Splendid China, and other long gone amusements.

In surfing through a series of urban ruins sites today, I came across some shots of a singularly unique location. Outside of Orlando, Florida there was once a 'theme park' called Splendid China. I don't know how I missed hearing about it. Apparently it included recreations of some of the more notable sights from that behemoth land across the Pacific. There were replicas of the Great Wall of China, The Leshan Grand Buddha Statue, and the Forbidden City. Visitors were invited to stroll the grounds among these architectural wonders and check out some authentic Chinese entertainment and performances. This wasn't the type of place that you would find thrill rides like roller coasters and dark rides, but rather opportunities for relaxation and contemplation.

If such amusements strike you as incongruously located in the shadows of Walt Disney's empire, then you are certainly not alone. Reports are that it only attracted about 700 people per day. The $100 million dollar facility was opened in 1993, and closed in 2003. But within that time it managed to provoke plenty of controversy. Evidently there were quite a few observers who viewed it as a propaganda machine. Protesters actually demonstrated outside of the park, complaining about the occupation of Tibet, and the idyllic depiction of what amounted to the largest communist nation on Earth. Although it was owned and operated by China Travel Services, there were allegations that the organization received its marching orders from the Chinese government itself.

In retrospect all the hoopla seems kind of silly. Did folks really think that Splendid China should have contained scenes of the Red Army harassing Tibetan monks? Would it have been appropriate to include a cheerful model of the Tiananmen Square massacre? It seems like that would have defeated the purpose. I doubt it would have led to marketing success. It surely wouldn't have delayed the 2004 auction that offered the park assets to the highest bidder. Ultimately I find the park's demise a sad, yet probably inevitable, reality. American families and tourists are much more interested in the type of sanitized experiences that the pavilions at EPCOT offer. There has to be cartoon characters and greasy fried foods, or otherwise it's not really a vacation, is it?

I've often lamented the homogeneity that characterizes amusement parks in the United States. They offer plenty of opportunities to achieve physical disorientation and vertigo. But most of the rides are mass-produced and differ only in their marketing content. The same skeletal structure underpins Garfield's Tunnel and The Little Mermaid's Fanciful Swim. It's all pre-packaged and deliberately targets the lowest common denominator of society. Amusements must be sanitized of any elements that could possibly offend the delicate sensibilities of the average consumer. It's really no different than the Hollywood film industry or basic strip mall culture. Everything is contrived and boring. How can anybody be sentimental about such diversions? Travel across the country and you can find the exact same thing in your back yard.

Maybe it's always been this way. In the bygone days of roadside attractions, there were surely numerous "Mystery Holes", "Reptile Lands" and "Slippy Slides". Still one could still hope to stumble on something truly unique and interesting. Today I discovered this site- Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions. It catalogs an abundance of places that have faded inextricably into the past. These were destinations often reflecting the particular dreams and visions of true eccentrics. Nowadays those guys can't compete with the spectacles of the mega-corporations. Gone forever are the The Upside Down House, the Prince of Peace Memorial, and Tragedy in the Museum. Luckily for us their memory is still preserved on the World Wide Web. At least we can discover what we are missing.