30 December 2021
I came across a photo of an old flooded theatre and an old man stood in the centre as if he was diligently cleaning. Upon closer inspective, I realised the old man was a mannequin. For a long time, I couldn't get this haunting image out of my mind. I tried asking the owner of the photo for more information of the place, and they quoted me a price of $90+ for a tour?? It is pretty common for many not to reveal locations, but to charge a hefty price for it was definitely shocking to me. Annoyed by this I decided to do my own research, not having much to go on it definitely took all of my CSI skills to track down and find an old map of the place. And I have to say, this urbex exploration was definitely the most memorable and fulfilling one to date. Everything we saw there was so surreal, haunting yet immensely captivating.
Exploring the Abandoned Theme Park
1130 | Explore old theatre 1 |
1145 | Explore old theatre 2 |
1200 | Visit the guardian deity |
1215 | Visit the guardian deity |
1230 | Visit the amphitheatre |
1130 | Explore old theatre 1
We walked around and scouted the location for a way in, the main entrance didn't seem accessible so I suggested we take a back trail through the forest. And sure enough there was a viable entry point. There were a few old buildings in the area, the most prominent ones were 2 identical brick-coloured buildings with ornate decorations. Having referenced an old map of the place, I recognised them as the old theatres. We walked through the huge gates decorated with dragon carvings and came into the pitch black theatre. It had a moist and musky smell to it. I shone my touch into the darkness and was immediately taken aback by 2 huge white faces staring at me. The white status were atleast 4-5 metres tall and resembled that of people from the olden era in China. The theatre was also decorated in an elaborate and oriental way with red lanterns and motifs. The theatre looked like it was vacated as it is after its very last show, with the props and all. The theatre which I imagined was bustling in the past felt very lonesome, the white statues waiting endlessly for their audience. The stairs that led down to the theatre stage was flooded with black murky water that looked pretty sinister. It felt as if something will jump out of the water anytime.
1145 | Explore old theatre 2
We walked along the long covered walkway towards the 2nd theatre. The shelter was in ruins covered in veins and moss. The 2nd theatre that a similar layout as the first. I shone my light into the pitch darkness and saw the haunting image come to life. A figure of an old man stood at the same spot, bent over and diligently cleaning for who knows how many decades. The water level seem to have risen quite abit as compared to the photo I had seen, it was almost past the waist of the old man. The blackened water was like a mirror, reflecting the old man as he seemingly gazes into it. Seeing it in real life gave me goose bumps, especially in the deafening silence of the old theatre and it felt as if the old man would look up at us at any moment. I suppose the old man was a prop for a theatre performance in the past, but it almost seemed sad to have left him guarding the theatre all alone as it laid in ruins.
1200 | Visit the guardian deity
We walked back out and down the flight of stairs, exploring the the open area. There was a huge courtyard which might have been a fountain in the past. In front of it I recognised the iconic circular gates, with 2 guardian deities sitting in front as if guarding it. Someone had set up a little tentage to shield the guardian deities from the harsh weather. I recognised the gates from an old image I had found of the place, when it used to be a water ride and patrons would sit in gondolas going around a manmade canal.
1215 | Visit the 2 storey pavilion
We walked back to a double storey building we had seen earlier. The ground floor seemed kind of like an office space with an old desk and some chairs. There was a peculiar sculpture of a red snake placed on one of the tables with a bowl of red pigment in front of it. We then walked up to the 2nd level of the pavilion and was surrounded by old statues. They were dressed like chinese soldiers and court officials from the olden days. One of the them which was set as a centre piece didn't quite look like the rest, it looked a lot more life-like with long hair and beard and draped with red cloth. Unlike the other figures which looked fierce, this one looked relaxed and peaceful with it closed eyes. Yet, it had an imposing presence being bigger than life size, its closed eyelids felt as if they would flutter open at any moment. I stood in the centre staring at it for awhile, it felt creepy but there was something about it and I couldn't take my eyes off.
1230 | Visit the amphitheatre
We continued along the old pavements strewn with fallen leaves, veins and mold, and greeted by the occasional old statue. At the end was stairs that led down to a big amphitheatre. The wooden seats have mostly started rotting and falling off. I suppose this space used to house open air performances in the past. We then left the old theme park and its residences who will continue to quietly guard the place.
My Thoughts
This exploration was definitely unlike any other, every turn led to a new surprise, where we were greeted with surreal scenes that were quite out of this world. The old theme park that was once jostling with crowds of families had since been forgotten and laid to ruin, with only its most loyal 'residences' standing guard, waiting for the day it may reopen.
How can I go in? hahahaha