Photo TR: Nanchang Wanda Park (June 4, 2016)

June 4, 2016:

Nanchang Wanda Park

I decided to go to Nanchang this weekend to visit the new Wanda Park. I am happy that I went. The park has some neat things that can't be found elsewhere. For one, there is a themed area where pottery is the theme. The Bamboo Forest is a neat themed are as well. The only downside to this park that the employees are not efficient at loading and unloading the coasters. A 20 minute wait at Disney will be a 1 hour wait at Wanda. With that being said, the park still has a lot of rides and is a change pace in terms of ride lineups at parks in China. As for the coasters, the following is five short reviews (one for each coaster):

Coaster Through The Clouds: This Intamin hypercoaster is fun and has several spots of airtime. The airtime is gentle and not abrupt, but the ride is fast and has a great first drop. It is one of the best coasters in China.

Creep Caterpillar: I scream. You scream. The police came. It's awkward.

Spinning Potteries: Typical spinning mouse coaster found at parks in every Chinese city.

Soaring Dragon & Dancing Phoenix: The best Chinese SLC to date. It features a custom layout. The original name for it was Kiln Crusher. I wish they had kept that name.

Python In Bamboo Forest: Best. GCI. Ever. Best. Ride. Entrance. Ever.

It is 6:48am and I have arrived at Nanchang Wanda Park. It is very early, but I am the first one here.

My first stop in the park is Bamboo Forest.

Creep Caterpillar would be my first ride of the day.

Creep is the best name for this ride. Look at that lead car. It looks like it will molest me.

Best. Ride. Entrance. Ever.

It is hard to get good photos of Python In Bamboo Forest (formerly known as the Viper).

Here is a look at the lead car.

The ride messed up my hair.

Here are some of the rides at the park.

I met with some Chinese coaster enthusiasts today.

Here is one of the views inside the park.

This bumper car ride is total bulls---.

I have to include the carousel in my TR.

There is an area themed after pottery.

It seems every park in China has one of these damned things.

They have a Chinese made SLC.

It is the best Chinese SLC yet as it is a custom design.

It is not a bad ride at all.

Here is another view of it.

Here is one more look at Soaring Dragon & Dancing Phoenix.

Coaster Through The Clouds is a great ride.

The lift looks like it touches the clouds.

This is one of the best coasters in China.

It is a great ride and had a 2 hour wait today.

Here is an action shot to finish the TR.

Neat looking park. Coaster thru the clouds looks like it has a good first drop. nice posting.

It does indeed have a great first drop. It seemed very steep. This park has a lot of potential, but the ride ops need to be more efficient.

Wow, the lead car for the GCI looks fantastic! Much better than the standard millennium flyer front grill.

The people at GCI have really outdone themselves on this ride.

Wait, Chinese knock-off SLCs are becoming better than the actual Vekoma ones? That's how you know your company created a bad coaster design!

The Chinese have really stepped up their game in the last couple of years or so with new coasters.

The Chinese have really stepped up their game in the last couple of years or so with new coasters.

They had nowhere to go but up. That being said, this looks like a good park.

AngryDarrenMullins: Do you live in Nanchang? I have already been to this park twice (and to the mall several times). It is a very well done park, and I'm excited to finally have an amusement park right down the street from me! Did you happen to see me there on that day? I was also there on June 4. Were you the guy who was coming out of the garage where they store the extra cars in "Coaster in the Clouds" ? I might have seen you (I was queuing at that time).

I would agree with you that the GCI coaster is great. If you're still in Nanchang, maybe we can group up and go together sometime! Let me know your we-chat.

I finally got to ride the GCI woodie after having a lot of trouble. The first time I went there during opening weekend (with almost no queue), the operators wouldn't let me ride it (even after bringing out the GCI guys to try to convince them it was safe for me to ride). They set the height limit at 188cm (of which I am 190).

The second time I went I followed the advice of one of the GCI guys and ducked down to get measured. It worked at the beginning, but right when I was about to get on (after waiting 45 minutes), I stumbled upon the same guy as before, and he had a measuring tape in his hands! He told me not to duck down, and he was pretty fierce about it. Anyway, I was able to "fight" my way on, and it was well worth it...I would agree this is one of the greatest coasters in China (and arguably all over the world)...no brakes whatsoever, and through the woods! I can't begin to tell you how paranoid the ride-op was: he told me to make sure to keep my hands on the bar at all times during the ride.

The one thing that really annoys me about Chinese amusement parks is all the height and weight limits. For the free-drop ride, they insisted on putting me on a scale, and wouldn't allow me to ride. It appears to be the exact same tower-drop ride as in multiple parks in America (and besides, there was no queue, and only a few people riding anyway...why would it matter?)

The one ride where I was not pestered about my height or weight was the red Intamin coaster (Coaster Through the clouds). I lost some change on the way up, so it really is a steep lift-hill. There is definitely a lot of airtime on this coaster. My wait time was just about 20 minutes, and was able to "sneak" in the last ride just before closing.

The other thing that irritates me about amusement parks in China is the fact that they close all the rides down early, even though they keep the park open until 8:00 (they do this at Happy Valley too). The coasters had all stopped operating by 6:30, for example, and some rides even close earlier. So unlike me...who is always a casual "afternoon arriver", if you plan to come to this park, plan to come here early so you can have a chance to ride everything.

Overall, I would agree that the park is done really well. My last question: a Chinese guy had told me that Wanda was built on the same grounds as Bao Hu Lu Amusement Park, which had closed several years before. It makes sense to me, as the lake inside the park looked really familiar. But nothing else looked the same. So was it really built on the same grounds?

I finally got to ride the GCI woodie after having a lot of trouble. The first time I went there during opening weekend (with almost no queue), the operators wouldn't let me ride it (even after bringing out the GCI guys to try to convince them it was safe for me to ride). They set the height limit at 188cm (of which I am 190).

 

The second time I went I followed the advice of one of the GCI guys and ducked down to get measured. It worked at the beginning, but right when I was about to get on (after waiting 45 minutes), I stumbled upon the same guy as before, and he had a measuring tape in his hands! He told me not to duck down, and he was pretty fierce about it. Anyway, I was able to "fight" my way on, and it was well worth it...I would agree this is one of the greatest coasters in China (and arguably all over the world)...no brakes whatsoever, and through the woods! I can't begin to tell you how paranoid the ride-op was: he told me to make sure to keep my hands on the bar at all times during the ride.

 

The one thing that really annoys me about Chinese amusement parks is all the height and weight limits. For the free-drop ride, they insisted on putting me on a scale, and wouldn't allow me to ride. It appears to be the exact same tower-drop ride as in multiple parks in America (and besides, there was no queue, and only a few people riding anyway...why would it matter?)

Wait what!? The height limit's 188cm= about 6'1.5"!? That's ludicrous, that must be the shortest height limit on a non-kiddie ride! I know that Chinese aren't known for their incredible height, but that's not an excuse for the park to put such a low height limit, as this coaster is most surely built like all its counterparts elsewhere in the world where a there's no ridiculous height limit.

I do not live in Nanchang, which is a real shame. Yes. This is the site of the old Baohulu Farm. There is a second Baohulu Farm that is still open in Ganzhou to the south of Nanchang. I visited it last year. I was not coming out of where the cars are stored, but I did see some other foreigners. I even said hi to them. I believe I was between Python and Coaster Through The Clouds.

The theming is shit, the concept artslooked nice but in real life is it from a low level.

I thought the theming was a step up from other Chinese parks. At least this park has more of it than other parks.