Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is a theme park situated in

Hengqin Hengqin (, pt, Ilha da Montanha) is an island in Zhuhai, a prefecture-level city and Special economic zones of China, special economic zone in Guangdong, Guangdong Province of the China, People's Republic of China. It has a population of about ...

Zhuhai Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pearl ...

, People's Republic of China. It was designed by PGAV Destinations. The park broke ground on 28 November 2010 and soft-opened on 28 January 2014. The grand opening occurred on 29 March that year. The first phase of the park cost

RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...

10 billion to build. It is part of the

Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort () is a theme park resort located in Hengqin, Zhuhai, China and owned by Chimelong Group. The resort currently consists of one theme park, two theaters and three themed hotels. With a 20 billion yuan i ...

, which aims to become the "

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

of China". According to

TEA Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

and

AECOM AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm. AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list. The company's official name from 1990 t ...

, it is the 10th most visited theme park in the world in 2018, with 10.83 million visitors. Among its attractions are a wide range of amusements rides, animal shows, as well as the world's largest

oceanarium An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as Marineland of Canada, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks. First ma ...

with a total of of water. The theme park currently has five

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

under its name.

Rides and shows

Rides

Shows

Themed areas

There are eight themed areas inside the park, each representing a part of the ocean.

Ocean Avenue

*The entrance area with shops and an LED digital canopy that showcases the sea

Dolphin Cove

Amusement rides

* 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 Prana Studios, Inc. was an American computer animation and visual effects company, founded in 2005 in Los Angeles, United States, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Mumbai, India. Prana Studios' investors include Reliance Industries and Mahindra G ...

with Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT) providing the hardware. The theatre has a curved screen, a world record. The theatre took more than three years to plan and cost some ¥300 million (US$50 million) to build.

Animal exhibits

*Dolphin Island and Dolphin Theatre – spotted dolphin habitat *Dolphin Conservation Center –

Chinese white dolphin The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (''Sousa chinensis'') is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland Chi ...

habitat with viewing for guests both above and underwater

Amazing Amazon

Amusement rides

* Parrot Coaster –

Bolliger & Mabillard Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabil ...

winged coaster ride

Animal exhibits

*Journey to the Amazon – freshwater aquarium

Ocean Beauty

Amusement rides

* Deep Sea Odyssey – submarine ride that goes inside the aquarium

Animal exhibits

*Whale Shark Exhibit Aquarium – the tank itself contains of water, making it the largest in the world, and it is home to

whale shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, D ...

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...

s, and many other species at the time of its opening.

Polar Horizon

Amusement rides

Polar Explorer This list is for recognised pioneering explorers of the polar regions. It does not include subsequent travelers and expeditions. Polar explorers * Jameson Adams * Stian Aker * Valerian Albanov * Roald Amundsen * Salomon August Andrée * Piotr F ...

– water roller coaster ride

Animal exhibits

Beluga Theatre at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom

*Beluga Experience and Beluga Theatre –

beluga The beluga whale (/bɪˈluːɡə/) (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the wh ...

habitat *Polar bear Village –

Polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...

habitat *Penguin World –

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

habitat

Hero Island

Amusement rides

* Bumper Smash –

Bumper cars Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. Bumpe ...

* Games Arcade – game stalls * Penguin Coaster *Jungle Coaster *Tower of Sea Monsters

Animal exhibits

*Otter's Den –

Asian small-clawed otter The Asian small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), also known as the oriental small-clawed otter and the small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its web ...

habitat *Stingray Encounter –

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...

touch pool *Tide Pools – Touch tanks with small fish and other sea creatures

Mount Walrus

Amusement rides

*Spirit of Adventure –

pirate ship Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

*Walrus Splash – giant flume

Animal exhibits

*Walrus Island –

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...

habitat *Sea Lion Bay and Sea Lion Theatre –

sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...

habitat *Sea Bird Paradise – Home to

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

s, white cranes,

white-naped crane The white-naped crane (''Antigone vipio'') is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, long, about tall, and weighing about , with pinkish legs, a grey-and-white-striped neck, and a red face patch. Distribution The white-naped crane br ...

white stork The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

spotted seal The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. It is primarily ...

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

African spurred tortoise The African spurred tortoise (''Centrochelys sulcata''), also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the largest mainland species of tortoise in the world, and the ...

Aldabra giant tortoise The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world.Pritchar ...

and

seagulls Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

Hengqin Ocean

*Shows, parades, and firework shows

Entertainments

''Journey of Lights'' - Nighttime parade designed by Miziker Entertainment

Killer Whale Breeding Center

Opened in March 2017, the facility is home to nine

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pa ...

s (5 males and 4 females), 6 currently living at the center and 3 temporarily held at another facility. All the killer whales came from Russia and will live here until their new home opens next year. Two are named Nukka (F) and Tyson (M). Others' names have not been made official yet.

Transportation

The resort has been served by the

Zhuhai Changlong railway station Zhuhai Changlong railway station () is a railway station of the Zhuhai–Zhuhai Airport intercity railway. It is the southern terminus of the first phase of the line, which started operations on 18 August 2020. It is from Zhuhai railway station. ...

on the

Zhuhai–Zhuhai Airport intercity railway Zhuhai–Zhuhai Airport intercity railway, also known as the Zhuji intercity railway, is a regional railway in Zhuhai. The Phase 1 runs from Zhuhai railway station to Zhuhai Changlong railway station, while Phase 2 will terminate at Zhuhai Jinw ...

since 18 August 2020.

Awards and records

In 2015 Chimelong Ocean Kingdom won the

Thea Award The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of theming, themed entertainment. It is also noted for its THEA Awards, which were founded in 199 ...

for Outstanding Achievement over 169 international candidates, marking the first time the award was given to a Chinese theme park. 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

, a single acrylic panel measuring . The Journey of Lights parade won the 2018 Thea Award for outstanding achievement - live show.

Criticism

Samuel Hung Ka-yiu, chairman of the

Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society The Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society (HKDCS) (Traditional Chinese: 香港海豚保育學會) is a non-governmental organisation that is dedicated to the Conservation movement, conservation of whales, and dolphins and porpoises in Hong Kong ...

, said, "Ocean Kingdom seems to have imported everything. They are doing everything wrong. They are doing everything you don't want them to do". Examples include polar bears confined in small areas demonstrating "repetitive pacing, swaying, head-bobbing or circling" and skin disorders in penguins kept in a sub-tropical environment. Further criticism arises from a recent trade of

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only Extant taxon, extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black ...

s between China and Russia. In 2013 Russia captured wild orcas in the

Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk ( rus, Охо́тское мо́ре, Ohótskoye móre ; ja, オホーツク海, Ohōtsuku-kai) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands ...

, 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 (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

(Cites) permits were applied for by Russia and granted for two wild-caught killer whales, also known as orcas, to be exported to China." Ocean Kingdom refuses to comment on whether they plan to display orcas in future but there are currently 50 aquariums in China, none of which have orcas on display.

Attendance

References

External links

Official websitePhotos: Chimelong's Ocean Kingdom theme park in China
''Los Angeles Times''.
Coaster Forum Review
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Rides and shows

Rides

Shows

Themed areas

Ocean Avenue

Dolphin Cove

Amusement rides

Animal exhibits

Amazing Amazon

Amusement rides

Animal exhibits

Ocean Beauty

Amusement rides

Animal exhibits

Polar Horizon

Amusement rides

Animal exhibits

Hero Island

Amusement rides

Animal exhibits

Mount Walrus

Amusement rides

Animal exhibits

Hengqin Ocean

Entertainments

Killer Whale Breeding Center

Transportation

Awards and records

Criticism

Attendance

See also

References

External links