The Great Wall of Disneyland?

On each of my trips to the Great Wall at Badaling I have driven past a complex that reminded me of Disneyland. Just outside of Beijing lies a cluster of buildings that look very much like those found at Disney. There is even a castle, resembling the one at Magic Kingdom, rising from the top of the small village. Just 10 minutes from the park one can begin to see portions of the Great Wall. I have always been intrigued by the park, especially since the buildings lie empty and the surrounding area is abandoned. Located in the middle of farmland and just 10 minutes from one of the Wonders of the World, the park is difficult to overlook. It is a shame to see such a beautifully built place go unused, providing another example of the many new buildings that lie abandoned in China.

Luckily, I stumbled across an article about this very park on Reuters this week, and many of the questions I had about this mysterious Disneyland were answered. I have provided a link to the original article, which discusses the current state of China’s Deserted Fake Disneyland.

Just ten minutes from fake Disneyland it is possible to see portions of the Great Wall winding through the mountains.

Beijing Jiuhua Spa Resort

To the north of Beijing is Jiuhua Spa Resort, which is located in one of the areas that was abandoned after the Olympics. We got the information about the spa from a Lonely Planet, and went there in mid-April. When we arrived we found the prices to be three times higher than listed in the book, and the worker told us this was because the book was from 2006. We bought the full access ticket, mud bath included, and were ready for a day at the spa.

This spa was located outdoors, and when I walked into the spa area I was not impressed. Where there was supposed to be small waterfalls and warm flowing water was concrete covered with a small layer of black water and various debris. This was not that big of a deal since it was mainly for looks and we had been told that only thirty of the baths were opened. As we walked around the area, I was disgusted by the baths. Each one of them had what appeared to be extremely dirty water in them, and some people were sitting in them. I finally decided to just go for a swim in one of the pools, but was promptly kicked out because I didn’t have a swim cap on.

I bought the swim cap, and after a short swim I wanted to sit in one of the baths. The spa is built over a large natural hot spring, so all of the water from the baths is supposed to come from the hot spring, with some of the baths reaching temperatures over 110 F. As I searched for a bath I realized that every one of them seemed really dirty, until I reached an area that had signs above it. The signs explained that the tubs were filled with various plants and other herbal medicines that were supposed to heal the body. There were baths that healed your heart, lungs, sinuses, etc, and each one of them actually smelt pretty good. It was like sitting in a large tea cup. I don’t think that the bird feathers and leaves were part of the herbal medicines but in China you learn to deal with these kind of things.

After sitting in a few different tubs it was time for the most fun part of the spa, the mud bath. You actually float in a mud bath, so I was just able to lay back and relax. It reminded me of the good old days when I would come into my house covered in dirt from the various adventures that my brother and I went on. By the time I was ready to leave the mud bath I was completely covered in mud, which eventually was not easy to get rid of, but was well worth it.

One of the most disturbing things to see is people walking around after they just got some cupping done. Some men do this very often, and believe that it is very good for their body. They put a flame inside of a small cup and then once it is warm enough attach it to a person’s back. After the full treatment their back looks like the image below, and the marks will be visible for over a week. Although it looks bad, it is not supposed to be painful.

The spa was relaxing and enjoyable, like any spa should be, but I would suggest waiting to go there until the summer if possible. Reviews of the hotel were terrible online, so I would advise some caution if you plan on staying there, but since the Olympics are over there is no reason that any person would stay there since the resort is in the middle of no where. The trip to the spa is worth the trip if you have the time and are looking for a little relaxation, but the price and the location really don’t make the trip worthwhile.

Olympic Ghost Towns

I wish I could have been in Beijing for the Olympics, and I can only imagine how much fun the city would have been in 2008. There are so many things that remain from the Olympics, but unfortunately many of these places are no longer used. It is very common to see new buildings that are have completely abandoned since the Olympics. An entire village was built to the north of the city for athletes and tourists, and during the Olympics the area must have been packed. There is also an area that was built to house and entertain thousands of tourists that is now almost totally unused. The areas were designed beautifully, but since then they have not been maintained at all. Other areas in Beijing contain numerous buildings that contained shopping malls, restaurants, bars, and anything else a person could need, yet today are completely abandoned.

There are so many remnants from the Games, from the structures themselves to signs that still are found throughout the city. The majority of signs, subways, and buses still contain English because all of this was added for the Games. (Most signs are translated very well but it is not always easy to translate things from Chinese to English so when these signs are literally translated it leads to some humorous results.) Overall, the addition of English and other things to assist tourists for the Olympics makes traveling and living in this city much easier.

The city put on a tremendous show, and the effort they put in to do so is still clearly evident in Beijing. It is depressing to see some of these wonderful buildings and areas that were booming during the Olympics totally deserted now. It is a shame to waste such beautiful areas and structures. Hopefully these areas will be used in the near future as China’s middle class continues to develop and demand for these places grows.

One of the many brand new buildings abandoned in the Sanlitun area in Beijing.