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Step into Xiyou World of Adventure in Huaian, Jiangsu Province in east China, and you’ll enter the fantastical universe of the Chinese classic Journey to the West. Here, in his legendary homeland, the Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong and the central figure of this story, is no longer confined to books.

As the star of countless TV scenes and bedtime stories, this fearless and powerful childhood companion for generations across China and beyond now greets visitors and guides them through the legendary trials he once faced, bringing one of China’s most beloved literary classics to life.

But this isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s part of a fast-growing wave of theme parks powered by homegrown intellectual property (IP), where Chinese legends, animation and artistry take center stage. For years, international franchises like Disney and Universal dominated the conversation around theme park culture. But now, China is telling its own stories.

Parks like Millennium City Park in Kaifeng, Henan Province in central China, and Pop Mart City Park in Beijing are drawing local families and tourists alike, not only for entertainment but for a deeper cultural resonance. From ancient epics to modern mascots, these parks are showing the world Chinese creativity.

Reimagining Chinese legends

Huaian, hometown of Journey to the West author Wu Cheng’en, welcomed the opening of Xiyou World of Adventure in 2021.

Using advanced technology, visitors can immerse themselves in the epic adventure of Tang Dynasty (618-907) monk Xuanzang and his four disciples from China to India in search of Buddhist scriptures as the park vividly recreates iconic scenes from the classic tale, such as the mysterious cave of the Spider Spirits. Parades and evening light shows are also staged to add fun.

“The park endeavors to create an immersive visiting experience by integrating Journey to the West stories with every brick and tile at the venue so that every corner tells a story,” Ge Zhiyan, a tour guide at the Huaian park, told newspaper?China Daily. “We are also promoting celebrity-endorsed check-in points and videos of interaction between characters and tourists to make the park more attractive.”

A tourist from Shanghai by the name of Lisa told Xinhua News Agency that entertainment facilities in the park are well-designed. “The ride themed on the Monkey King subduing the white bone demon is just as good as the Harry Potter ride at Universal Beijing Resort.”

“In recent years, Chinese theme parks have made remarkable achievements in cultural preservation and innovation,” said Leo Lee, Vice President of Jinma Rides, adding Xiyou World of Adventure and Millennium City Park are two exemplary cases. Jinma Rides is a Chinese manufacturer of amusement rides and a partner of Universal Studios and domestic parks such as Happy Valley, Fantawild and Chimelong.

Inspired by the iconic painting Qingming Festival at the Riverside, Millennium City Park takes visitors back in time to ancient Kaifeng, once the capital of several Chinese dynasties, in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

Since opening to the public in October 1998, the park has found creative ways to preserve and celebrate Song Dynasty (960-1279) culture, breathing life into historical settings and weaving cultural heritage into tourism. Spanning over 30,000 square meters, the park features lifelike reconstructions and actors in authentic Song-era costumes who recreate ancient daily life through immersive storytelling.

“By synergizing cultural excavation, technological empowerment and multi-sensory experiences, these parks have created groundbreaking, immersive attractions that showcase China’s innovative prowess in themed entertainment,” Lee told?Beijing Review.

Colors of eras

For many who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, classics like Black Cat Detective and Calabash Brothers are etched into childhood memory. Now, with the unveiling of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio’s theme park on June 1, those tales leap off the screen and into real life, offering families a place where parents can relive the magic of their youth and pass it on to their children.

Tapping into this cross-generational nostalgia, the park blends storytelling, consumer experiences and technology to transform iconic Chinese animation IP into an interactive playground.

“Here, children can explore the richness of traditional culture while nurturing creativity and teamwork through play. This is more than just a theme park as it’s a cultural bridge connecting generations through shared stories and imagination,” Hu Jiajing, founder of POPOME, told newspaper?Shanghai Morning Post. POPOME is one of the park’s co-creators.

Building on this blend of culture and creativity, Pop Mart City Park in Beijing has become a favorite among today’s youth, offering a fresh and vibrant take of the country’s pop culture.

In 2023, Chinese toy giant Pop Mart made its debut in the theme park scene by launching its first park in Beijing. Rather than focusing on high-speed rides, the park invites visitors into a visually engaging world where fans can snap photos with the brand’s beloved characters like Molly, Dimoo and The Monsters in whimsical settings—from a fairy-tale white castle to a lush treehouse.

Together, Chinese homegrown theme parks reflect the evolving colors of each era, reviving beloved classics, embracing contemporary trends and creating spaces where memories are shared, and new cultural expressions continue to unfold.

A happy business

In 1989, China’s first theme park, Splendid China, opened to the public in Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province. This was the beginning of Chinese culture-themed parks.

“Compared with their foreign counterparts, Chinese theme parks were late in starting, and most of them are still mimicking international venues,” Zhang Zheng, Deputy Dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communication, told?China Daily.

According to Lin Huanjie, Director of the Institute for Theme Park Studies in China, the opening of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016 was a turning point for the country’s theme park industry. The arrival of international theme parks, he told Jiemian News, provided a valuable opportunity for the domestic market to grow, allowing local professionals to more easily learn from leading global practices.

Reflecting this progress, a report released in August 2024 by the Themed Entertainment Association and U.S. infrastructure firm AECOM showed that China’s Fantawild ranked second globally with 85.69 million visitors in 2023—a remarkable year-on-year increase of 111 percent, while Disney remained the global leader with 142 million visitors. Two other Chinese companies, Chimelong and Happy Valley, also broke into the global top 10, ranking fifth and sixth, respectively.

“Homegrown IP theme parks are no longer just supporting players in culture-tourism integration. They are emerging as key economic drivers and growth accelerators for regional development,” Lee stated.

From a manufacturer perspective, he said, China’s homegrown IP theme parks must transcend the traditional approach of hardware-scenario-story segmentation to achieve world-class experiences. “The new paradigm demands a reverse supply chain model: story-driven designs, co-created immersive scenarios and customized engineering solutions,” he added.

Lin believes the key to the lasting success of Chinese theme parks is the continuous renewal and refreshment of their content. “The priority is to showcase China’s culture—using Chinese elements and stories presented with advanced international techniques,” he said.

He added that Chinese theme parks should also expand overseas, offering international visitors immersive opportunities to experience and understand Chinese culture.