Postponed several times, the long-awaited Beijing Olympic Green Carnival is finally ready to open to the public at 10.00 AM tomorrow, the Olympic Green Management Committee and Happy Carnival Corporation said yesterday.
Liu Tie, who is in charge of the carnival theme park, attributed the delay of the opening to safety considerations. Some facilities have been reinstalled for safety reasons, he said.
Yesterday afternoon, a Management Committee employee told Beijing News the corporation had finished going through all necessary procedures and that "This time it's for real; the theme park will open on March 28."
Banners reading "Have Fun at the Bird's Nest Carnival" can be seen near the National Stadium. Workers are busying putting the final touches to decorations, and a Ferris wheel is undergoing last minute tests.
Liu said tourists will have to pass through security checks and may have their bags searched before entering the park, but added that the procedure would not be as strict as that in force during the Beijing Olympics. Tourists will be allowed to take matches, lighters, and liquids into the park.
Liu said the carnival will initially open from tomorrow until October. If they are not asked to relocate, the carnival will continue after October.
During the testing of the facilities, residents living near the theme park complained about noise pollution.
"Some residents come to us to express their worries and we have invited environmental protection departments to do sound level tests after the park opens to the public," Liu said. "Compensation will be paid if the sound reaches 50 decibels or above," Liu said.
Liu said that China has no regulations or standards building amusement parks near residential areas. "But we went through all approval procedures, which means that the area is ok for the park," Liu said.
In the past, residents living around the Shijingshan Amusement Park in the Shijingshan District of Beijing have complained about the noise of the roller coasters in the park. The park was obliged to change the wheels and, in some cases, the cars, to bring the noise level down below 50 decibels.
Tips:
Admission Ticket: 50 RMB, includes 10 free game coins
Game coin: 5 RMB each, 3 to 6 coins are needed for certain games
Open from 10:00 AM to 18:00 PM (ticket offices close)
(China.org.cn by Zhang Yunxing March 27, 2009)
