China’s ‘4D’ roller coaster: The scariest two minutes of your life
A complete ride on China's "4D" roller coaster, "Dinoconda," shot by a camera strapped to the back of a seat. Park officials say it's mission impossible to obtain a real first-person angle because the seats spin too much. (Video and image courtesy China Dinosaur Land)
Thundering along at speeds of up to 126 kph, somersaulting through 720 degrees and plummeting almost vertically -- all in a little over two minutes -- "Dinoconda" may not be the fastest roller coaster in the world, but it's certainly one of the scariest.
The RMB 200 million (US$ 31.6 million), 1,058-meter-long, 79-meter-high scream machine at China Dinosaur Land (中华恐龙园) outside Changzhou opened last April and is billed as China's first "4D"roller coaster. The theme park is about 200 kilometers northwest of Shanghai.
Park officials say riders experience a "fourth dimension" aboard "Dinoconda" (过山龙), by being thrown upside-down in their seats which are mounted on the sides of the track and pivot independently from the track's orientation.
Cross-mountain dragon
The ride, whose Chinese name means "cross-mountain dragon," treats intrepid riders to multiple extreme drops (some are near 90 degree vertical) and rotations.
The most extreme turn comes when riders spin 720 degrees with the carriage while their seat somersaults.
And that's not all.
Instead of hurtling forward, the two 12-seat carriages -- which are chained to each other -- speed backward through the 140-second ride with a top speed of 126 kph.
Chinese like mixed thrills
"['4D' roller coaster] allows riders to experience multiple thrills, including drops, flights, suspensions and dives," said Li Hua (李华), research and development director at the dinosaur theme park. "To [Chinese] visitors, the mixed thrills are very attractive."
Designed by Utah-based roller coaster manufacturer S&S Worldwide, "Dinoconda" is Changzhou Dinosaur Land's fourth roller coaster. The theme park spent nearly three years designing and building the project.
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"We evaluated all existing roller coasters in the world from the second half of 2009, then we selected ['Dinoconda'] because [we thought] this was the most advanced coaster in the world right now," Li said.
The super scream machine is the third "4D" roller coaster S&S has built after "X2" at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California and "Eejanaika" at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan.
Global Dinosaur Town
Dubbed the "Jurassic Park of the East," China Dinosaur Land opened in 2000 as part of a 1 million-square-meter dinosaur resort, Global Dinosaur Town, which includes a theme park, a hot spring, a Thai-style golf resort and one five-star business hotel.
The resort does not house any genuine dinosaur fossils or skeletons. Its name is reflected in the dinosaur sculptures dotted around. Besides, all facilities carry dinosaur-related names and decorations.
Getting there: Changzhou is about 200 kilometers northwest of Shanghai. Bullet trains bound for Changzhou leave regularly (several times an hour in the day) from Shanghai Railway Station or Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. A ride takes 58-90 minutes depending on the train. Hard-seat tickets cost between RMB 50-75. Soft-seat tickets range from RMB 61-130.
China Dinosaur Land
No. 1, Hanjiang Lu, Xinbei District, Changzhou
常州市新北区汉江路1号
+86 400 616 6600
Admission: RMB 200
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
www.konglongcheng.com
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