



I’m going to talk about my trips to Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park. You probably know it as Fake Disneyland. Fake Disneyland came to the world’s attention about a decade ago as clips online from news media around the world showed us what looked like a cheap knock-off of Disneyland. Disney threatened legal action and the park made changes. If you visited though you wouldn’t realize they had changed anything unless you saw how blatant it was before.





It is easy to get to the park if you are in Beijing. It has its own subway stop. Just make sure you remember the real name Shijingshan or you will miss your stop if looking for a “Fake Disneyland” stop.





The park has a small entrance fee but all the attractions cost tickets. There is no unlimited ride option. This is how most theme parks in China are unfortunately.











When you first enter you can go left to backstage area that should be off limits but anyone can just run around in the behind the scenes areas if they want. This area has recently added some cheap kiddie rides and if there is a worker you might not get to explore.





The right is a white water attraction. Nearby is a Thunder Mountain knock-off. There is also a shuttle loop coaster. If you go farther in there is a Autopia knock off. There is a deer petting zoo where the deer are well mannered as they bow to you when you feed them. In other words they drop their head down to eat from your hand or the ground.





Here is where you first see the Disney knock-off. There used to be a dark ride known as The American Adventure. It started in the jungle and had you shoot various animals most of which were not from America and many not even found in jungles. Then half way through you find yourself in a wild west town. At least this seems to fit the ride name. One fun fact is there used to be a hidden Jack Sparrow figure in the loading area.







While you missed The American Adventure which only took a Disney attraction name you can ride a ride that literally stole the footage from Soarin and added a couple China based parts to it. The ride also is in a building that is shaped like Epcot’s Spaceship Earth. The ride is named Soar.







You can then cross a bridge made to look like the Tower Bridge of London to get to the main area of the park. Here you can ride one of two bumper cars one which features Lightning Mcqueen on the signage. There is a ride where you sit in simulator style seats and shoot targets on screen for points. At the end of a small version of Main Street is a castle with Snow White out in front. Near the river is a Dumbo and tea cup ride.











There used to be a roller coaster but that is gone but the Disney TWA rocket is still around. You can go to your right and find a closed maze. You also can get a picture of yourself in Jaws mouth like at Universal’s. There are a few rides in this area including one that feature a World of Warcraft Orc. The best ride though is the “Jones” Adventure. It looks like it is inside Noah’s Ark. The ride is a simple flume ride and you are given a plastic poncho you have to return. There is not anything to tie it to the Indiana Jones franchise though.











If you keep going there is a indoor dinosaur ride. There used to be a Batman coaster nearby but it has been torn down. There is also supposed to be an Adventure of Harry ride which I could not find but assume was a knock-off of Harry Potter in some way.





Space Adventure used to feature a large Cartoon Rabbit kind of like a knock-off of Bucky O’Hare on the front of the building but it is now gone. At the time I went the dark ride shooter was so dark you couldn’t see anything. This is a common problem on Chinese dark rides. Since then they have updated it and it now is well lit which is all a problem you find on dark rides in China. It seems they are either pitch black or the lights are fully on. This ride does feature a few Buzz Lightyear knock-off elements. Most of the ride is original except for the Star Trek soundtrack. The ride also features the cartoon bunny that used to be on the front of the building a few times during the ride. The targets do not all work which is a disappointment but it is actually a pretty good ride.











Inside the castle you can experience what may be one of the best rides ever. You put on headphones and listen to scary Halloween music. You might think I am joking about it being the best but this ride means you can make your own ride in your own home. For many theme park fans that was once a dream. Now all you need is a Halloween Music CD and a CD player. Who would have imagined the toughest part of making your own theme park attraction would be finding a CD player?





The park had an indoor mirror maze. The best part for urban explorers is the back had broken mirrors and you could explore the backstage area where it appears a worker lives.





The park had some roller coasters but they all looked a bit dodgy. There was also a walk through haunted house attraction which was well lit and not scary. There is also a haunted dark ride but I didn’t go on it.











The park has a bunch of typical kids rides. There is a main kids area but most of the rides are broken down. When I went many rides were standing but not operating and some have since been taken down. It is likely that more closures may happen so you better visit before the park closes completely.





Even though you had to pay for all the rides it is in China and everything is pretty cheap. There were some decent rides like the Space Adventure and simulator shooting show. If you are in Beijing and are a theme park enthusiasts and have time after seeing the main attractions in the area then I highly recommend Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park. I went multiple times while living in Beijing and would go with friends from around the world and everyone always had a good time. Here instead of trying to spot the hidden Mickeys you can try to spot the blatant IP infringement. That may have been one of the best parts of going. Often people would be amazed at how crazy the place was. Make sure to go before it’s to late. You already are to late for some of the rides this park once had.











