Relax - Beijing theme park choc-full of treats

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[Above: The models wear a creation made of chocolate during a fashion show at the World Chocolate Wonderlandin Beijing]

This Chinese New Year promises to be a sweet and creamy one for Beijingers as they welcome the country's first chocolate theme park.

The World Chocolate Wonderland opened its doors last Friday and wowed visitors with eye-catching chocolate-made exhibits such as the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall of China.

A stone's throw away from the Bird's Nest stadium on the Olympic Green, the cocoa heaven is the latest attraction that Beijing officials hope would invigorate their bid to bring life back to the iconic Olympics stadium and its surrounding park. Just last month, they created a makeshift ski centre by covering a nearby green field with artificial snow.

'This theme park blends well with our goal of forging a sports and cultural hub. We are confident that it will enhance the brand name of the Olympic Park,' said Mr Cao Feng, an official from the company operating the Olympic Park.

The 30 million yuan (S$6 million) Taiwanese venture will stay open until April 10, when temperatures get a little too high for the 80 tonnes of chocolate on display. And if the exhibition, spanning the area of three football fields, goes down well with Beijingers, organisers say they will be back for the next two years.

A model wears a hat made from chocolate at the World Chocolate Wonderland in Beijing.

In all, 100 pastry chefs from Wang Sen, a renowned pastry school in southern China's Suzhou city, were involved in creating the hundreds of candy art items on show.

The most impressive among them: a life-size BMW car, which contains two tonnes of dark chocolate and took 10 chefs six months to complete, and a 12m re-creation of the famous Chinese painting River Scene At Qing Ming Festival, painted with food colouring on a sheet of white chocolate.

Visitors also had the chance to mingle with the chefs behind these works and receive direct coaching from them as they tried their hands at making chocolates.

Mr Lin Zhengzong, chief creative director of the theme park, told The Sunday Times: 'We wanted to make sure that visitors have their senses of taste, touch, sight and smell stimulated. And at the same time, they get to learn about the rich culture and history behind chocolates.'

The 80-yuan ticket did not deter many Beijing residents with a sweet tooth. When The Sunday Times dropped by in the morning shortly after the park's opening, queues outside the ticket booths were more than 100m long.

At the end of Day One, organisers said the turnout, at 8,000, was robust. And they are hoping to pull in at least 400,000 visitors during the 10-week exhibition.

'Some of the displays were quite amazing. How do they do that with just chocolate?' remarked Madam Yang Yue, 40, who took her eight-year-old daughter Yuhan to the park on its first day. 'I think the park is great for children. It will make for a more meaningful winter break.'

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.

Beijing theme park choc-full of treats

By The Straits Times China Bureau | Wed, Feb 3 2010

The World Chocolate Wonderland opened its doors last Friday and wowed visitors with eye-catching chocolate-made exhibits.

Keywords

great wall

chocolate