The Great World Amusement Park

The Great World Amusement Park

The Great World Amusement Park is a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Great World Amusement Park

Now known as the Great World Amusement Center, it is located at No. 1 Xizang South Road. Established in July of the 6th year of the Republic of China (1917), it was originally an ordinary two-story brick-and-wood structure. In the 13th year of the Republic of China, it was redesigned by architect Zhou Weinan into a four-story reinforced concrete frame structure, covering a land area of 6,537 square meters and a building area of 13,580 square meters, with a building tower height of 55.3 meters.

The building has an L-shaped floor plan, with the main entrance located at the corner of Yan’an East Road and Xizang South Road. The ground floor along the street is lined with rental shopfronts. Upon entering through the main gate, there is a hexagonal rotunda, on the south wall of which are embedded 11 convex-concave funhouse mirrors. Floors two to four house various entertainment venues, with a wide corridor set along the inner side. The central area features a circular open-air theater primarily used for acrobatic and magic performances, making it the liveliest spot in the entire amusement center. A 100-meter-long skybridge connects the central area to the surrounding buildings from north to south.

The building’s exterior treatment is simple, with no clear design system. At the upper part of the corner is a four-story tower, constructed with varying numbers of columns on each level. The very top is an ancient clock-style spire, successfully establishing the iconic symbol of the Great World Amusement Park. The "Great World" was originally built and operated by Huang Chujiu, and taken over by Huang Jinrong in the 20th year of the Republic of China. In July 1954, it was taken over by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture, renamed People’s Amusement Park in 1955, served as a Youth Palace during the Cultural Revolution, and had its original name restored in January 1987. It remains China’s largest comprehensive amusement venue. Since 2008, the Great World has been closed for renovation for eight years, with the reopening date still to be determined. It was designated as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1989.