Saturday 5 August 2017

Jinjiang Action Park: the RCT3 theme park!

Jinjiang Action Park 锦江乐园 is a AAAA attraction located in Shanghai, China. It features a world class roller coaster, a huge observation wheel and several other attractions. But for me, this theme park has the distinction of being very similar to a theme park designed in Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, from the rides and ticketing system to the stalls and decorations.


About the Park

Jinjiang Action Park is located on the South West corner of Shanghai, near to Shanghai South Railway station. You can get there by taking Shanghai Metro Line 1 to Jinjiang Park 锦江乐园 station. There are supposedly 5 roller coasters in the park, but I only saw 4 that day.



In RCT3, most players will charge an entrance fee for the park and additional fees for the rides. Well, Jinjiang Action Park does the same. However, I still think the prices are cheap compared to the 2 other large theme parks in Shanghai (Happy Valley and Disneyland). Tickets (adult) are as follows:

  • ¥130 for all access pass
  • ¥100 for entry and 6 rides
  • ¥60 for entry and 2 rides
  • Assorted price for individual rides, ranging from ¥20 to ¥45
  • Separate charge for Ferris Wheel (which I forgot the price)

The ferris wheel is the largest attraction at Jinjiang Action Park and requires a seperate ticket to enter

Giant Inverted Boomerang 


The main reason any coaster fan will visit Jinjiang Action Park is for its only world class coaster: the Giant Inverted Boomerang. Basically, it is a combination of a roller coaster and a drop tower ride. You get raised up the drop tower style lift hill, before falling to a speed of 90+kph and entering 3 inversion. Then, the process is repeated BACKWARDS!




This ride is very intense. You get about 3 seconds of weightlessness when the ride decelerates up the 2nd tower, and the drop is comparable to Gravity Max at Lihpao Land. The seat is not the most comfortable but the ride is glossy smooth. Like as smooth as Disney roller coasters! Who says Vekoma Coasters suck!!?? 



Around the Park


At Jinjiang Action Park, all the attractions are just strewn around the park without any specific theme. Kinda reminds me of when we run out of space in RCT3 and try to squeeze in every attraction we can. As such, I will just show you all the remaining photos here without any attempt to organise!

erm...this is not the last dinosaur you will see
 The Motorbike Coaster at Jinjiang Action Park is a compact model produced by Zamperla. It is not very fast or intense but still a decent family coaster. The twists and turns are quite sudden because of the compact design of the track.



Okay guys, your favourite RCT3 rides begins here! Disco, chairswing and even a log flume that looks like a long bathtub, we have it all covered!

Sam: Disco 1 is too dizzy for me

Dora: The chairswings 1 are a great value 


Tom: I want to get on spinning wild mouse 1 again


Mechanic 1: going towards ride: Carousel 1



Oh, and not to mention, there are also 2 arcades at Jinjiang Action Park!

Food and Beverage Options


Jinjiang Action Park has a couple of interesting food options. One of them is a replica of Shilin Night Market in Taiwan. Although the design is far from authentic, I do find the food choices quite close to Shilin Night Market - down to the smelly toufu. Also, the railway cafe is quite interesting. Prices are considered reasonable, and you should be able to get a full meal for less than ¥50





The Verdict


Jinjiang Action Park is a good park to spend half a day. The price is very reasonable and the attractions, although very RCT3 like, are all quite decent. Also, it is not easy to squeeze 4 roller coasters into such a smaller area - unless you are an RCT3 player. In many ways, this theme park feels like what Escape Theme Park in Singapore will be if it was expanded to its full potential instead of being closed down. 

  • Roller Coasters: ☆☆☆
  • Thrill Rides: ☆☆
  • Shows: ☆
  • Family Rides: ☆☆☆☆
  • Theming: ☆☆
  • Operations: ☆☆
  • Overall: ☆☆☆

While the rating feels very low, lets not forget that this theme park's ticket price is only half that of other theme parks. If you like this post, you should really consider looking at other world class theme parks in China: