Phase III Construction of Wenzhou Amusement Park is in its final stage.

At Wenzhou’s first professional circus venue, which seats over 2,000 spectators, international circuses will dazzle audiences with breathtaking acts such as aerial acrobatics and Kazakh equestrian shows. Meanwhile, the five-story “Magical Mermaid” Family-Friendly Hotel will enchant guests with daily mermaid shows and interactive surprises on every themed floor.

This May Day holiday, Wenzhou Amusement Park’s new Joy Project in Xia’ao Village, Chashan Subdistrict, Ouhai District, will open to visitors, bringing fresh excitement with immersive, interactive entertainment experiences.

As Wenzhou’s first theme park, Wenzhou Amusement Park has been on for 20 years, celebrating its heyday as a “landmark of joy”, facing periods of stagnation, and ultimately bouncing back through constant innovation in consumer experiences. In 2023, the park’s annual visitor count surpassed 1.2 million for the first time, making it one of the most popular theme parks in South Zhejiang. According to the Statistical Bulletin on Cultural and Tourism Development 2023 issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the average lifespan of domestic cultural tourism enterprises is less than 5 years.

How did Wenzhou Amusement Park achieve its breakthrough over the past 20 years, and what drives its ambition to invest another 1 billion yuan?

“Content is the king”: the secret behind the “Kingdom of Joy”

During a recent visit to Wenzhou Amusement Park, lively music filled the air as a group of grade 9 students from Wenzhou No. 20 Middle School enjoyed their spring outing.

Wandering through the park we feel like stepping into a new world at every turn. In addition to its themed zones such as the European Quarter, Cartoon District, Adventure Valley, and Dinosaur Exploration Area, the park also boasts a dazzling variety of high-tech rides that leave visitors spoilt for choice.

Just a few minutes’ walk eastward brings visitors to Wenzhou Aquarium, an 12200㎡ standalone marine park. Opened during the National Day holiday in 2019, it is part of the Joy Project’s Phase II expansion and marks Wenzhou’s first large-scale oceanarium.

Over the past 20 years, the first two phases of the Joy Project have generated nearly 1.5 billion yuan in revenue and achieved steady profitability. Behind this success is the Park’s commitment to following the market through both deep cultivation and continuous innovation, with solid investments in creating more engaging entertainment content and constantly refreshing visitor experiences.

“We allocate 15% of our annual revenue to content upgrades, making sure our hardware stays strong’ and our ‘software remains appealing,” said Jin Pingliang, director of the Park. When the park first opened, it mainly offered traditional mechanical rides, but the one-off consumption model struggled to sustain long-term appeal. In 2008, the park launched its first major upgrade, introducing South Zhejiang’s first suspended roller coaster, Top Windmill, and pioneering a system of themed festivals. In recent years, it has continued to expand with high-tech projects such as Ice & Snow World and VR Fantasy Battlefield.

The invisible moat behind Wenzhou Amusement Park’s rise

More than two decades ago, few could have imagined that this “South Zhejiang version of Disneyland” would rise from Xia’ao Village, then one of the poorest villages in Ouhai District, would one day become a powerful force in the regional economy.

Last year, Xia’ao Village generated over 6 million yuan in parking fees alone. With the steady rise of Wenzhou Amusement Park, the village transformed from a debt-ridden area into a strong community with savings exceeding 30 million yuan. The park also significantly boosted the cultural tourism competitiveness of Chashan Subdistrict. Restaurants and guesthouses or homestays have flourished in the surrounding areas, and the combined revenue of these related industries exceeded 100 million yuan.

In fact, when the project began land acquisition and construction in Xia’ao Village, local concerns quickly emerged: how would they benefit from it, and how would future generations make a living?

To protect the fundamental interests of local farmers, after thorough discussions between the government and the company, an unexpected solution was presented. The company agreed to forgo operating rights to the 20000㎡of parking space surrounding the Park, focusing solely on building the core attractions. The parking area would be developed and managed by the village collective, with income distributed among households. Wenzhou Amusement Park also funded training programs to help villagers obtain tour guide and security certifications, offering employment opportunities with priority given to local residents.

Today, nearly 40 percent of the Park’s employees come from Xia’ao Village, and all villagers enjoy free admission. “A cultural tourism project can only thrive when local residents regard it as their own business and work together to achieve shared prosperity,” Jin Pingliang reflected. As the Park continued to prosper, more than 200 young villagers who had once worked abroad in France and Italy now returned home to start small businesses such as snack stalls and swimwear shops around the park. In recognition of its achievements, the park’s “one park, one prosperous village” model was selected in 2024 as an outstanding case of the provincial “Common Prosperity Workshop” initiative.

Looking back on its 20-year journey, we find that Wenzhou Amusement Park has long benefited from an “invisible moat”, which rooted not only in the company’s commitment to shared prosperity with the local village but also in the local government’s rational support and clear sense of boundaries.

In 2002, when the Ouhai District Party Committee and Government introduced the Wenzhou Amusement Park project, they established two guiding principles: the government will not hold shares and will not interfere in business operations. To provide strong support, five young officials from the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, television and Tourism were stationed at the construction site to offer dedicated services, ensuring the park’s rapid development and smooth opening through streamlined procedures.

This service philosophy has continued ever since, accompanying the Park’s growth into a national 4A tourist attraction. In recent years, Ouhai District has further introduced customized “Tourism+” policies for the park, taking full responsibility for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure such as ditches, roads, and bridges. In 2024, a dedicated “Police-Community Prosperity Workshop” was also established, integrating public services, video surveillance, and joint operations to provide comprehensive support.

“Common prosperity should be measured not only by how the cake is shared, but also by how it is made bigger,” said Zhang Peng, vice dean academic of the Law School and Director of the Department of Administration at Wenzhou University. He explained that by voluntarily giving up part of its earnings to gain villagers’ cooperation, Wenzhou Amusement Park managed to lower social costs and win community support. This highlights that the real driver behind the development of the cultural and tourism industries is the “economy of trust and participation”. Governments must properly balance their relations with the market and society, respect clear boundaries, enhance their service philosophy, and continuously innovate in service-oriented governance.

Twenty years ago, as Wenzhou Amusement Park was about to open, Jin Pingliang planted more than 1,000 camphor trees throughout the park. Today, walking under the lush green canopy, he reflects with deep emotion, “the growth of a company is much like the growth of a tree: it must take root deeply and continue to grow upward. After weathering years of storms, Wenzhou Amusement Park has grown into a towering tree. China’s cultural and tourism market still offers vast potential, and Wenzhou’s favorable business environment gives me confidence to keep investing and building deeper roots in Wenzhou.”