The theme park industry in China has been long established; its origin in China can be traced back as early as 5 July 1983 when Changjiang Amusement Park was opened to the public in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province. In retrospect, the development of China’s theme park industry has not been very smooth over the last 30 years. Rather, it is subject to massive challenges, reversals, and the so-called tide of bankruptcy of theme park operators, in which immense social capital (e.g., labour, money and land) has been wasted. Overall, theme park development in China is arguably divided into four interlocked stages. At each stage Chinese scholars invariably played an essential role in various ways, particularly in terms of developing theories, solving practical problems and shaping the whole theme park industry along with their industry partners. This chapter elaborates, in detail, the development of Chinese theme parks at each of these stages.
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