Ferris wheel returns to Jinji Lake

The Ferris wheel by Jinji Lake is coming back.

In July, Suzhou announced that the Ferris wheel project on the right bank of Jinji Lake has successfully obtained a construction permit. It is expected to complete the lighting project by the end of April next year and begin trial operation by the end of next year.

The Jinji Lake Ferris Wheel, which carries the collective memory of many people from Suzhou and even the Yangtze River Delta, was built in 2009. It was once the largest water Ferris Wheel in China and the most recognizable landmark of the Jinji Lake Scenic Area in Suzhou. In 2018, the Ferris wheel theme park announced its closure and implemented upgrading and renovation, and the Ferris wheel was also demolished.

During the absence of the Jinji Lake Ferris wheel in recent years, many younger generations in China have emerged and sparked a wave of wheel making. In 2018, the "Eye of Bohai" located in Weifang, Shandong Province was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest axle less Ferris wheel in the world at that time; In 2020, the 131.4 meter high Xi'an Happy Coast · OCT1314 Ferris wheel, symbolizing "one life and one life", became a new landmark of the ancient capital; 2021 is also a big year for domestic Ferris wheel projects, including the Joyful Riverside Ferris wheel in Nanjing, the Hangzhou Bay Star in Jiaxing, the Bay Area Light in Shenzhen, and the Tidal Eye in Xiamen. In 1893, American engineer George Fries built the world's first Ferris wheel for the Chicago World Expo. This 80.4-meter-high Ferris wheel not only created a new way of entertainment, but also created a new artificial architectural wonder. In 2002, the well-known Jinjiang Amusement Park "Shanghai Wheel" officially launched, opening the way for giant Ferris wheels over 100 meters in China. Today, more than 20 years later, the magnificent "wheel making fever" is still continuing.

What can giant Ferris wheels bring to a city? We are searching for answers in the Yangtze River Delta.

The first cantilevered rooftop Ferris wheel SKYRING in China has been illuminated at Joy City in Shanghai.

Market validation

In the 1980s, Zhuji Renma Dingyuan, who worked in the Hangzhou landscaping department, received a task to purchase a batch of amusement facilities for the unit. After several twists and turns, Ma Dingyuan contacted a production enterprise in the south. The other party is quite willing to do this business, but they require payment before supply. After careful consideration, Ma Dingyuan felt that these types of entertainment facilities do not seem to have much technological content, and it is better to build them yourself than to spend money on them. Thanks to the strong manufacturing foundation in the Yangtze River Delta region, soon after, Ma Dingyuan actually led a group of amusement facilities. So, Ma Dingyuan entered the entertainment facility production industry like this. In 1990, Zhejiang Juma Amusement Machine Co., Ltd. was established. In 2000, this "amusement machine company" located in Zhuji, the hometown of Ma Dingyuan, had already developed and manufactured the first Ferris wheel for the Yiwu Amusement Park in Zhejiang. In addition to the upcoming return of the Jinji Lake Ferris Wheel, the giant ferris wheels mentioned above, such as the Eye of the Bohai Sea, the Bay Area Light, and OCT1314, are all produced by the company. In addition, their ferris wheels have also been exported to Brazil, Türkiye, Indonesia and other overseas markets.

In 2013, Ma Jian, who had recently returned from studying abroad, took over the company from his father and began reforming the company after taking office. According to his recollection, the vast majority of the company's investment at that time was in various small products. Due to the different technologies of various amusement facilities, each product requires a separate technical team, which has never been able to form a joint force. At the same time, the domestic entertainment facilities industry is severely competitive, and price wars are almost the only means of competition. In response, he decisively chose to cut off the complex product line and focus his energy on the single product of the giant Ferris wheel. In 2013, the Melbourne Star in Australia reopened after repairing structural defects, and this 120 meter high Ferris wheel became the largest Ferris wheel in the southern hemisphere at that time. In the following year, the 167.6 meter tall luxury Ferris wheel opened for visitors in Las Vegas, a gambling city in the United States, second only to the still unopened Al Dubai Ferris wheel in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to this, the social and economic benefits brought by established Ferris wheels such as the London Eye in the UK and the Ferris Observation Wheel in Singapore have been validated by the market. It has been proven that Ma Jian bet on the right treasure. Relying on long-term accumulation and technology introduction, the company has successively undertaken multiple large-scale Ferris wheel projects such as "Bohai Eye" in Yancheng, Jiangsu, Fuyang, Anhui, and Weifang, Shandong. It has gained a certain level of popularity and rapidly expanded its enterprise size. In the past five years, its output value has increased tenfold, and Zhuji has also become a key town in China's Ferris wheel manufacturing industry.

The pods to be used on the new Ferris wheel at Jinji Lake. Yu Liangzhao

"Face saving project"

"In recent years, the domestic market has continued to have a strong demand for ferris wheel, far exceeding our expectations, and we are very optimistic about the prospects of the industry." Ma Jian said that at present, the company basically has more than ten orders for large-scale ferris wheel projects every year. Even though the global cultural and tourism industry has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 in the past three years, the company has still achieved counter trend growth. Ma Jian believes that with the gradual changes in cognition and the continuous improvement of urbanization in China, Ferris wheels may become a standard feature in domestic urban construction in the future, just like skyscrapers, becoming a fixed element of cities. Today, Ferris wheels have gradually separated from the system of amusement parks or theme parks. In Ma Jian's words, the giant Ferris wheel is not so much a recreational facility as a large urban landscape that can be enjoyed. Therefore, for local governments, Ferris wheel is often seen as a physical urban business card, hoping to become a carrier of urban image promotion: "When a circular building over a hundred meters high appears in front of people, its presence cannot be ignored, and it will naturally become the visual center." Large cities need spectacle buildings as landmarks, and old cities also need to create new memory points through the construction of new landmarks. The construction of a 131.4 meter tall giant Ferris wheel in the millennium old capital of Xi'an is obviously not just to provide a check-in point for romantic couples and couples, but to hope to label the city with a more youthful and dynamic new label beyond its historical heritage. The reporter learned that in addition to large cities that already have a considerable volume, cities that are promoting new city construction are often most interested in Ferris wheels. These new cities have sufficient space capacity for planning and are also eager to establish their urban image through the construction of landmarks. For example, in recent years, Zhoushan, Zhejiang has introduced the Ferris wheel project in Changzhi Island New City as a landmark of the block. At the same time, the Ferris wheel is also constantly sinking and is no longer a patent exclusive to first and second tier cities as commonly recognized. In August this year, the "Thousand Island Eye" Ferris wheel in Qiandao Lake Town, Chun'an County, Hangzhou City was put into use. Building a Ferris wheel in the town is actually not a new thing in the Yangtze River Delta. The Ferris wheel in the Dream Valley scenic area of Hengdian Town, known as "Oriental Hollywood", has been in operation for many years. Although the scale is far smaller than the newly built giant Ferris wheel in recent years, it is still a highly popular attraction in Hengdian. Some small cities and even towns with tourism resources are becoming increasingly interested in Ferris wheels, and the underlying consideration is to hope that Ferris wheels can be combined with existing attractions to enhance competitiveness in the tourism consumption market. As night falls, the slowly rotating Ferris wheel lights up colorful lights. When this scene appears in news footage or city promotional videos, everyone in a city will feel ashamed. In Ma Jian's view, Ferris wheel is indeed a face saving project in a sense, but this face reflects the overall image and temperament of a city, and it also affects the morale of the people behind it.

The giant Ferris wheel by Jinji Lake in Suzhou, captured on the evening of May 20, 2009. On that day, the Ferris Wheel Park located by Jinji Lake in Suzhou Industrial Park officially opened to welcome visitors. Shen Jizhong

"Ferris wheel effect"

Building Ferris wheels not only gives the city face, but also brings real economic benefits. In the field of commercial real estate, the concept of "Ferris wheel effect" has emerged. In addition to providing public entertainment facilities for cities, Ferris wheels can also become a powerful lever to leverage traffic and stimulate consumption. Ferris wheel is a major trend in modern urban consumption, which is essentially the combination of commerce and cultural tourism, and is also a trend of the integration of business and tourism. By integrating the two popular industries, consolidating and enhancing each other, the market of the entire commercial and tourism district can gather stronger energy. The construction of Ferris wheels in large commercial areas utilizes cultural and tourism concepts to attract tourists, especially young people who love to play, strengthening the attractiveness of the entire commercial district; If there is a large commercial area next to the Ferris wheel, it also provides support for the passenger flow of the Ferris wheel. Therefore, this is the combination of the two endpoints of business and tourism, which actually plays a role in mutual reinforcement and support. Ma Jian stated that in addition to direct tourism revenue such as tickets, the radiation and driving effect of Ferris wheel on surrounding businesses should not be underestimated. The Ferris wheel with its own internet celebrity attributes is a natural entry point for traffic. The existence of Ferris wheels can attract traffic to the entire business district and improve rental efficiency. At the same time, with the continuous progress and iteration of technology, Ferris wheels themselves can also be grafted into various business formats, and there is huge room for imagination in business. The Jinji Lake new Ferris wheel, which is still under construction, is 128 meters high and has a total of 28 large panoramic sedans, each capable of accommodating 25 people. In the local "official announcement" article in Suzhou, it is specifically mentioned that the updated Ferris wheel is specially designed with three characteristic sedans, which can be used for business meetings, leisure dining and other activities. On the other hand, the model of combining Ferris wheels with commercial complexes to drive retail has also been repeatedly verified by the market. Compared to monotonous commercial buildings, the towering Ferris wheel is more eye-catching, bringing stable passenger flow and popularity. In the Yangtze River Delta region, the roof ferris wheel of Shanghai Joy City and the dome shaped ferris wheel of Hefei Zhengda Square have all adopted this model and have been in operation for many years; Internationally, successful cases include the Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel and the Red Ferris wheel at the HEP FIVE shopping center in Osaka, Japan.

On November 9, 2014, newlyweds attended the "Ferris wheel wedding" at Hongyang Square in Nanjing, Jiangsu. Shen Jizhong

Mechanism innovation

Despite all the good things, local governments still need to maintain sufficient calmness and rationality when it comes to Ferris wheels, and must not blindly ride them. As a spectacular building, the cost of giant Ferris wheels is naturally high. At present, among the newly built Ferris wheels in China, even products with relatively outdated structures and relatively small scales usually have a cost of tens of millions of yuan, and the new Ferris wheel in Jinji Lake has a cost of up to 300 million yuan. For a city, such a huge investment cannot be just a "face saving project". However, the highly anticipated "Ferris wheel effect" requires careful observation and judgment to determine how much commercial driving effect it can have. Ferris wheels cannot be regarded as a panacea for all trials and tribulations. At the same time, if the Ferris wheel really blooms everywhere, consumers will inevitably fall into aesthetic fatigue, and the spectacle attribute of the Ferris wheel will be correspondingly reduced, thereby depreciating its commercial value. Under the wave of wheel making, the construction of Ferris wheels in various regions should highlight their own characteristics as much as possible to avoid homogeneous competition. Industry insiders have pointed out that in the face of high demand in the current domestic market, once homogeneous projects are concentrated, the Ferris wheel industry may also become a red ocean in the future. For local governments, it will also bring huge resource waste. At the operational level, various regions can also try more flexible mechanism innovations. For example, Juma is also responsible for the operation and management of the axle less Ferris wheel built in Jiaxing, Zhejiang. Through this mode, the city has gained eye-catching landscape, saved management costs, and achieved a win-win situation with enterprises. On the other hand, as a landmark building, the construction of Ferris wheel should also be matched with the construction of modern cities, taking into account all aspects such as site selection, lighting, and design, and coordinating with the surrounding environment and architectural style. After all, Ferris wheel is no longer just a simple amusement facility, but a dynamic, playable landscape that represents the city's image.