Introduction

Window on China Theme Park also named The Kingdom of the Little People (Chinese: 小人国主题乐园) is a theme park located near Kunming, Yunnan that features comic performances by people with dwarfism. Supporters of the park claim that it provides employment to people who would otherwise be unable to find work, but it has been criticized for treating dwarfism as a humorous condition.

Employees

As of 2010, there were over 100 employees whose ages ranged from 19 to 48. The park requires employees to be less than 51 inches (130 cm) tall.The employees live in nearby dormitories which were specifically constructed to be accessible to short people. During the performances, the actors pretend to live in small mushroom shaped houses.

The park was founded in September 2009 by Chen Mingjing, a wealthy real estate investor, as part of a complex he owns near Dian Lake in the western suburbs of Kunming that also includes the World Butterfly Ecological Park (世界蝴蝶生态园). Although many visitors to the park are students from nearby towns, Chen hopes to make the park a destination for tourists visiting China. He provides English lessons for his employees to help them interact with foreign tourists. He aims to eventually employ 1,000 people with dwarfism.

Performances

The performers sing, dance, and perform onstage for visiting tourists.They often act out Qigong, scenes from fairy tales, or ballets such as Swan Lake.They also occasionally perform hip-hop dances. The performances often feature a “Dwarf King”. The king, who is only 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall, often wears a gold silk cape and rides a three-wheeled motorcycle during performances.

Controversy

The park has been criticized by several organizations, including the Little People of America and Handicap International. Critics contend that the park resembles a human zoo and isolates the handicapped from the rest of society. Chen claims that the business provides employment for many who would otherwise be unemployed, allowing them to build self-respect. Many employees have said that they enjoy living with other short people and feel less lonely at the park. They say that before they were employed by Chen they were unable to find work or were exploited by employers. The American television channel, Vice, started partly by director Spike Jonze, filmed a piece for their show, Vice Essentials, at the Kingdom of the Little People in 2015. In their short documentary they interviewed some of the staff and were taken on a tour of the park, including the dorms and behind the scenes places that visitors aren’t normally privy to.

Other Information about the Kingdom of the Little People

The Lollipop Guild and the rest of Munchkin Land. Snow White’s seven caretakers. Willy Wonka’s Oompa-Loompas. All have two things in common: little people (colloquially, “dwarves”) and utter fiction. But dwarfism exists, and people with dwarfism need jobs. Combine that with a serious problem of discrimination against little people, and you could have a problem on your hands. For China, the controversial solution is the “Kingdom of the Little People.”

Located near the city of Kunming, the capital of the Chinese province of Yunnan, the Kingdom of the Little People is intended to be a tourist attraction — a theme park, of sorts, where everyone (except the visitors) is short. In order to work at the Kingdom, one must be no taller than 4’3″ tall, eliminating some of the ‘taller” people with dwarfism. As of early 2010, the park employed 100 such people and its owner aims to employ 1,000 total, according to Reuters.  Those people hired by the Kingdom are offered housing in a dormitory-like environment customized for people of their short stature, and most are given a role as a performer inside the Kingdom.

Tourists pay a hefty sum for the honor of visiting — tickets cost about $10 (in yuan equivalent), an enormous amount given that per capita GDP in China is only about $5,000. The show they receive? The performers pretend to live in mushroom-like huts and act as if they’re members of a fiefdom lost in a Vaudevillian nightmare. Performers of short stature don tutus and put on a tongue-in-cheek version of Swan Lake. “Shaolin monks” put on a faux combat performance. A contingent of guardsmen march around the grounds, acting (as part of the motif) while doubling as crowd control. And ruling this whole kingdom — at least, in the context of the show — is a 3’3″ emperor, draped in a gold tunic and protected by bodyguards, as seen above.

How to Get there?

From Kunming South Station to the Kingdom of the Little People

1. Walk about 610 meters from Kunming South Station to Kunming South Railway Station;
2. Take Subway line 1 , pass through 4 stations, arrive at Chunrong Street Station;
3. Take subway line 1, pass through 12 stations, reach Huancheng South Road Station;
4. Walk about 200 meters, reach Beijing Road Station;
5. Take bus No.162, pass through 2 stations, reach Minghang Road Sation(also can take 98, 75, 111 road b, 25);
6. Walk about 220 meters to the Kingdom of the Little People.

From Changshui International Airport to the Kingdom of the Little People

1. Walk about 620 meters from Changshui International Airport to the Airport Central Station;
2. Take subway Line. 6, pass through 1 station, get to the East Bus Station;
3. Walk about 250 meters to the Eastern Bus Hub Station;
4. Take No. 22, pass through 27 stations, get to Kunwu Middle School Station;
5. Walk about 640 meters to the Kingdom of the Little People.

From Xianximen Station to the Kingdom of the Little People

Take bus No. 33 to Xihua Street to get off at the exit of Gaohai Expressway, and then take a van to go back to Kunming, waiting for a Medium Bus on the auxiliary road. The fare is 8 yuan.

Tips: You can go to the Liangjiahe Depot where there is a direct bus to the Kingdom of the Little People.

Recommended Tour Routes

Touring with us will make your time well-spent well spent and your trip in the Kingdom of the Little People in Kunming with a unique experience. Join us in the following tours:

1 Day the Kingdom of the Little People and the World Butterfly Ecological Park Tour in Kunming

Travel Tips

Please respect dwarfs work here.

Chinese Name:昆明青鱼湾水上乐园
English Name: Qingyu Bay Water Park in Xishan District, Kunming

Location

Transportation

• By Car: From Kunming city, take Gaohai Expressway or Kunwu Expressway to Anjin Expressway, exit at Xiaohaitou Toll Station, and drive about 2 km in the direction of Lao Anjin Expressway to Anning.
• By Public Transport: Take bus 33 from Xiaoximen in Kunming city to Haikou Town, then transfer to a bus from Haikou to Anning, and get off after passing Xiaohaitou Village for about 2 km.

Attractions

• Cobra Slide: Asia’s first circular racing slide, where visitors can experience the thrill of rushing through the snake-shaped track.
• Tsunami Pool: Yunnan’s largest artificial wave pool, covering 8,000㎡, with waves up to 3 meters high, simulating a real tsunami.
• Giant Horn Slide: A thrilling slide where visitors fall from a height of 15 meters into a giant horn, experiencing rotation, weightlessness, and screams.
• Rainbow Slide: A 6-lane racing slide from an 18-meter platform, perfect for those who love challenges.
• Fantasy Water Castle Pool: A family-friendly area with features like a giant bucket tip and interactive water cannons, suitable for children under 1.2 meters.
• National Standard Hot Spring Pool: A 28℃ constant-temperature sulfur spring, ideal for swimming, fitness, and therapy.

Ticket Prices

• Weekday Adult Ticket: 108 RMB per person.
• Holiday Adult Ticket: 129 RMB per person.
• Children/Elderly Ticket: 60 RMB.

Chinese Name:万达西双版纳国际度假区
English Name: Wanda XishuangBanna International Resort in Jinghong City

Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort is located in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, covering 5.3 square kilometers. It is a comprehensive cultural tourism project developed by Wanda Group with a significant investment. The resort features a versatile amphibious theme park capable of accommodating 50,000 visitors simultaneously, a cluster of mountain resort hotels comprising three star-rated hotels, a Dai culture technology stage show that can host 1,183 people, a Wanda Plaza shaped like a “peacock feather,” a tertiary hospital, and educational facilities including those for primary, secondary, and preschool levels. The resort’s total investment in self-owned assets is approximately 16 billion RMB. The project fully opened in September 2015 and is Wanda Group’s first venture into cultural tourism projects.

Tourism Information

The resort officially opened on September 26, 2015, attracting significant attention from government and media. Since its opening, it has hosted VIPs such as the Prime Minister of Laos, the Tourism Minister of Queensland, Australia, and the Indian Minister of Industry. It has also welcomed TV programs such as “Running Man” and “Accelerate” for filming. Additionally, the resort has hosted several major events, including the China Tourism Trade Fair “Tourism + Internet” Summit Forum, the first South Buddhism Ascension Ceremony, Yunnan Tourism Industry Development Promotion Conference, BMW X1 new product launch, and various beauty product distributor appreciation meetings. The resort is a landmark project in Yunnan’s tourism transformation and upgrade, poised to become a new representative and branding card for tourism in Yunnan.

Regional Location

Jinghong City is the political, economic, and cultural center of Xishuangbanna Prefecture and serves as a key window and hub for Southeast Asia and South Asia. It is a major transit point for tourism and cargo between Yunnan Province and these regions, with promising prospects for becoming an information and logistics center. The Xishuangbanna International Tourism Resort is situated on the outskirts of the city, with a moderate distance from the city center, offering a favorable ecological environment and advantageous transportation and environmental conditions. It has substantial tourism development potential.

Pan-Asian High-Speed Rail and Investment in Xishuangbanna

The Pan-Asian High-Speed Rail, which will connect Southeast Asia, began construction in June and will travel from Kunming to Singapore, passing through Jinghong. This rail will reduce travel time from Kunming to Xishuangbanna to just 2.5 hours, significantly boosting the development of Xishuangbanna as a strategic gateway.

Planning Structure

The resort is divided into seven main functional areas: a theme park, high-end resort hotels, the Dai Show Theater, a commercial center, a tertiary hospital, and a new tourism city. The resort follows a “one core, two wings” spatial layout:

• “One Core”: The tourism reception area, which combines upscale hotel architecture with a 260,000-square-meter central artificial lake, forming the most refined and high-quality public activity area. The Wanda Plaza on the southeast side becomes a new urban commercial core for Jinghong City.
• “Two Wings”: The northern and southern wings. The resort is roughly divided into east and west functional areas, with the eastern area focused on residential living and supporting functions, and the western area centered on tourism, leisure, and commercial services.

Introduction to the Functional Areas

Theme Park The theme park covers 61 hectares and is designed by the world-renowned FORREC company. It features a Dai cultural theme and aims to become a cultural tourism hotspot in Xishuangbanna and the entire Southwest region. The park comprises five distinct areas: Butterfly Kingdom, Jungle Adventure, Tea Horse Road, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Water Park. Each area has its own theme to cater to different visitor interests. Designed as a family-oriented amusement park, it addresses diverse family needs. The park’s opening signifies Wanda’s integration of Xishuangbanna’s cultural elements with modern entertainment concepts, attracting many tourists and enhancing the cultural tourism sector in the region. The first tropical rainforest-themed park in Asia, Xishuangbanna Wanda Theme Park, grandly opened on September 26, 2015.

Wanda Plaza The commercial hub, Wanda Plaza, spans 77,500 square meters, with a width of approximately 114 meters and a length of about 218 meters. It integrates shopping, dining, entertainment, and leisure into a city complex, which will significantly alter the consumption patterns and levels in Xishuangbanna. The plaza features three and a half floors: the basement for supermarkets and facilities, the first floor for street-level shops, key stores, and children’s areas, the second floor for additional commercial spaces, a cinema, arcade, and karaoke, and the third floor for dining and themed restaurants. The third-floor dining spaces incorporate local characteristics with outdoor platform gardens, blending indoor and outdoor leisure. The plaza’s façade design features local peacock motifs, aiming to become a landmark building in Xishuangbanna.

Dai Show Theater The Dai Show Theater covers 3.64 hectares with a building area of 19,500 square meters and a height of 21 meters. It showcases Yunnan’s ethnic diversity against the rich natural and cultural backdrop of Xishuangbanna. The creative team behind the show includes Frank Dragone, who revolutionized American entertainment with the “O” show in Las Vegas. The theater’s design, by Marc Fisher, who also directed the Beijing 2008, Guangzhou 2010, and London 2012 Olympic ceremonies, features a palm-leaf-inspired structure with enhanced structural rigidity. The theater, with 1,200 seats, officially opened its mysterious doors on September 26, 2015.

Luxury Hotel Cluster Located in the eastern wing of the project, the luxury hotel cluster includes a six-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel and four-star Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn hotels, covering approximately 29 hectares with a total building area of 142,000 square meters. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, situated in the northern part of the cluster, offers 165 spacious, luxuriously decorated villas nestled in tropical rainforests with private pools and relaxation areas. The hotel aims to create a serene, culturally rich environment. The Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn provide diverse lodging options, offering various experiences for visitors to Xishuangbanna.

Bar Street Bar Street is located near the mountain gate entrance, adjacent to Wetland Park. It combines traditional local architectural styles with modern elements, blending tradition and contemporary design. The area aims to enrich the local nightlife and offers a romantic setting for visitors.

Tertiary Hospital The resort area plans to build a tertiary hospital designated as an ASEAN International Hospital. With a building area of 50,000 square meters and 500 beds, it will provide multi-level medical services to the region, improving urban healthcare standards and offering international medical support to visitors.

Schools The resort area features top educational institutions, including kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools. The facilities include Wanda Campus of Xishuangbanna State Kindergarten, Yunjinghong Primary School, and Xishuangbanna No. 1 Middle School, all offering quality education in a conducive environment for students.

Tourism New City The new tourism city includes comprehensive educational facilities and offers a one-stop education service system with kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools. The city’s design focuses on innovation, blending Dai architectural styles with modern amenities, creating a harmonious environment that integrates with nature. The new city aims to provide a high-quality living experience and enhance the region’s tourism appeal.

Project Development Vision

The Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort was planned to commence construction in 2012 and to open its main cultural and tourism projects by 2015. The investment and development of the resort are set to revolutionize the level of tourism in Xishuangbanna, invigorate the local tourism economy, and establish Xishuangbanna as a new highlight in tropical tourism within China. With high-quality tourism project planning, high-standard construction, and advanced supporting facilities, the Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort is expected to become a premier destination for tourism and vacation in Southeast Asia.

Latest Updates

The Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort is the third major cultural and tourism project launched by Wanda Group, following the Changbai Mountain Resort and Wuhan Central Cultural District. Covering 5.3 square kilometers with a total investment of 16 billion yuan, the resort aims to create a world-class tourist destination with distinctive local characteristics, further driving the transformation and upgrading of Yunnan’s tourism industry.

Located in the northwest of Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna, the resort spans approximately 7,950 acres (about 40% of the urban area) and is a high-end tourism resort developed by Wanda Group with an investment of 16 billion yuan. The project is about 4 kilometers from the Lancang River, the longest river in Southeast Asia, around 5 kilometers from the old town, and approximately 6.5 kilometers from the airport. Once operational, it is expected to transform the tourism landscape of Yunnan Province and even China. The entire project is divided into seven major components: a theme park, Wanda Plaza, a Dai Culture Theater, a bar street, an integrated education system (kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools), a top-tier hospital, and a high-end hotel cluster.

Renaming

The project has been renamed as “Sunac Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort” following Sunac’s acquisition of the Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort.

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