Splendid China - Ghost town of an Amusement Park

Remember Splendid China in Florida? I was told they even had a miniature Shaolin Temple there, but never got that verified. A friend just sent me this, which made me want to go even more.

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http://io9.com/5592447/a-dilapidated...world/gallery/

We recently posted about the ruins of the Black Sea resort town Gagra. io9 tipster theotherwhitegirl clued us in to another phantom vacation spot: Florida Splendid China Park, a teacup version of The People's Republic that was open from 1993-2003.

During its decade of existence, Splendid China Park — which was built on 75 acres outside of Orlando — attracted its share of controversy. The park was a facsimile of the original Splendid China Park in Shenzen, China. When Splendid China came stateside to educate Americans of China's wonders (at 1/10th the scale!), the park was criticized for its ties to the People's Republic and its happy-go-lucky portrayal of Tibet. Splendid China eventually closed due to flagging tourist interest, but the park still remains popular with urban explorers, skateboarders, and your run-of-the-mill trespasser.

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Here's a website devoted to the remains: Florida Splendid China

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Florida Splendid China

Things are not always as they appear in the world of Central Florida theme parks: trees are made from fiberglass, Presidents turn out to be robots, and the park that appeared the most serene was actually the most controversial.
the Great Wall of Florida Splendid China

Florida Splendid China, a $100 Million theme park which opened in 1993 on 76 acres just West of the main entrance to Walt Disney World, brought to visitors the beauty and landmarks of China in miniature form. Accurate scale models of some of that China's most interesting architectural and cultural sites, peopled with a motionless ceramic population, were scattered along the park's curving and well landscaped (if not particularly shady) paths.

The miniatures included replicas of The Great Wall of China (this version was half of a mile long and built brick by brick), The Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi'an, The Leshan Grand Buddha Statue (in 1/8th scale), The Forbidden City (including a miniature Emperor's wedding procession), Potala Palace (the spiritual center of Tibet and traditional seat of the Dalai Lama) and more than 50 others representing the diversity of cultures within the region.

Although all of the miniatures were meticulously done, some were more effective than others. The Yurts of Mongolia, for example, were on so small a scale compared to the surrounding grass that they appeared like nothing so much as upended dog bowls. It only took a few years for a few of the scenes to begin showing cracks and other wear, with some of the small figurines that populated them broken or missing entirely.

In addition to the miniatures there were shows scheduled throughout the day that included a review of Chinese culture and music and troops of acrobats doing truly amazing things with jars, hoola-hoops, and their own bodies.

Aside from the show schedule, visitors were free to wander the grounds and look at the scenes, or to just sit, relax, and enjoy the view. A large play structure, Panda Playground, was built to entertain kids when the slow pace of the park got too boring. Florida Splendid China had no rides, no bright lights, and no frenetic action and flashy stunts like you find at the other theme parks in the area. It was designed for relaxation and contemplation of the beauties of the Orient. On the surface, the park was serenity itself -- but in the background, if you listened, you could hear the sounds of protest...

Florida Splendid China presented a peaceful picture of China as it had once been -- the temples populated by quaint, colorful monks, no troops stationed in Tibet, and no tanks in Tiananmen Square. Protestors charged that Florida Splendid China was a tool for propaganda rather than entertainment, and they often staged demonstrations outside the park, and also worked to end school field trip visits.

The park's critics charged that depictions of Tibet's Potala Palace, Mongolian Yurts, and other landmarks from other cultures as being within China were attempts to legitimize Chinese Communist occupation of formerly independent areas, that the multiplicity of religious sites gave a false impression of religious and cultural tolerance within China when those religions were being oppressed, and that the park was actually owned and operated by the Chinese Government through China Travel Services and was in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Park officials denied that there was any political purpose to Florida Splendid China. The vice president of China Travel Service told The Orlando Sentinel: "We're a theme park. Nothing more."

Americans never embraced Florida Splendid China. Unlike its sister park in China, Shenzhen Splendid China, which has been a major success with thousands of visitors each day, the Florida park was rarely crowded. It seemed to have been built for a much greater volume of guests; several restaurants built within the park remained empty and closed. If it was propaganda, the message wasn't getting out as widely as first planned.
Potala Palace at Florida Splendid China

As the park deteriorated in the Florida sun, Sunny Yang, once President of the attraction, attempted to negotiate a sale of the park in 2000, but was recalled to China and placed under house arrest, in part because of allegations of financial mismanagement from his handling of the attraction. In 2002 the Orlando Business Journal called Florida Splendid China "the theme park equivalent of a ghost town." Compared to the other theme parks of Central Florida, it didn't seem so splendid, after all.

On December 30, 2003, the following appeared on the park's website: "FLASH!!! Florida Splendid China Theme Park will discontinue operations in Central Florida as of the close of business on December 31, 2003. This determination was reached primarily due to the continued downturn in the tourism economy, as evidenced by the closing of other tourism-dependent businesses in the area. Despite several years of attempting to achieve successful theme park operations, the company has concluded that it could not longer continue to incur significant losses. To our friends and supporters, we express extreme regret that this action has become necessary."

The park is now closed. A general auction that began on Thursday, December 9th, 2004, saw the selling off of all park assets.

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The bizarre theme park abandoned down the road from Disney World
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A view of miniature replicas in Splendid China theme park in Kissimmee, Florida in the 1990s.
Richard T. Nowitz/Getty Images
By Katie Dowd
Dec 25, 2023

On opening day in December 1993, Americans weren’t sure what to make of Splendid China, and the theme park’s own marketing department certainly didn’t help.

"The average tourist does expect a fantasy world, flashing lights and glitz," the marketing director admitted. "This park is not that.”

Splendid China was, America soon found out, a tangle of Chinese politics, controversy and even defectors — culminating in the tumultuous downfall of one of the strangest theme parks ever attempted in the United States.

From the start, the theme park under construction just down the road from Disney World was the subject of scrutiny. Just about every newspaper article about the park included a line about its nebulous connections to the government of China. On paper, the park was owned by China Travel Services, one of the biggest travel agencies in Hong Kong, and, briefly, a Los Angeles company called American Eastern International. "Its only tie to China is that the government licenses the company to operate a park near Hong Kong,” the Orlando Sentinel reported in 1993.

Hoping to capitalize on the rich tourism industry surrounding Walt Disney World, the companies teamed up to bring a theme park filled with miniature Chinese landmarks to the middle of a residential neighborhood in Kissimmee. Up went over 60 replicas, among them a small Forbidden City, a not-so-Great Wall of China, dozens of terra cotta warriors and a recreation of a street in Suzhou during the 1300s. More than 100 artisans were flown in from China to craft the replicas, and eight chefs were tasked with creating authentic regional cuisine to serve in the park.

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Miniature replica of the Imperial Palace and Forbidden City at Splendid China.
Mark E. Gibson/Getty Images

Officials also brought in a number of American theme park consultants. The feedback was unilateral: Splendid China simply didn’t have enough to do.

"I don't think Americans will be satisfied looking simply at miniatures. They're going to have to diversify their project," one theme park consultant told the Sentinel. The consultants urged the park to add entertainment amongst the goldfish ponds and bonsai trees. This resulted in a 1,000-seat amphitheater for Mongolian wrestling and kung fu demonstrations, as well as traditional Chinese dance.

The park opened with minimal fanfare in December 1993. The opening ceremonies were attended by “four top officials” from the Chinese Communist Party. The next day, the general public was allowed in — at a price. Tickets cost almost $24 for adults, about $10 less than a full day at the Magic Kingdom. For what one theme park insider referred to as “a six-hour museum tour,” it hardly seemed a bargain to most Orlando-area tourists.

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The Great Wall of China replica in the Splendid China theme park in Kissimmee, Florida.
scampj/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Splendid China hoped to lure international tourists who couldn’t afford the long trip to China, but it barely marketed the park. Shortly after Splendid China’s opening, American Eastern International sold its half of the venture altogether, partly because China Travel Services refused to do large-scale advertising. "It's considered bad taste in China,” the head of American Eastern told the Sentinel. “The kind of marketing that Disney or Universal does would be a turn-off."

More than that, though, the park invited controversy by including what, in hindsight, seems like an intentionally provocative replica: Potala Palace. The palace is located in Tibet and was home to the Dalai Lama until 1959, when the Dalai Lama was exiled and the Chinese government took over the sacred site.

For Tibetans, this inclusion was a deep disrespect to their history and culture. Critics called Splendid China a “propaganda theme park,” and protests outside its gates were a regular occurrence. Allegations of mistreatment of employees were also commonplace. In 1999, the Orlando Sentinel reported Chinese employees on work visas were defecting from the park. Both park officials and U.S. Border Patrol confirmed that Chinese nationals had gone missing. An activist group told the Sentinel at least three employees working as performers in Splendid China had defected and were seeking political asylum; two dancers from Turkestan told the outlet they had “fled the theme park after seven months because they were overworked and their religious beliefs were ridiculed."

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Young women perform in the Splendid China stage show in Kissimmee, Florida.
Mark E. Gibson/Getty Images

Although the Chinese government’s involvement with the park was still murky, in 2003 the Sentinel reported the operators of the park were indeed affiliated with the Chinese government.

"The only reason it exists, or has remained open, is because it is owned by the government of China,” a Florida professor of tourism management told the newspaper. “Otherwise, it would have closed a long time ago, probably after six months.”

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Festive evening lighting decorates the buildings at Splendid China in Kissimmee, Florida.
Mark E. Gibson/Getty Images

As it was, Splendid China was not long for this world. Ten years after opening, the Associated Press reported that daily attendance sometimes numbered in the dozens. Less than 10 miles north, the Magic Kingdom saw tens of thousands of guests per day. Citing “significant losses,” Splendid China officials announced the park was closing at the end of 2003. Forty employees, including about 20 performers on work visas, were laid off. Although it cost an estimated $100 million to build, county property records showed the park was assessed at just about $13 million when it shuttered.

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A view of miniature replicas in Splendid China theme park in Kissimmee, Florida in the 1990s.
Richard T. Nowitz/Getty Images

China Travel Services packed up and left. Bordered by homes, the abandoned park became a teenage dream. Locals constantly jumped fences and broke into buildings. Skateboarders flocked there to film tricks on the Forbidden City. Decaying replicas were covered with graffiti and set on fire. Osceola County sheriff’s deputies were a constant presence as neighbors called in reports of trespassing and arson.

"It used to be a real nice place. I liked the gardens, and it was kind of quaint,” one neighbor complained to the Sentinel in 2009. “But now we always see police cars there.”

For a time, it was rumored Legoland was moving in. But in 2017, construction was underway on the most American of replacements: a Margaritaville.

The porcelain figurines and Great Wall of China were bulldozed in favor of the Salty Rim Bar and a wedding venue. Today, the complex has hotel rooms, cottages and villas, its own small entertainment district and a St. Somewhere Spa.

The Margaritaville Resort Orlando has a 4.5-star rating with over 1,400 reviews on Tripadvisor because, as any theme park consultant can tell you, Americans prefer a cheeseburger in paradise to just about anything else.

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I'm amazed this hasn't been bulldozed or flooded over already.