Photo TR: Hangzhou and Ningbo Kiddie Parks (Feb. 15, 2015)

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

I woke up in Hangzhou this morning. I had a few hours before I had to catch a train to Ningbo, so I decided to see a few parks here. I met with Xi Pai and Candice Fu who are both Chinese roller coaster enthusiasts. We met at Hangzhou Youth & Children's Center before going to Hangzhou Children's Park. After meeting them and going to the two parks in Hangzhou, I went to Ningbo and visited NIngbo Children's Park, which is across the street from my motel. As a side note, I was going to visit Hangzhou Amusement Park and Roman U Park, but Roman U Park is not yet open and Hangzhou Amusement Park is closed for the winter.

 

Hangzhou Youth & Children's Center:

 

This park is across the street from Hangzhou's famous West Lake. There are several rides here. There are some Zamperla kiddie rides, including a Happy Swing. I had not been one of these before. I tried the one here and I liked it. It provides an intense ride despite being a "kiddie" ride. There is a small kiddie coaster here that was not open today. It seems that the ride ops were using the overnight rain showers as an excuse. The ride is only about 9 feet tall and the highest point of the coaster can be reached via a walkway. Much of the coaster is only 4 feet tall and the track could have been wiped clean in about 10 minutes. I think some Chinese parks will be hurting when Shanghai Disneyland shows the Chinese people how a park should operate.

 

Hangzhou Children's Park:

 

The second park of the day was Hangzhou Children's Park. There have been six coasters known to operate here, but four of them have been removed. I have wanted to come here for about 5 years to ride the suspended coaster, but it was removed about three years ago. Some footers and the loading platform from the suspended coaster remain. The two coasters here are Roller Coaster, which is a mouse ride, and Fruit Worm Coaster (my 800th steel coaster), a Golden Horse kiddie coaster. Many parks will not let adults ride the Fruit Worm coaster, but adults who visit Hangzhou Children's Park can ride this particular installation. Hangzhou Children's Park has a rapids ride. This was a surprise to find in a non-theme park. It was closed for the winter. On the way to and from this park, the taxi crossed three bridges that were like camelback hills on a roller coaster. This would nice in itself.

 

Ningbo Children's Park:

 

This park is located in Ningbo and it was here that I would ride my 900th coaster. The park is a basic Chinese park. There is a lake with boats and about a dozen rides. The coaster here is a Wacky Worm knock off called Junior Coaster. I think it is strange to have a wacky worm type ride as a milestone coaster, but with Hangzhou Paradise being closed and Roman U Park not open yet, I had to go with this one. Ningbo Children's Park is very nice and I like the layout of the park. There used to be a mouse coaster here, but it is gone now. In all, I had a great day and I hope to visit other parks in Ningbo and Hangzhou very soon.

This is my first park of the day. It is the Hangzhou Youth & Children's Center

This is the park's biggest ride.

Here is the Carousel shot for this park.

A Space Car coaster is here. It was not working today because there was some moisture on the track. There was not much moisture. The ride ops were being lazy cunts and didn't want to open the ride.

The let me in the station to take photos.

Here is some of the track. They have clearly knocked off the Tivoli coasters.

Here is a view of the coaster from the Ferris Wheel.

I got to ride my first Zamperla Happy Swing today. That is right-Zamperla-not a knock off Asian POS.

A taxi ride brought me to Hangzhou Children's Park.

A mouse coaster has been added here recently.

Here is an on ride shot.

I see these all over China.

The Chinese love their wave swingers.

A Fruit Worm coaster is here. This would be come my 800th steel coaster.

This has to be the world's shortest lift hill.

Here we are going through the apple.

I was surprised to see a rapids ride in this park. It was closed for the winter.

This is the loading platform for the the now defunct Bat Driving Speedy Car suspended coaster.

In addition to the loading platform, the footers from the suspended coaster are still there.

A one hour train ride and a 20 minute taxi ride has brought me to the city of Ningbo and Ningbo Children's Park.

I have just entered the west gate of the park.

Ningbo Children's Park has a small lake and boating is very popular on it.

No park should be without one of these.

There is this little rocket ships ride at Ningbo Children's Park.

A Wacky Worm knockoff is here. This would become my 900th coaster.

Here is the big drop on the coaster. The coaster is called Junior Coaster.

I took this photo while I was waiting on someone to come and operate the coaster for me.

Here is part of the layout.

Here is a photo I took while riding to finish off the TR.