Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is a theme park situated in Hengqin, Zhuhai, People's Republic of China. It was designed by PGAV Destinations. [2] The park broke ground on November 28, 2010[3] and soft-opened on January 28, 2014.[4] The grand opening occurred on March 29 of that year. The first phase of the park cost RMB 10 billion to build.[3] It is part of the Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort, which aims to become the "Orlando of China".[2] In 2023 the park hosted 12.52 million visitors, making it the sixth-most visited theme park in the world and the most visited theme park in the world that is not a Disney or Universal park.[5]
Among its attractions are a wide range of amusement rides and animal shows, as well as one of the world's largest oceanariums with a total of 48.75 million litres (12,880,000 US gal; 10,720,000 imp gal) of water. The theme park has achieved five Guinness World Records.[6]
There are eight themed areas inside the park, each representing a part of the ocean.
Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue
The entrance area with shops and an LED digital canopy that showcases the sea
Dolphin Cove
Amusement rides
Castle Theatre
Battle of the Pirates – spinning tea cups with shooting water jets
Dolphin Round Ride – spinner ride
5D Castle Theatre - Opened in 2015. The castle theatre features a 13-minute animated film called "Kaka's Great Adventure". The film is produced by Prana Studios with Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT) providing the hardware. The theatre has a 1,500-square-metre (16,000 sq ft) curved screen, a world record. The theatre took more than three years to plan and cost some ¥300 million (US$50 million) to build.[7]
Animal exhibits
Dolphin Island and Dolphin Theatre – spotted dolphin habitat
Dolphin Conservation Center – Chinese white dolphin habitat with viewing for guests both above and underwater
Deep Sea Odyssey – submarine ride that goes inside the aquarium
Animal exhibits
Whale Shark Aquarium
Whale Shark Exhibit Aquarium – the tank itself contains 22.7 million litres (6,000,000 US gal; 5,000,000 imp gal) of water, making it the largest in the world,[6] and it is home to whale sharks, manta rays, and many other species at the time of its opening.[8]
In 2015, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom won the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement over 169 international candidates, marking the first time the award was given to a Chinese theme park.[10]
The ocean park holds the Guinness world record for being the largest aquarium in the world, it also had the largest aquarium window in the world according to the Guinness World Records, a single acrylic panel measuring 39.6 by 8.3 metres (130 by 27 ft).
The Journey of Lights parade won the 2018 Thea Award for outstanding achievement - live show.[11]
Criticism
Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, said, "Ocean Kingdom seems to have imported everything." They are doing everything wrong. "They are doing everything you don't want them to do".[12] Examples include polar bears confined in small areas demonstrating "repetitive pacing, swaying, head-bobbing or circling"[13] and skin disorders in penguins kept in a sub-tropical environment.
Further criticism arises from a recent trade of orcas between China and Russia.[14] In 2013 Russia captured wild orcas in the Sea of Okhotsk,[15] two of which have been sold to China. "Now, a conservation group monitoring the capture of killer whales says it has discovered that Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits were applied for by Russia and granted for two wild-caught killer whales, also known as orcas, to be exported to China."[12] Ocean Kingdom refuses to comment on whether they plan to display orcas in the future, but there are currently 50 aquariums in China, none of which have orcas on display.
