 |
| The sky rock used to be one of the popular rides in the Beijing Amusement Park in downtown Beijing. (Photo: China Daily) |
BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhuanet) -- One day last week, Shi Yong-xiang, 22, planned to give his girlfriend a treat by taking her to the Beijing Amusement Park, a family entertainment place that's been around since 1987. But when they reached the park, in Chongwen district, they found to their bitter disappointment that the park gate was shut.
"I just don't know why they've closed the park," said Shi, an office worker.
"This is the first time I've had the chance to come to the park and I wanted to share it with my girlfriend."
The couple sat in the sun outside the gate for quite some time, not willing to leave.
On parts of the park's wall are parting words, carved by would-be visitors, who drift into the area in twos and threes. They are confronted by a guard behind a closed gate who will simply say: "It's closed."
This has been the daily scene at the park since May 12, the day park employees went on strike as rumors of its impending closure hit the street.
Since then, the park's owners decided to keep the gates shut ahead of its official closure on June 17 after 23 years' operation.
The park, the only amusement center in the downtown area, covers 530,000 sq m and has thrilled millions of Beijingers with its roller coasters, 4D cinemas and other rides.
Many are shaken that another landmark will soon disappear. For those born in the 1970s and 1980s, the park represents part of their childhood.
