Questions about China

I recently received an offer for a great airfare deal to Beijing for mid-September, and I'm currently trying to determine how much I can fit into a trip. It also looks like I'll be going solo. With this flight, I'm scheduled to land in Beijing on a Saturday at around 3:30 PM and then depart for the US the following Friday at 4:00 PM, just to give you an idea of how much time I'll have to spend. So, for my questions...

1. By the time I arrive at the airport, go through customs and immigration, and check in to my hotel, will I have time to do anything else that evening, or will everything be closed?

2. My current plan is only to visit Happy Valley, Beijing Shijingshan, Beijing World Park, and Sun Park while in Beijing. I'll be visiting these on weekdays, so how much time would I need for each park? Would I be able to do more than one in a day?

3. I would like to visit Happy Valley and Victory Kingdom in Tianjin as well, since they're so close to Beijing. Would I have enough time to do both in the same day while taking the train to and from Beijing?

4. Are there any other parks in the area that are worth visiting? I want to include a few smaller parks in case I have some spare time.

If you have any other helpful information, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance!

1. Everything will most likely be closed as all that stuff at the airport will take time and the airport is outside of the city. Also, keep in mind getting around China is much different than getting around other countries. Everything takes longer than it should and longer than you think it will.

2. We usually combine two parks in a day in China except for maybe the Happy Valley's and bigger parks. We've done Shijingshan and Sun Park in the same day before. It's a big credit day. Crowds don't always matter in China because many times if it's not busy they stagger the openings of rides so you have to stay longer than you would normally have to. It also depends if you want to do more than just coasters. Some of these parks have decent and/or bizarre dark rides or shows.

3. Happy Valley wasn't open last time we were there but Victory Kingdom can certainly be done in less than 3 hours as long as operations are at least somewhat decent. I do know though last time we were there they staggered opening times of the rides.

4. I haven't been keeping up on the China stuff as much as I probably should so I can't help you too much there but one of our posters has a fabulous thread in the main board keeping track of the China projects so check that out for other possibilities. Also, at least try to go to the Great Wall (the section that has the alpine coaster). Forbidden City get a quick look and move on.

Thanks, Elissa! Your input is extremely helpful! I have a few more questions, though.

1. In regards to a Shijingshan and Sun Park day, which park would you recommend doing first? I'll be taking the subway between the two parks, how long would it take to get from one to the other?

2. Sun Park and Beijing World Park are both 0.5-1.5 miles away from the nearest subway station. I don't have a problem walking, but is it safe to walk? If I decide to take a taxi from the park back to the station to save walking, will it be difficult to find one?

3. Since my flight back doesn't leave until 4:00 PM or so, I thought I'd use the morning to do a half-day tour of the Great Wall. The tour company says I'll get back to my hotel around noon. When I get my bags and get to the airport (my guess would be about 1:00), will I have enough time to go through check-in, security, customs, etc., before my flight?

Again, thanks for your help!