China is now issuing tourist visas again. I was going to wait until after the summer, but since I’m mostly on half days at work now, a visit to the visa centre made more sense now, so I got one sorted a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t intend to use it so soon, but I picked it up on a Friday and ended up thinking “f**k it” and getting on a train that evening.
Dongguan is very close to Hong Kong, sitting between Shenzhen and Guangzhou. There are no major parks, but just look at this cluster of crap!
The high-speed rail station in Hong Kong is literally a 5-minute walk from my place, with the train to a station to the south-west area of Dongguan (Humen Town on that map above) only taking about half an hour or so. This was purely a +1 cred-whoring weeked since there is nothing interesting in Dongguan at all. It’s a huge manufacturing hub, and that’s about it.
Anyway, I stayed in a hotel close to Humen Park (bottom left of that map) on the Friday night, meaning I was close to the first park for an early start. I could see it from the hotel room that night, and it was lit up and clearly open, but I just couldn’t be arsed to head back out. From there, I headed roughly east, taking in the coasters in the southern part of that map.
Day 1 - Humen Park
Three creds listed here, which were all open. I arrived just after 9am, slightly worried that I was too early, but they were already testing the rides and getting everything ready.
I’ve explained this in previous China trip reports, but it’s been years and there might be newer people reading this, but most of these places aren’t what we’d usually consider to be amusement parks. They’re mostly just regular parks, green spaces within the cities, and they’re usually lovely.
A lot of them have a rides area, often labelled as a “children’s playground”. In the UK, that would mean some broken swings that some teenagers have set fire to, but in China, it means CREDS!
Onto the next place. For this entire weekend, I just used Didi (Chinese Uber) to get between places since it was easy and cheap.
Chang’an Park
Another very nice city park:
And the rides area:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! There used to be a jungle mouse. Next!
Dreams Baihuazhou
This was a pay-to-enter place within a much bigger park area (Central Park) and was therefore completely dead. The entrance was promising, but there’s really f**k all there.
It turns out that the powered dragon labelled to be in this park was actually outside in the main Central Park area, so paying to get in here was a complete waste. At least there was lovely theming to enjoy.
And I found an unlisted cred, which is usually very exciting. However, it was this. With there being no staff around at all to stop me, I contemplated trying to somehow ride it, but nah.
Oh, and the powered dragon in the main park? Gone. I could’ve seen that by looking at a satellite view before heading here, but oh well.
Dalang Lixiang Wetland Park
Another almost empty park, owing to the fact that it’s not particularly close to any residential areas.
There’s a jungle mouse listed here, which was still there and running. After the last two places, thank f**k for that.
There was also this unlisted bonus cred! Yaaaaaaaaas!
Back into a taxi…
Huangjiang People’s Park
This place was also supposed to have a jungle mouse, but it’s gone, the area where is used to sit now being an extension of the entrance plaza.
But there was this unlisted bonus cred! Look at his happy little face! I had to literally wake someone in a ticket booth up by knocking the window, and then she had to call someone to come over and open the thing. The shame!
This next place was originally a maybe based on time, but I was doing well in that area, so headed to it.
Guangdong Guanyinshan National Forest Park
This place was huge, with walking trails up various mountains and stuff.
I was just here for the cred though, but I really had to work for this one, climbing up a massive hill to get to the rides area. This could’ve been made slightly easier by starting at a nearby hotel on the opposite side, but I didn’t know that at the time and it still would’ve been a bit of a climb. I’m not averse to a bit of exercise, but it was really hot and I was also carrying a bag since I wasn’t going back to the same hotel that night.
At the top was an almost empty area with a large show building (no idea) and a few rides. Yay for another jungle mouse!
Walking away from the park towards a nearby hotel, you can see how isolated it is. Such an effort for a crappy +1, but I’m such a lil’ trooper.
The next place was much more of an actual amusement/theme park, with tickets etc.
Yinxian Resort
I somehow ended up with a ticket which allowed me into the waterpark and zoo – neither of which I went near – but none of the rides, so I ended up paying for those individually.
They had one of those glass bridges which are popping up everywhere in China. It was good for the views and to scope out where other stuff was, but was quite expensive at around 6 quid.
There was a powered dragon at the other end, and a really crap alpine coaster. It was short and noneventful already, but you could only ride it in a train of cars, with a ride up controlling the whole thing.
There was supposed to be a crappy looper here, but it’s been removed and the land is being worked over for something else.
The highlight of the park was a Jinma suspended coaster. It’s a new model, much smaller than their Vekoma clones and with an original (I think?) layout.
It was really good! I don’t just mean good for a Jinma coaster, but genuinely good and extremely smooth. I only got one front-row ride in though, so I don’t know if it was worse further back.
I would’ve got another ride on it, but it started pissing down (could hear the thunder for around half an hour leading up to it), so they closed it and I just headed out.
Since the rain was easing off as I left the park, I tried to squeeze one more place in, which was really close, but right as I got out of the car, it turned into a proper thunderstorm, so I just hid under a bus shelter and ordered another car to take me to the next hotel.
I guess we’ll never know if that jungle mouse still exists…
Not a bad day though. 7 parks and 10 creds. More of the same on the next day, which I’ll get up later.
Dongguan is very close to Hong Kong, sitting between Shenzhen and Guangzhou. There are no major parks, but just look at this cluster of crap!
The high-speed rail station in Hong Kong is literally a 5-minute walk from my place, with the train to a station to the south-west area of Dongguan (Humen Town on that map above) only taking about half an hour or so. This was purely a +1 cred-whoring weeked since there is nothing interesting in Dongguan at all. It’s a huge manufacturing hub, and that’s about it.
Anyway, I stayed in a hotel close to Humen Park (bottom left of that map) on the Friday night, meaning I was close to the first park for an early start. I could see it from the hotel room that night, and it was lit up and clearly open, but I just couldn’t be arsed to head back out. From there, I headed roughly east, taking in the coasters in the southern part of that map.
Day 1 - Humen Park
Three creds listed here, which were all open. I arrived just after 9am, slightly worried that I was too early, but they were already testing the rides and getting everything ready.
I’ve explained this in previous China trip reports, but it’s been years and there might be newer people reading this, but most of these places aren’t what we’d usually consider to be amusement parks. They’re mostly just regular parks, green spaces within the cities, and they’re usually lovely.
A lot of them have a rides area, often labelled as a “children’s playground”. In the UK, that would mean some broken swings that some teenagers have set fire to, but in China, it means CREDS!
Onto the next place. For this entire weekend, I just used Didi (Chinese Uber) to get between places since it was easy and cheap.
Chang’an Park
Another very nice city park:
And the rides area:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! There used to be a jungle mouse. Next!
Dreams Baihuazhou
This was a pay-to-enter place within a much bigger park area (Central Park) and was therefore completely dead. The entrance was promising, but there’s really f**k all there.
It turns out that the powered dragon labelled to be in this park was actually outside in the main Central Park area, so paying to get in here was a complete waste. At least there was lovely theming to enjoy.
And I found an unlisted cred, which is usually very exciting. However, it was this. With there being no staff around at all to stop me, I contemplated trying to somehow ride it, but nah.
Oh, and the powered dragon in the main park? Gone. I could’ve seen that by looking at a satellite view before heading here, but oh well.
Dalang Lixiang Wetland Park
Another almost empty park, owing to the fact that it’s not particularly close to any residential areas.
There’s a jungle mouse listed here, which was still there and running. After the last two places, thank f**k for that.
There was also this unlisted bonus cred! Yaaaaaaaaas!
Back into a taxi…
Huangjiang People’s Park
This place was also supposed to have a jungle mouse, but it’s gone, the area where is used to sit now being an extension of the entrance plaza.
But there was this unlisted bonus cred! Look at his happy little face! I had to literally wake someone in a ticket booth up by knocking the window, and then she had to call someone to come over and open the thing. The shame!
This next place was originally a maybe based on time, but I was doing well in that area, so headed to it.
Guangdong Guanyinshan National Forest Park
This place was huge, with walking trails up various mountains and stuff.
I was just here for the cred though, but I really had to work for this one, climbing up a massive hill to get to the rides area. This could’ve been made slightly easier by starting at a nearby hotel on the opposite side, but I didn’t know that at the time and it still would’ve been a bit of a climb. I’m not averse to a bit of exercise, but it was really hot and I was also carrying a bag since I wasn’t going back to the same hotel that night.
At the top was an almost empty area with a large show building (no idea) and a few rides. Yay for another jungle mouse!
Walking away from the park towards a nearby hotel, you can see how isolated it is. Such an effort for a crappy +1, but I’m such a lil’ trooper.
The next place was much more of an actual amusement/theme park, with tickets etc.
Yinxian Resort
I somehow ended up with a ticket which allowed me into the waterpark and zoo – neither of which I went near – but none of the rides, so I ended up paying for those individually.
They had one of those glass bridges which are popping up everywhere in China. It was good for the views and to scope out where other stuff was, but was quite expensive at around 6 quid.
There was a powered dragon at the other end, and a really crap alpine coaster. It was short and noneventful already, but you could only ride it in a train of cars, with a ride up controlling the whole thing.
There was supposed to be a crappy looper here, but it’s been removed and the land is being worked over for something else.
The highlight of the park was a Jinma suspended coaster. It’s a new model, much smaller than their Vekoma clones and with an original (I think?) layout.
It was really good! I don’t just mean good for a Jinma coaster, but genuinely good and extremely smooth. I only got one front-row ride in though, so I don’t know if it was worse further back.
I would’ve got another ride on it, but it started pissing down (could hear the thunder for around half an hour leading up to it), so they closed it and I just headed out.
Since the rain was easing off as I left the park, I tried to squeeze one more place in, which was really close, but right as I got out of the car, it turned into a proper thunderstorm, so I just hid under a bus shelter and ordered another car to take me to the next hotel.
I guess we’ll never know if that jungle mouse still exists…
Not a bad day though. 7 parks and 10 creds. More of the same on the next day, which I’ll get up later.
