China’s multi-, mega-, massive ocean park and resort almost ready for unvei

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Saturday May 25, 2013 8:34 PM PT

An aerial view of the massive new Chimelong Ocean Kingdom park on China’s Hengqin Island. (PGAV Destinations)


As China’s southeastern Guangdong province nears completion on its three-years-in-the-making Chimelong Ocean Kingdom on Hengqin Island, near Macao, the massive theme park is sounding like a cross between Disney World, Sea World and Cedar Point. Designed by PGAV Destinations, the folks who created Hong Kong’s Grand Aquarium and the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi’an—and many other projects worldwide—Ocean Kingdom promises to be the first Asian theme park combining animal exhibits, themed entertainment shows and thrill rides in eight themed zones.

Rides include a Mack Watercoaster, a Mack Supersplash and the Swiss-designed signature ride, a wing coaster themed as a parrot flying through a rain forest. An as-yet-unannounced structure is intended to score along with the Eiffel Tower or St. Louis’ Gateway Arch on the icon-meter.

The park, scheduled to open in the middle of this year, plans to display a whale shark in a walk-through tunnel, with plans to house 10 of the sharks eventually. The world’s largest fish will share quarters with tropical spotted dolphins and Chinese white dolphins. Plans to display whale sharks, a threatened species, were jettisoned in Singapore and Hong Kong in the face of vigorous protests by animal-rights activists. China currently displays the behemoths at an aquarium in Yantai; the Georgia Aquarium also houses one. Marine parks in Japan and Taiwan also display whale sharks.

Ocean Kingdom is just one phase of a massive, multi-park resort development modeled after Orlando, Fla. that will cover more than 3 square miles of one of the last undeveloped islands in the Pearl River delta. It is projected to have a population of 280,000 by 2020.

Attractions will include a golf course, yachting center, sports facilities, theaters, convention centers, a science park, a night zoo, a flower park and a safari park … for starters. With its 1,888-room dolphin-themed luxury hotel and a manmade beach with a wave pool, it looks like Dubai, not Orlando, is in the creators’ crosshairs.

– Christine Delsol

Artist’s rendering of the walk-through tunnel displaying a whale shark. (PGAV Destinations)

 

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With Shanghai Disneyland scheduled to open in 2014， it seems that the nationwide economic rebalancing is in full swing。

 

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Another new well-known tennant on Hengqin Island is of course the University of Macau。

Polytechnic Institute eyes old UM campus

Tony Lai | 17/05/2013 | in Society

The Macau Polytechnic Institute is the first institution to express openly its desire to take over the Taipa campus

The Macau Polytechnic Institute has reportedly asked to take over the University of Macau’s campus on Taipa when the university moves to its new campus on Hengqin Island.

The Chinese-language Shimin Daily quoted the dean of the institute, Li Xiangyu, as telling reporters on Wednesday that the institute had applied to the government to use the Taipa campus “for a period of time” but had received no response.

The newspaper quoted Mr Li as saying other institutions had made similar requests.

Business Daily asked the institute when it had asked to take over the Taipa campus and what its next move would be.

The institute replied that it had nothing to add to Mr Li’s reported remarks.

Business Daily asked the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau whether it had received other applications to use the Taipa campus and when it would decide what to do with the campus, but we had received no reply by the time we went to press.

The University of Macau is due to move to Hengqin Island in September.

The government has said it will take back most of the Taipa campus.

The Tertiary Education Services Office has said the government will ensure “reasonable and efficient” use of the campus.

But it has not said who might take over the campus.

Mr Li said the Macau Polytechnic Institute’s campus was cramped, having under 10 square metres per student, less than the 40 to 50 square metres standard in mainland China.

The institute’s main campus, in the NAPE district, covers over 19,000 square metres and accommodates 3,300 students.

Mr Li said the outcome of the institute’s application to use the Taipa campus would affect its plan to add a new building to its present campus.

He said that if the institute failed to get the Taipa campus it would stay where it was now.

Another candidate to take over the Taipa campus may the City University of Macau, owned by politician Chan Meng Kam.

Sources in the University of Macau told Business Daily last week that the government had said it was possible that the City University would get the Taipa campus.
Mr Chan, a member of the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council, said his university had been in talks with the government about a new campus, but had not asked for a new campus in any particular place.