Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is a theme park situated in Hengqin, Zhuhai, People's Republic of China. It is designed by PGAV Destinations.[2] The park broke ground on 28 November 2010[3] and soft-opened on 28 January 2014.[4] The grand opening occurred on 29 March that year. The first phase of the park cost RMB 10 billion to build.[3] It is part of the Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort, which aims to become the "Orlando of China".[2] According to TEA and AECOM, it is the 10th most visited theme park in the world in 2018, with 10.83 million visitors.[1]
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| Location | Chimelong International Ocean Resort, Fuxiang Bay, Hengqin, Zhuhai, People's Republic of China |
|---|---|
| Theme | Marine |
| Slogan | 全球领先的海洋主题乐园 World Leading Ocean Theme Park |
| Owner | Chimelong Group |
| Operated by | Chimelong Group |
| General manager | Paul Yuen |
| Opened | 29 March 2014 |
| Operating season | Year round |
| Visitors per annum | 10.83 million (2018 operating year)[1] |
| Area | 8 |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 15 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website | zh |
| Chimelong Ocean Kingdom | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 珠海长隆海洋王国 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 珠海長隆海洋王國 | ||||||||||
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Among its attractions are a wide range of amusements rides, animal shows, as well as the world's largest oceanarium with a total of 48.75 million litres (10.72 million UK gal; 12.87 million US gal) of water. The theme park currently has five Guinness World Records under its name.[5]
Rides and shows
Rides
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Area | Opened | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parrot Coaster | Wing Coaster | Bolliger & Mabillard | Amazing Amazon | 2014 |  |
| Polar Explorer | Water Coaster | Mack Rides | Polar Horizon | 2014 |  |
| Walrus Splash | SuperSplash | Mack Rides | Walrus Mountain | 2014 |  |
| Penguin Coaster | Force Coaster | Zierer | Hero Island | 2018 | |
| Jungle Coaster | Force Coaster | Zierer | Hero Island | 2018 |
Shows
| Name | Type | Venue | Area | Opened | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin Show | Animal show | Dolphin Theater | Dolphin Cove | 2014 | |
| Sea Lion Show | Animal show | Sea Lion Theater | Mount Walrus | 2014 | |
| Beluga Show | Animal show | Beluga Theater | Polar Horizon | 2014 |  |
| Ocean Resistance | Nighttime Spectacular | Hengqin Ocean | Hengqin Ocean | 2017 | |
| Musical Fountain Spectacular | Fountain show | Hengqin Ocean | Hengqin Ocean | 2015 |
Themed areas
There are eight themed areas inside the park, each representing a part of the ocean.
Ocean Avenue
- The entrance area with shops and an LED digital canopy that showcases the sea
Amusement rides
- Battle of the Pirates – spinning tea cups with shooting water jets
- Dolphin Round Ride – spinner ride
- 5D Castle Theatre - Opened in 2015. The castle theatre features a 13-minute animated film called "Kaka's Great Adventure". The film is produced by Prana Studios with Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT) providing the hardware. The theatre has a 1,500m² curved screen, a world record. The theatre took more than three years to plan and cost some ¥300 million (US$50 million) to build.[6]
Animal exhibits
- Dolphin Island and Dolphin Theatre – spotted dolphin habitat
- Dolphin Conservation Center – Chinese white dolphin habitat with viewing for guests both above and underwater
Amusement rides
- Parrot Coaster – Bolliger & Mabillard winged coaster ride
Animal exhibits
- Journey to the Amazon – freshwater aquarium
Amusement rides
- Deep Sea Odyssey – submarine ride that goes inside the aquarium
Animal exhibits
- Whale Shark Exhibit Aquarium – the tank itself contains 22.7 million litres (4.99 million UK gal; 5.99 million US gal) of water, making it the largest in the world,[5] and it is home to whale sharks, manta rays, and many other species at the time of its opening.[7]
Amusement rides
- Polar Explorer – water roller coaster ride
Animal exhibits
- Beluga Experience and Beluga Theatre – beluga habitat
- Polar bear Village – Polar bear habitat
- Penguin World – Penguin habitat
Amusement rides
- Bumper Smash – Bumper cars
- Games Arcade – game stalls
- Penguin Coaster
- Jungle Coaster
- Tower of Sea Monsters
Animal exhibits
- Otter's Den – Asian small-clawed otter habitat
- Stingray Encounter – Stingray touch pool
- Tide Pools – Touch tanks with small fish and other sea creatures
Amusement rides
- Spirit of Adventure – pirate ship
- Walrus Splash – giant flume
Animal exhibits
- Walrus Island – walrus habitat
- Sea Lion Bay and Sea Lion Theatre – sea lion habitat
- Sea Bird Paradise – Home to pelicans, white cranes, white-naped cranes, white storks, herons, spotted seals, capybaras, green sea turtles, African spurred tortoises, Aldabra giant tortoise and seagulls.
Hengqin Ocean
- Shows, parades, and firework shows
Entertainments
Journey of Lights - Nighttime parade designed by Miziker Entertainment[8]
Killer Whale Breeding Center
Opened in March 2017, the facility is home to nine killer whales (5 males and 4 females), 6 currently living at the center and 3 temporarily held at another facility. All the killer whales came from Russia and will live here until their new home opens next year.
Two are named Nukka (F) and Tyson (M). Others' names have not been made official yet.
Transportation
The resort has been served by the Zhuhai Changlong railway station on the Zhuhai–Zhuhai Airport intercity railway since 18 August 2020.
Awards and Records
In 2015 Chimelong Ocean Kingdom won the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement over 169 international candidates, marking the first time the award was given to a Chinese theme park.[9]
The ocean park holds the Guinness world record for being the largest aquarium in the world, it also had the largest aquarium window in the world according to the Guinness World Records, a single acrylic panel measuring 39.6 by 8.3 m (130 by 27 ft).
The Journey of Lights parade won the 2018 Thea Award for outstanding achievement - live show.[10]
Criticism
Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, said, "Ocean Kingdom seems to have imported everything. They are doing everything wrong. They are doing everything you don't want them to do".[11] Examples include polar bears confined in small areas demonstrating "repetitive pacing, swaying, head-bobbing or circling"[12] and skin disorders in penguins kept in a sub-tropical environment.
Further criticism arises from a recent trade of orcas between China and Russia.[13] In 2013 Russia captured wild orcas in the Sea of Okhotsk,[14] two of which have been sold to China. "Now, a conservation group monitoring the capture of killer whales says it has discovered that Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) permits were applied for by Russia and granted for two wild-caught killer whales, also known as orcas, to be exported to China."[11] Ocean Kingdom refuses to comment on whether they plan to display orcas in future but there are currently 50 aquariums in China, none of which have orcas on display.
Attendance
| Year | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 5,504,000[15] |
| 2015 | 7,486,000[16] |
| 2016 | 8,474,000[17] |
| 2017 | 9,788,000[18] |
| 2018 | 10,830,000[1] |
References
- "TEA/AECOM 2018 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- Brady MacDonald (17 July 2013). "Huge Chinese theme-park project aims to be the 'Orlando of China'". Los Angeles Times.
- "Hengqin ocean resort to open in 2013 29/11/2010". Macau Daily Times. 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010.
- "Hengqin: Chimelong Ocean Kingdom to open before CNY". Macau Daily Times. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
- "China's Hengqin Ocean Kingdom confirmed as world's largest aquarium as attraction sets five world records". Guinness World Records. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- Michael Switow (June 2015). "Chimelong Ocean Kingdom - June 2015". IAAPA. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- "Largest Aquarium Window". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- Kleiman, Joe (11 November 2016). "Miziker Entertainment Brings Decades of Nighttime Parade Expertise to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom's Journey of Lights". InPark Magazine.
- "Chimelong Ocean Kingdom wins 2014 Thea Award". Hengqin.gov.cn. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- "Thea Awards 2018". Themed Entertainment Association.
- Simon Parry. "Could Zhuhai's new Ocean Kingdom create a market for imported killer whales?". Post Magazine. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- "Zoochosis: Abnormal and Stereotypic Behaviour in Captive Animals". Born Free Foundation.
- "Ocean Kingdom in China Could Become World Leader in Importing Killer Whales". Coaster-net. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- "Message board". Russian Orcas Homepage. 13 October 2013.
- "TEA/AECOM 2014 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- "TEA/AECOM 2015 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- "TEA/AECOM 2016 Theme Index and Museum Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report" (PDF). TEA (Themed Entertainment Association). 2017.
- "TEA/AECOM 2017 Theme Index and Museum Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report" (PDF). TEA (Themed Entertainment Association). 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2017.