James Baquet

    I HAVE a secret: I’ve never been inside Window of the World, nor have I been to Happy Valley. One is too flashy, the other too scary.

    No, when I’m in the mood for one of Shenzhen’s “Big Three” theme parks, I head straight for Splendid China<2022>China Folk Culture Villages. I’m a big fan of Chinese culture and this combined park has it all.

    In addition to Chinese culture, I love miniatures and models as well. (I had model trains as a child). On the Splendid China side, you can take a mini-tour that covers all of China, from the kilometer-long Great Wall to a view of the Three Gorges that may not exist anymore. Tibet’s Potala Palace, but with more oxygen, the Forbidden City; Hangzhou’s West Lake and almost every other Chinese tourist site you can name. And all in one place!

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, culture comes alive. The Folk Culture Villages are just that: 22 life-sized village compounds or houses representing many of China’s 56 fascinating ethnic groups. Imagine visiting people from Xinjiang to Fujian all in an afternoon.

    What’s more, there are shows and dance performances all through the day, as well as seasonal festivals reflecting the cultures of various peoples. A perennial favorite is the Genghis Khan show, with “soldiers” (some of them women) doing horse-back acrobatics in a mock battle.

    Admission to both sides costs 120 yuan (US$18). Walk east from Hua Qiao Cheng (OCT) Metro Station Exit D, or west from Qiao Cheng Dong Metro Station Exit B, to reach the front gates.