Splendid China (Florida)
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Splendid China was a theme park in the census-designated place of Citrus Ridge, Florida near Orlando. It opened in 1993 and closed on December 31, 2003. It was a sister park to Splendid China in Shenzhen, China which is still open and receives many visitors. It cost $100,000,000 to build.
At its height of popularity, it was a 75 acre miniature park with more than 60 replicas at 1/10th scale. Each piece was handcrafted to maintain authenticity. The park's replica of the Great Wall took nearly seven million inch long bricks and stretches about half a mile. The replica of the Leshan Buddha is four stories tall.[1]
After the park's opening, Florida Splendid China put on shows featuring a rotating cast of 60 dancers, actors, and acrobats from the People's Republic of China (PRC). After a number of artisans, dancers and members of the cast escaped and sought political asylum in the United States, Florida Splendid China reduced the number of cast members from overseas and hired local performers.
Splendid China was criticized for being partly owned by the government of the People's Republic of China, and according to those critics, showing an idyllic version of places like Tibet and Mongolia without the context of political struggle within those areas.[2]
After closing its gates, Splendid China suffered a rash of attacks from thieves and vandals. Hundreds of items were taken ranging from small miniatures to portions of life-size statues. The perpetrators, thought to be local youths, were never caught. [3]
The property has passed through several owners and as of July 2009 is for sale at an asking price of $30 million. The vacant park is popular with urban explorers and skateboarders, some of whom post videos to YouTube and other file-sharing sites. [4]
History
The original idea for the Florida Splendid China theme park was that of Josephine Chen, a former educator from Taiwan.
Mrs. Chen, now 74, traveled to China in 1988 and was welcomed by officials of a government agency called China Travel Services (Holdings) HK, or CTS for short. They gave her a grand tour of a soon-to-be-opened theme park dedicated to the glories of China's past and to its spectacular landscapes. Located in Shenzhen, on the mainland with close access to Hong Kong, Splendid China Miniature Scenic Spot was an immediate hit, welcoming more than three-and-a-half million visitors its first year and allowing CTS to recoup its entire $100-million investment. It took two years to negotiate an agreement with CTS, which is controlled by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the main propaganda arm of the Chinese Communist State Council. Under the agreement, Mrs. Chen provided the land and management services for the park, while the Chinese supplied the building materials, the architects, and the personnel.
From “Florida Splendid China”; Kenneth R. Timmerman, American Spectator Magazine; February 1999
On December 19, 1989, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the start of construction for Florida Splendid China. Groundbreaking
In December 1993, the American partners were bought out by the Chinese government.
“Indeed, Cao is the first and only manager at Splendid China to acknowledge that the Chinese government is the majority owner of the park…”
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