"Stay here for one day, and I will show you the world." That is what many Chinese theme parks have been advocating.

In the past 12 years, many theme parks have appeared in China, including Splendid China, Folk Culture Villages and Suzhou Paradise.

These parks feature beautiful scenery, architectural art and folk culture from around the world. They also hold various activities in the parks to promote the development of cultural tourism.

"The theme parks have demonstrated Chinese culture as well as world culture in Shenzhen where natural and historical resources are rare," said Zhang Zhengkui, vice chairman of Overseas Chinese Town Cooperation (OCT).

Folk culture activities such as Temple Fairs and exotic activities from Egypt and Japan have gained popularity among tourists.

"Cultural tourism has achieved great success in terms of economic profit and social reward," said Zhang Xiqin, vice director with the China National Tourism Administration.

According to the latest statistics, OCT has hosted a total of 60 million travelers while gaining profits of 1.34 billion Yuan in the past. Other theme parks have all made profits.

The theme parks also contribute to the cultural exchanges and cooperation.

Last September, a group of professional performers from the theme parks staged performances in United States and won much praise.

Wang Yin plans to wander into Beijing's World Park and fly to Shenzhen for the OCT carnival there.

She said "I really enjoyed the atmosphere in theme parks which make me forget the tension and tiredness of work and able me to relax."

(Xinhua 06/14/2001)