China will host the exhibition titled “Eureka. Science, Art and Technology of the Ancient Greeks” from Oct. 2017 to March 2018. (Photo : Getty Images)
Beijing may finally get to see a working Ferris wheel soon after construction of a giant wheel began Tuesday west of the capital.
The construction of the Ferris wheel at Beijing's Shijingshan Amusement Park is expected to be completed before China's National Day holiday on Oct. 1, the state-owned China News Service reported on Wednesday.
The wheel, which is located alongside Beijing's famous Chang'an Avenue, will have a height of nearly 100 meters with 42 observation capsules. Each capsule can accommodate six to eight passengers, allowing the wheel to carry up to 7,000 people each day, according to the Xinhua News Agency. It will replace the park's former 55-meter Ferris wheel, which was located at the same site before it was torn down in 2015 after operating for nearly 30 years.
The design, construction and operation of the new Ferris wheel will all meet "top standards in China and be world class," the wheel's developer, Zhejiang Juma Amusement Equipment Engineering Co., said in a press statement.
Park officials hope that the new wheel will serve as one of Beijing's key landmarks and commemorate the park's 30th anniversary
The park management has already begun asking visitors for potential names for what may be the sole functioning Ferris wheel in the country's capital.
Beijing has previously had two giant Ferris wheels. Towering at 208 meters, the proposed Beijing Great Wheel in central Beijing's Chaoyang Park was slated to become the world's highest when construction began in 2007, but the project has been stalled since 2011.
A 62-meter-high Ferris wheel in Beijing Amusement Park, which used to be the highest in Asia, was shut down when the park closed its doors in 2010. The site is planned to be reopened as a public space by the end of this year.
China is experiencing a boom in amusement parks in recent years, as more Chinese are choosing to spend their vacations within the country rather than vacationing abroad due to a sluggish economy.
