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Monkey Kingdom
Views: 74,524

Local Name:
美猴王主题公园
Budget:
$625M
Announced:
19 Jan 2010
Construction Start:
Opening:
unknown
Location:
Area:
82 ha
Developer:
Zhonghong Group
Operator:
Consultants:
Contractors:
Ride Suppliers:
Other Suppliers:
  1. Michael is offline themeparX Top Investigator
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    Mar 2016
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    Exciting news!

    After doing some research, it appears that Monkey Kingdom, which was planned to open in 2014 in Huairou, Beijing, China, is actually now going to open in 2020 in Jinan, Shandong, China with a similar design and same name!


    Here are some concept images:










    Translation of theme park description:

    Monkey King theme park is divided into five areas: West Township, Huaguo Shan, Longwang Bay, Adventure Island, Jiugong Temple. The whole theme park in the form of a series of villas, according to Journey to the West through the different locations of the scene, each Villa has its own unique characteristics of the characteristics, interpretation and praise of China's classical story. Each scene is to stimulate a different kind of emotions and atmosphere; each of the attractions in the Villa are eclectic, each with style. The concept of subjectivity and the planning of the entire park will attract tourists to explore the world constantly.

    Here's the location:



    https://goo.gl/maps/U3eXCX71VK4QXhi5A


    Construction is set to begin in April 2017.

    Zhonghong Holding Co., Ltd. is behind both the Monkey Kingdom park planned for Huairou and now the current Monkey Kingdom park development in Jinan.

    Sources: http://www.sd.xinhuanet.com/tpzx/2017-03/20/c_1120657735.htm and http://pad.leju.com/news/c/sd/6220434501798255003?source=pc and https://m.fang.com/news/jn/0_15838573.html and https://m.fang.com/news/jn/0_17041724.html and https://www.coasterfriends.de/forum/coasterfriends-insider-1/newscenter-park-und-coaster-news-park-talk-5/weltweite-news-asien-und-mehr-69/3010-neu-2014-monkey-kingdom-theme-park-huairou-china.html and http://www.sxadl.com/zuopin_view.asp?pdid=146 and https://twitter.com/vhcoasters/status/843886876973060097

  2. Proof and pictures, please.

  3. Please relocate this thread back to "under construction", on 13th January 2016 the official representative of Tianqiao district as announced that the construction work of this theme park will be fully commenced by 2016, and this project is expected to meet it completion by end of 2017 to start of 2018.

  4. Is this project 100% dead?

  5. Zhang Jizhong, who wholeheartedly wanted to turn the classic "Journey to the West" into an industrial chain and started operating the "Monkey Kingdom" theme park a few years ago, is now facing the status quo of "difficult to settle in the Monkey Kingdom". The original plan to settle in Beijing's Tongzhou District officially fell through, and the negotiations in various places have not yet been implemented due to various reasons. However, Zhang Jizhong said that the "Monkey Kingdom" must find a place to land in the future, because he believes that this is a truly operational industrial chain.

    The Confusion of "Ten Talks and Nine Results"

    Zhang Jizhong has been thinking about how to shoot the new version of "Journey to the West" since 2006. At the end of 2007, he began to think about whether the entire "Journey to the West" could become an industry. This is also a new attempt for him, because other domestic masterpieces such as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" have not formed a complete industrial chain.

    Zhang Jizhong built a miniature landscape of "Journey to the West" in the Gypsum Mountain Scenic Area in Lingshi, Shanxi, which is called the first step of Zhang Jizhong's "industrialization of Journey to the West". He built some miniature landscapes for special effects shooting in the local area, and these sets will remain in Gypsum Mountain forever and become one of the scenery for tourists to visit. According to Zhang Jizhong, in the past with his filming repertoire, a total of 11 film and television cities were established across the country, but it is not denied that some of them are not well managed, and the sustainable development of the film and television cities is poor. And through "Journey to the West", an industrial chain can be established - from movies, TV, toys, games, to clothing, stationery and other souvenirs, which are industrialized through authorization, and then develop and grow in the industrial chain. "Theme park" is an industry plan he has matured in thinking and is very confident in.

    In 2009, it was reported that Zhang Jizhong visited Jiaxing, Zhejiang for the "Monkey Kingdom" theme park project. At that time, relevant leaders of Jiaxing City attached great importance to the project. However, not long after, the local media in Hunan Province reported that Moon Island in Wangcheng County, Hunan Province will build a "Monkey Kingdom" theme park. According to reports, Wangcheng County has fully launched the development and construction of two starting areas, Moon Island Area and Banma Lake Area, among which Zhang Jizhong's "Monkey Kingdom" theme park is the highlight. In January 2010, Zhang Jizhong also negotiated with the local government on the development of Xiangjiang Moon Island. However, in 2011, it was reported that the theme park plan was stranded.

    Zhang Jizhong's "Monkey Kingdom" theme park settled in Tongzhou, but it was out of the sight of many media. Zhang Jizhong told reporters that he really wanted to develop the park in Tongzhou at that time, but the government did not give him the land. However, the Beijing Universal Studios theme park project, which has been silent for three years, has taken the lead. The Universal Studios theme park will be the main body of the "Beijing Tongzhou Cultural Tourism Zone Theme Tourism and Leisure Complex Project" and "Beijing Tongzhou Cultural Tourism Zone" project The project was recently restarted.

    Zhang Jizhong said that since then he has also thought about settling in another city, but the project was finally shelved because of land issues.

    Zhang Jizhong said with emotion: "We have always emphasized the need to develop our own cultural industry, but we feel that foreign culture is not enough, but we despise our own culture." But he also said that the "Monkey Kingdom" theme park will definitely be developed in the future .

    Industrial Conception of "Monkey Kingdom"

    Zhang Jizhong said that Shanghai wants to compete with Disney, and Tongzhou wants to introduce Universal Studios. These projects, including Beijing's Happy Valley, are mainly based on foreign content, but there is no carrier that truly carries Chinese traditional culture. But he also acknowledged the success of Disney's industrial model. Disneyland has played a very important role in inheriting American culture, and the cost of intellectual property rights in the worldwide licensing process is quite staggering.

    From 2007 to 2009, Zhang Jizhong traveled to theme parks all over the world. He said that the industrial model of the "Monkey Kingdom" theme park will learn from the "American style" shell, but the content of the theme park must be Chinese style. The paradise he wants to build must be able to inherit Chinese culture, and "Journey to the West" is undoubtedly the best choice in all aspects. This is the only quasi-cartoon image in China that is suitable for all ages and both inside and outside. become productive.

    According to his preliminary plan, the construction of the "Monkey Kingdom" theme park is divided into four parts: entrance experience, theme park, children's park and Zhang Jizhong's film studio. Huaguo Mountain, Water Curtain Cave, Flaming Mountain...these imaginary scenes in "Journey to the West" will all be moved to the "Monkey Kingdom" theme park. A further idea is that he wants to use "Journey to the West" as the basis to establish a traditional cultural base for Chinese youth, transform culture into entertainment, and transform entertainment into an assembly line of productivity.

    Zhang Jizhong's "Journey to the West" industrial chain plan also includes several derivatives such as game development and clothing. His goal is to hope that one day "Monkey Kingdom" can surpass Disney. In his view, Disney was still in the mechanical age when designing theme parks, but today's digital age can make the environment more realistic and people's experience more real.

    Cultural brand development requires a mature overall chain

    Chen Shaofeng, deputy dean of Peking University Cultural Industry Research Institute, also has some understanding of Zhang Jizhong's idea of ??developing the "Journey to the West" cultural brand. He believes that, theoretically speaking, "Journey to the West" and "Monkey King" are big brands that are famous all over the world , has the basis for the development of related derivatives and theme parks, but these alone are not enough.

    "Disney's theme parks around the world, if calculated by land area, Disney's output value per square meter of land is probably 80 to 100 times higher than the current domestic theme parks." Chen Shaofeng said, a theme The investment in the park is several billion yuan. From the perspective of economic output ratio, Tongzhou District will of course choose the Universal Studios project.

    "The development of derivative products and the construction of theme parks require cultural brands to have a mature overall chain, and what really works behind it is intellectual property rights." Chen Shaofeng said that taking Disney as an example, in addition to the Disney brand itself, Disney owns a large number of influential brands. Strong brand images, such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. Universal Studios also owns many image brands such as Transformers. These images can be turned into derivative products with excellent design. China's four major masterpieces are indeed world-renowned. There are also many film and television bases with the same name or theme parks with interactive experience and entertainment functions in China, but the development and operation are not ideal.

    As far as film and television bases are concerned, Chen Shaofeng said that a professional survey conducted by Peking University found that more than 80% of film and television bases are operating at a loss. Some themed film and television bases, such as Wuxi's Three Kingdoms City, Water Margin City, and Shandong Shuibo Liangshan Theme Park, are also not operating well. He pointed out that Shandong Shuibo Liangshan Theme Park tried to develop other functions besides the shooting base, such as some Song Dynasty landscape tourism projects and interactive experience functions, but the facts proved that the huge land base did not generate corresponding output value. "Among these film and television bases, only Zhejiang Hengdian Film and Television City is profitable. First, it has grown in scale, and the crews that have settled in it all year round are part of its income; second, its industrial chain is complete. Hengdian Film and Television City only provides various products for film and television services. For example, selling costumes and props can make a lot of profit." Chen Shaofeng said.

    "The film and television base and the theme park are completely two ways of operating." Chen Shaofeng said that the film and television base emphasizes hardware construction and various services for film and television production; and a theme park with an exclusive brand, to put it bluntly, still considers the appeal of its brand. Taking "Journey to the West" as an example, it is not enough to register the "Monkey King" trademark to be successful. If derivative products are to be developed, how many characters can be developed in it? Do these products to be developed have market appeal? With what kind of design and packaging to enter the market? How to promote and form consumption power are issues that need to be considered.

    "If you want to make a theme park, in addition to the market influence of these image brands, the design and operation of the theme park must be very professional, with more emphasis on software power. For example, how to enhance cultural and entertainment functions? How to do a good job of interactive experience? Some developed Are the facilities and activities long-term? There are so many characters, plots, and elements in "Journey to the West", which ones can be used to visualize? How does the designed content reflect the "Journey to the West culture"? Perhaps in the future, there will be homogeneous competition Opponents, how to maintain the recognition of their own theme parks, etc., need to do a lot of work in this process." Chen Shaofeng said.
    https://nepaper.ccdy.cn/html/2014-03/29/content_121393.htm


  6. This park is on hold, or dead, depending on who you ask

  7. Is this under construction? Will it open in 2014?

  8. research007 is offline themeparX Top Investigator
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  9. research007 is offline themeparX Top Investigator
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    The Monkey Kingdom theme park, expected to open in 2014 outside Beijing, is based on an ancient folk tale as common to China’s residents as Santa Claus is to Americans.

    Based on the 16th century “Journey to the West” folk tale, the project presented a daunting task for Thinkwell, the Burbank-based company charged with designing the theme park, said Chief Executive Joe Zenas.

    “There’s nothing like it in Western literature,” Zenas said.

    Thinkwell creative director Dave Cobb immediately seized on the seemingly endless storytelling possibilities that could be told through the universal languages of spectacle, thrill and emotion.

    “We didn’t know the stories very well,” Cobb said. “So the whole team started reading up on them.”

    “Journey to the West” tells the story of the Monkey King, a simian hero with supernatural powers known as Sun Wukong. Joined by a monk, a pig and a white horse, Monkey travels to India in search of Buddha’s scrolls and spiritual enlightenment. A Hollywood movie based on the epic journey combining comedy, romance and action is in development.

    China’s Zhonghong development group turned to Thinkwell in part because of the company’s past work on Disney, Universal and Paramount theme parks around the world. Among Thinkwell’s recent projects: the Ice Age dark ride at Movie Park Germany, the Furius Baco launch coaster at Spain’s PortAdventura and the “Universal 360” nighttime spectacular at Universal Studios Florida.

    Thinkwell found a willing and well-versed partner in Wang Yonghong, chairman of the Zhonghong group, who proved himself a hard-core theme park aficionado who name-dropped attractions from around the world during the creative “Blue Sky” phase of the $1.5 billion project’s development.

    “It’s very important for us to create a Chinese theme park for Chinese children and to bring this Chinese story to the world,” Wang said in a Web video interview from Beijing.

    Zhonghong’s desire to be first compressed the new park’s construction timeline in hopes that the park could debut before the $4.4 billion Shanghai Disneyland project opens in late 2015 or early 2016.

    “The China market is very big,” Wang said via a translator. “It is not necessary to compare or compete with any theme parks in Shanghai or any other places in China. Our goal is to create a world class theme park for Beijing, for China and for all the world.”

    In Disneyspeak, Monkey Kingdom’s lands become villages, the park’s cast members serve as villagers and guests act as adventurers.

    The five villages – Entry, Sea, Sky, Flower Fruit Mountain and Land – will each feature a nature-based theme, a central emotion, a unifying architectural aesthetic, a distinct Monkey King plot line and at least one anchor attraction targeted at a specific age group.

    Naturally, I’ve pored over the beautiful concept art with a jeweler’s loupe, zooming in on each attraction on the park map in an attempt to decipher the make, model and manufacturer of every ride.

    But as Cobb and Zenas explained in a phone interview, most of the park’s rides remain subject to change, and the attractions illustrated in the highly detailed map serve only as inspirational placeholders. The park will be built in phases, based on budget constraints and attendance projections.

    With those caveats, let’s tour each village in Monkey Kingdom and take a look at what we see:

    Entry Village
    Inspired by a pastiche of ancient towns visited during Thinkwell research trips, the Entry Village evokes an architectural style of 16th century China filled with haphazardly stacked buildings and jam-packed courtyards.

    Thematically, the bustling marketplace doubles as a port of departure, where storytellers converge and adventurers gather supplies before their journey.

    Visitors will enter Monkey Kingdom under a train trestle traveled by a Himalayan-themed steam locomotive that encircles the park and stops in each village.

    Entry Village entertainment is expected to include atmosphere talent, a puppet show and a parade with stiltwalkers and trampolinists.

    At the top of the main street, a jutting mountain crowned by an illuminated tree serves as the park’s central icon. Below Monkey’s magical mountaintop home, Jade Lake bristles with watercraft. The lake will eventually function as an aquatic stage for a nighttime fireworks and fountains spectacular.

    Sea Village
    A shipping port with Mediterranean and Persian influences, the water-centric Sea Village features adventure-themed family attractions based around the Dragon King, one of the characters from the “Journey to the West” stories.

    The first of the park’s four coasters can be found in Sea Village, although the ride’s layout remains in the conceptual stage.

    The underwater theme extends to a walk-through attraction that takes visitors to the ocean floor without getting wet and a theatrical stage show featuring sea life puppetry.

    The anchor attractions in Sea Village are the Trials of the Dragon King indoor water coaster, the Shipwreck Rapids river raft ride and an underwater simulator ride.

    Sky Village
    Inspired by the Jade Palace, which represents heaven in the Monkey King stories, the Sky Village has a peaceful and pastoral theme accented by Tibetan architecture.

    In China, it’s traditional for entire multi-generational families to visit theme parks together. Sky Village is designed as a tranquil and contemplative land with low-key attractions that grandparents can ride with their grandchildren.

    Sky Village entertainment includes a theatrical stage show with gymnasts, acrobats, aerialists and jugglers, as well as a themed restaurant overlooking a boat ride.

    The anchor attractions in Sky Village are the Flight of the Monkey King flight simulator; a meandering boat ride that tells the Monkey King’s story with miniatures; and a tethered balloon ride that offers panoramic views of the park.

    Flower Fruit Mountain
    The verdant garden landscape of Flower Fruit Mountain serves as the centerpiece of the park and the Monkey King’s home.

    Geared toward children, the land is expected to include classic carnival attractions such as a wave swinger, a kiddie coaster, a junior drop tower and spinning flat rides.

    A scenic ride called Glowing Lantern, suspended from the park’s mountaintop tree icon, will mimic the experience of a traditional parachute ride.

    The anchor attraction in Flower Fruit Mountain is a special effects 4-D movie telling the origin story of the Monkey King.

    Land Village
    A haven for thrill seekers, the arid, war-torn terrain of the Land Village offers a storytelling canvas for the Monkey King’s battles with supernatural ghosts and demons.

    Land Village entertainment includes a live stunt show with aerial performers and martial artists battling with knives, swords and spears.

    Concept art shows a spinning swing ride, a Disk-O shuttle coaster, an indoor spinning mine coaster and a drop tower – which are all subject to change.

    The anchor attractions in Land Village are a launch coaster with seats that straddle the track and a motion simulator dark ride called Battles of Monkey King.
    Source:
    https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-xpm-2011-jul-07-la-trb-monkey-kingdom-china-theme-park-07201106-story.html via http://www.coasterfriends.de/forum/coasterfriends-insider-1/newscenter-park-und-coaster-news-park-talk-5/weltweite-news-asien-und-mehr-69/3010-neu-2014-monkey-kingdom-theme-park-huairou-china.html

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