Travel Note 26th April 2019 Our second day in Zhengzhou was devoted to a number of smaller parks that we got to using a combination of the city metro and local buses. By the time these words are read it may well be possible to get to everywhere using the metro alone, as the system is being expanded at a phenomenal rate; eight new lines spanning an incredible 178km are under construction as of this writing, and all are expected to open before the end of 2020.

People's Park Zhengzhou 26th April 2019 Every major city in China has its own People's Park, and some thirty-one branches around the country are known to have roller coasters. The park in Zhengzhou is one of seven to have two in its collection, though that may not be the case for much longer; signage on the platform of its signature coaster quotes a twenty year service life that came to an end in September of last year. Roller Coaster (#2624) is the oldest surviving example of the Loop and Spiral Coaster from Shanghai Amusement Machine Engineering Ltd. The type isn't massively beloved of enthusiasts due to uncomfortable seats and poor tracking, and given that it wouldn't have been overly upsetting to find it closed. For better or worse it was open however, and as such we handed over 40 RMB (~€5.19) per person for our tickets. The experience was not good, though it wasn't as bad as it might have been, with the only really awful moment being a sideways slam in the turnaround between the first and second inversion. We had a small audience of septuagenarians for our ride who were justifiably amused at the group of mentally disenfranchised westerners in their midst. The park's second coaster is located at the opposite end of the facility some five hundred metres to the east. The route leads past a selection of spin rides, an enormous Ferris wheel, and a bungee tower with three separate ride experiences: a traditional jump above water, a parachute drop, and a cage with two seats whose exact motion was not immediately obvious. We spotted one brave soul working his way up the tower and hung around to watch; seeing his body being thrown around like a rag doll reaffirmed my belief that those prepared to risk their lives on the strength of a few bungee cords are certifiably insane. In due course we ended up at Spinning Coaster (#2625). This looked at first glance like a Golden Horse ride, but closer inspection revealed it to be a knock-off of the usual knock-off created by Lianyungang Yaqiao Machinery Manufacturing Ltd. Seven versions of the design were sold between 2006-2010, and just three remain in service as of 2019, a fact that speaks volumes about the longevity of the hardware. The 30 RMB (~€3.90) ride was eminently forgettable, managing no more than two full rotations over the length of the course.

Zhengzhou Zoo 26th April 2019 Our visit to Zhengzhou Zoo started with a minor challenge: the self-service ticketing machines were only available in Chinese, and the resolution of the screens was insufficient for Google Translate to give meaningful results. After a few moments of confusion we were rescued by a member of staff, who pressed buttons for us in rapid succession then asked whether we would pay with AliPay or WeChat Pay. She seemed surprised at the fact that we could offer neither, but pointed us towards a building on the opposite side of the entrance where a lone staff member was able to accept payment in cash. One curiosity of the park is that all its signage is printed in four languages: Chinese, English, French, and Korean. The verbosity of the instructions is different for each country; a stolid and prosaic be careful by the side of a lake compares with the rather more colourful ne vous baignez pas et attention à votre sécurité, s'il vous plaît in French. I found myself thinking back to a story explained to me a long time ago about a naked zone in a German spa; the local textilfreier bereich was transmogrified into clothing should not be worn in this area. (I'm still hugely entertained by the fact that two words are deemed sufficient to politely convey this message in German. But I digress.) A collection of amusement rides can be found roughly two hundred metres from the main entrance, including two roller coasters. The first is Fruit Worm Coaster (#2626), which despite its name is a decent sized family ride with a height differential of around fifteen feet. The layout consists of a continuous descent in the shape of a figure eight, culminating in a climb of a few feet leading back to the station. I've since realised it to be a duplicate of two coasters I experienced on the same day back in 2012 at Guangzhou Zoological Garden and Tianhe Park. Our other hit was Jungle Flying Squirrel (#2627), an unexpectedly good mouse that proved to be far and away the finest example of the species I've encountered in China. The hardware looks like it was built to last; each support frame has cross-bracing and high tension cables strung between opposite corners to protect against deformation, and as if that were not enough the frames are interconnected both by the thick spine supporting the track and by additional beams in strategic locations. The rails are clipped in place rather than welded, which presumably allows some flexibility as the single seat cars race along it. The result is absolutely brilliant; tight turns are negotiated with panache and without even the vaguest hint of jarring. We did three laps, and would happily have done more had they not cost us 40 RMB (~€5.19) each.