asian elephant.

Tickets to get in were originally 60 cents, rising to around $15 by the time the park closed in 1997.

In 2015, a son of one of the owners of Lai Chi Kok launched a “pop-up” version of the old amusement park in Central, hoping to evoke some happy nostalgic vibes. Called “Lai Yuen Super Summer”, it featured a handful of rides and attractions, and a robot version of Tino the elephant! Reviews were mixed.

Hong Kong had earlier amusement parks than Lai Chi Kok. The first was perhaps Yue Yuen, or “Happy Retreat”, at the south end of the Happy Valley racecourse. It opened in the 1890s and was still operational into the 1920s. One source mentions that it had a Ferris Wheel, swings, a shooting gallery, fireworks and live music.

There was also a Luna Park in HK, like in many other places around the world; it opened the same year as Lai Chi Kok, but shut just five years later, in 1954.