Taking advantage of my husband’s weekend off, our family visited Nanchang Wanda Ocean Park for the second time. Nanchang can get quite hot in the summer, so we had to choose an indoor venue to cool off. Since our last experience at the ocean park was pretty good, I checked the reviews on WeChat and saw that many new attractions had been added during the Olympic period, so we decided to buy tickets—and more importantly, we wanted our son to have a great time.
The ocean park was as cool as ever; it felt chilly as soon as we walked in. The marine environment is truly comfortable. There was a bit of a line at the ticketing and pick-up counter, but we arrived early in the morning, hoping to catch the 11 a.m. weightlifting show.
Since it’s the Olympic period, the entrance has been redecorated—with national flags hanging from palm fronds and a beach volleyball setup below. Very fitting for the occasion.
First, we watched the fish playing soccer—it was something new. The aquarium wasn’t very big, but dozens of fish were swimming happily in the water, competing for a tiny soccer ball. One team was red, and the other was more yellowish. The little fish would flick their tails, causing tiny ripples in the water, and we all watched anxiously to see which team would get the ball. A bunch of kids were gathered around, staring intently at the ball. Our son joined them too. The fish were competing fiercely, and he watched with great focus.
The most fun today was definitely the “Angry Sharks.” You shoot little shark-shaped projectiles using a slingshot, and if you hit the target, you get a prize. The prize itself isn’t really the point—anyone with a bit of childlike wonder probably has a slingshot fantasy, and I even wanted to give it a try myself.
There were a lot of kids waiting nearby, all eager to have a go. The younger ones had their parents help them aim.
The most thrilling part was the underwater weightlifting performance. The divers practiced weightlifting underwater, and when they lifted the weights, fish swam around them while the audience cheered. Kids might not fully understand, but to us adults, even though there’s buoyancy in the water, it’s not easy for divers who don’t regularly practice weightlifting to overcome the imbalance in the water and perform perfectly for the audience. We wanted to cheer for the divers!
Standard weightlifting form!
The divers held up a sign that read “Go China,” and remembering the athletes competing in the games these past few days, the crowd started clapping enthusiastically. Yeah, Go China, go Chinese athletes!
After nearly two hours, our family watched the shows, played the games, saw the dolphin performance like last time, and played with the fish at the touch pool. We’ll definitely come back to experience new activities next time!
Here’s a thoughtful guide to the August sports events—take it and enjoy!
Underwater Weightlifting Show 11:00
Underwater Rings Show 11:10 (Weekdays) 16:00 (Weekends)
Underwater Soccer Show 16:00
Fish Soccer Show 12:00 / 16:00 (Tropical Rainforest Premium Exhibition Area)