Across the globe, the Ferris wheel has become a necessity for world-class cities. Shenzhen, a benchmark city in the world, has also established its own Ferris wheel landmark , the "Light of the Bay Area", in Bao'an, the core area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This is not only because the Ferris wheel matches the "1+2+6" modern industrial system of Bao'an's forward-looking layout in this year's party congress report, but also because the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as a national strategy, makes a super Ferris wheel an iconic symbol.
Looking back on the experience of studying in the UK, one of the most memorable images of He Xiaoqi is in the eyes of London at 135 meters: the River Thames at the foot of the river gently embraces the land and the river, from the Houses of Parliament to Big Ben, from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey, from the walkie-talkie building to the Shard... Beautiful British flair at your fingertips.
With the opening of the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel located in the Binhai Cultural Park in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has a world-class Ferris wheel landmark. In the eyes of experts, "a modern, shiny Ferris wheel adds a lot of color to Shenzhen, a first-tier city, or will become a new city cover" .
Benchmark globally
Why does Shenzhen need a world-class Ferris wheel?
Like skyscrapers, Ferris wheel architecture is becoming a fixture of super-cities. Today, it seems that if a city wants to show its vitality and win popularity, it should have a beautifully designed Ferris wheel that will land permanently. "The Ferris wheel, like the pompous urban sculptures of the Grand Theatre, the Art Gallery and the Square, is a must for any ambitious city." Tuyat Jeffries said.
Whether it is the "London Eye" located on the banks of the River Thames, the Ferris wheel on singapore's coast, or the "Tianjin Eye" in China, it has far exceeded the functions of ordinary architecture and amusement facilities. The Ferris wheel is closely linked to the name of the city, carrying different labels, and has a symbolic meaning and landmark value of the image of the city. For example, the London Eye Ferris Wheel in the United Kingdom is given the characteristics of a British gentleman, the Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel is regarded as fashionable and modern, and the Tokyo Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel is regarded as romantic.
In fact, since its first appearance, the Ferris wheel has undergone three stages of changes in economic attributes, entertainment attributes and urban landmark attributes. The Ferris wheel is not only a beautiful city signboard, but also brings greater economic and social benefits than the average person imagines.
In 2000, Joe Bizsin, the chief designer of the modern Ferris wheel, was invited to build a Ferris wheel for Paris to celebrate its millennium. Since then, the Ferris wheel has begun to exist separately in other spaces of the city, used as an observation deck for commercial activities. Another "Millennium Wheel" is the world-renowned London Eye Ferris Wheel. According to public reports, the temporary building, originally built to celebrate the turn of the century, added 10% to the economic benefits of the London tourism market in its first year of operation, and more than 15,000 visitors flock to london every day to feast on London's style, so it has been permanently preserved.
However, the London Eye's 135-metre altitude record did not last long, and in 2008, the 165-metre-high Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel was completed, equivalent to 42 stories high. If you do not calculate the "small wild waist" of the Canton Tower as the height of the Ferris wheel at the top, at present, the Sparrow Mountain Ferris Wheel in Moscow, Russia, has won the title of the world's highest Ferris wheel at 170 meters high.
Japan is most enthusiastic about ferris wheel construction. There are more than 130 Ferris wheels in Tokyo, such as "Diamonds and Flowers" in Tokyo, "Cosmic Clock" in Yokohama, and "Sky Dream" in Fukuoka. After the 1990s, in the process of "going to the world" in many Chinese cities, the Ferris wheel also emerged with the economic development. Of the 20 tallest Ferris wheels in the world in 2017, China made the list.
"In the early days, the Ferris wheel was a ride, but after so many years of development, today, the Ferris wheel is the cover of a city, representing the temperament of a city. A modern, shiny Ferris wheel can indeed add a lot of color to Shenzhen, a first-tier city. Liu Xiaobo, a well-known financial commentator and member of the "Special Zone Economy" Academic Committee, said that using the Ferris wheel to create a city's "image business card" has become a common practice of "operating a city".
"Shenzhen is building a socialist pilot demonstration zone, and it is not only economic hard power that needs to be enhanced, but also cultural soft power." This includes the image and temperament of the city. As the sixth largest fashion capital, in addition to watches, jewelry, etc., we also need to shape an excellent city image, and we need to enrich the cultural connotation of Shenzhen with factors such as fashion, innovation and vitality. Wang Fuqiang, director of the Industrial Planning Department of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, pointed out that the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel as a cultural symbol is a good entry point and a powerful measure for Baoan to participate in the construction of Shenzhen Pilot Demonstration Zone.
According to the construction plan of the pilot demonstration zone, by the middle of this century, Shenzhen will stand tall among the world's advanced cities with a more lofty attitude and become a global benchmark city with competitiveness, innovation and outstanding influence. Whether it is from the perspective of economic growth or social development, Shenzhen deserves a shining Ferris wheel to match it; at the same time, a world-class Ferris wheel can also become a city label for Shenzhen to a global super city.
Shenzhen Baoan Bay Area light Ferris wheel.
A match made in heaven
Why did the "Light of the Bay Area" land in Bao'an District?
Looking back at the development process of Shenzhen, it can be found that the "image business card" representing Shenzhen has also undergone continuous evolution.
In 1981, a huge placard with the words "Time is money, efficiency is life" stood in the most conspicuous place in the Shekou Industrial Zone, laying the foundation for the spirit of Shenzhen with courage and knowledge. In 1985, the earliest comprehensive super-high building built in China, the 160-meter-high Guomao Building, was completed in Luohu District at a speed of one floor in three days. In 1996, the country's first steel structure, Asia's tallest building, The King Building, was completed, refreshing the "Shenzhen Speed" set by the Guomao Building at a speed of two and a half floors. In 1999, the SEG Building, which marked the rise of the electronic empire, was completed in Huaqiang North, Futian District, opening a legend of the era. In 2016, the 660-meter, 118-storey Ping An Financial Center plunged straight into the sky and became the tallest building in Shenzhen, standing on the central axis of Shenzhen. In 2018, the nearly 400-meter "Spring Shoots" China Resources Headquarters Building was promoted to a new landmark in Shenzhen Bay, becoming a unique presence in the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base.
Today, the "Light of the Bay Area" stands majestically in Bao'an Binhai Cultural Park, which not only reconstructs the skyline of Shenzhen, but also enriches the urban connotation of Shenzhen and becomes a new urban landmark.
In Liu Xiaobo's view, before the Ferris wheel, from east to west, Shenzhen's landmarks are almost all high-rise buildings, which represents the speed, strength and courage that Shenzhen has, and now, the completion of the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel has enriched the humanistic connotation of Shenzhen to a certain extent, paying more attention to inclusiveness, inclusiveness, and arrogance, and at the same time, paying more attention to the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. The rounded, full form of the Ferris wheel is in line with this pursuit of humanistic spirit.
"The construction of ferris wheels in world-class cities usually chooses areas with better urban landscapes and waterfront waters." Liu Xiaobo further said that according to this standard, the only places where Shenzhen can build ferris wheels are in the central area of Bao'an and Qianhai. "Bao'an is on the golden axis of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, not only connecting the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary, but also working with Qianhai to build a new urban center." Liu Xiaobo said that although the eastern part of Shenzhen is laid back and beautiful, it is not the center of the city. The Ferris wheel is no longer a simple tourism project, but a symbol representing a city, so it is not surprising that the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel finally settled in the central area of Bao'an.
"Light of the Bay Area" business card
Located in binhai Cultural Park, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, the "Light of the Bay Area" Is the tallest Ferris wheel over Shenzhen. The Ferris wheel has a total height of 128 meters, 28 imported cars, each with an area of about 16.8 square meters, can accommodate 25 people, and adopts the world's first fin-shaped special-shaped large stand. The Ferris wheel adopts the loading and unloading passenger diversion system, scientific and reasonable configuration of human flow lines, and the 25-person ellipsoid rotary space capsule is the first in China, and it takes about 30 minutes to rotate a circle. At the same time, it is also the largest all-weather slalom car in China, with an ultra-stable system that allows passengers to soar up like walking on the ground.
"The development trend of Shenzhen is all the way to the west, and now is the moment when Bao'an District is in full swing, which is not only the new urban center of Shenzhen, but also the core area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the future." Liu Xiaobo said.
In fact, not only the Ferris wheel chose Baoan, Baoan also chose the Ferris wheel. The combination of Bao'an, located at the hub of the Bay Area, and the world-class Ferris wheel can be described as a "match made in heaven".
From the introduction of the country's first "three to one supplement" enterprise, the issuance of the first stock in New China, and the ringing of the first gavel of "agricultural land into the market"... In the past 40 years, Bao'an's GDP has grown from 170 million yuan in 1981 to about 400 billion yuan in 2020, ranking second in the country's "Top 100 Innovation Zones", sixth in "Top 100 Industrial Zones", and seventh in "Comprehensive Competitiveness of Urban Areas".
After more than 40 years of development, Baoan has achieved a qualitative leap from "ancient Bao'an" and "rural Bao'an" to "Coastal Bao'an", and labels such as industrial strong zones and high-tech have given Bao'an city brand unique recognition. In the face of a new round of development opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Baoan aims to build a "bay area core, intelligent highland, and shared home", and it is imperative to enhance the branding of the city through diversified urban labels, so as to enhance the overall competitiveness of the urban area.
Therefore, the standing of the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel in Bao'an Bay is not only in line with the "1+2+6" modern industrial system of Bao'an's forward-looking layout in this year's party congress report - "1" is a new generation of information and communication technology industry, "2" is intelligent manufacturing and high-end productive service industry, "6" is digital economy, exhibition economy, marine economy, airport economy, headquarters economy and cultural tourism economy, comprehensively accelerating economic structure optimization and industrial transformation and upgrading.
More importantly, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as a national strategy to build a world-class urban agglomeration, allows a super Ferris wheel to stand on its map to create iconic symbols. At the same time, Baoan has always aimed to build the core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the establishment of the Ferris wheel in the central area of Bao'an is showing Baoan's determination and confidence.
"The Ferris wheel has set up a new cultural symbol for Shenzhen and Bao'an. Making good use of this cultural symbol is likely to form a new wave of economic development led by tourism and vacation. In Wang Fuqiang's view, "Bao'an should further exert its location advantages, and it is a natural thing to develop local tourism with the Ferris wheel as the starting point." ”
Wang Fuqiang pointed out that first of all, Bao'an is in the core position of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, facing the sea in the south and the Marina Bay New Area in the north, and its advantages are prominent. Secondly, Bao'an is located at the entrance of the Deep Middle Passage, spanning north and south, connecting the east and west banks of the Pearl River. Bao'an is at the core node of the coordinated development on both sides of the Pearl River. At the same time, Baoan has an airport, which is a hub for Shenzhen and even China to connect the world's huge markets. It is precisely because of Bao'an Airport that Shenzhen can become the world's high-end resource allocation hub. Under the background of the era of building an international and domestic double cycle, Baoan has become a key node for Shenzhen, the Greater Bay Area and even South China to open up to the international and domestic two-way. Resources, talents, technology, etc. will all be gathered here, and will be allocated here. In addition, Baoan has a complete industrial chain and spatial advantages.
"Make good use of these Bao'an's 'unique secret weapons' and develop Bao'an's airport economy and exhibition economy." At that time, countless business people and tourists from all over the world will line up to come here to sit on the Ferris wheel, take a look at Shenzhen, and take a look at the scenery of Bao'an. Wang Fuqiang said.
The "Moli" appears
What effect will the "Ferris wheel economy" bring?
"Every time I go to a country or a city, I usually take a lap around the local Ferris wheel to feel the local scenery and culture." He Xiaoqi, who grew up in Shenzhen, studied overseas for 4 years. Whenever you board the Ferris wheel in other places, look at the horizon in the distance at the highest point, and all you can see is the longing for your hometown.
Today, the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel has been completed in Shenzhen. This year's Spring Festival, He Xiaoqi, who has returned to work in China, can't wait to leave a group photo with her friends in front of the "net red punch point" Ferris wheel, and behind the group photo is the bao'an central area with high-rise buildings and colorful colors. For a moment, He Xiaoqi was in a trance, and the pictures of the Port of London and the Greater Bay Area were intertwined. "Shenzhen is getting better and better." He Xiaoqi couldn't help but sigh, "In the future, it will definitely become a global city." ”
Mr. Li's family, who have worked in Shenzhen for many years, also deliberately chose the first stop of the Spring Festival tour at the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel. "My parents came from Shanxi for the Chinese New Year, and they love the beach, so the first stop this year is to see the Ferris wheel." Mr. Li said that standing here can see the whole picture of Bao'an Central District, which makes people feel proud of Shenzhen. "Since I took my parents and friends to see the Ferris Wheel, now they ask me every day when I can ride the Ferris Wheel. Friends said that they had been preparing to propose marriage with their girlfriends for a long time, and they were waiting for the Ferris wheel to open. ”
"It takes about 30 minutes to get in the car." On March 26, the first Shenzhen citizens began to ride on the Ferris wheel. He Xiaoqi, who had the honor of "tasting" the Ferris wheel in advance, said excitedly, "The light Ferris wheel in our Bay Area is to meet the cultural and spiritual needs of the people, and it is also a supporting service to attract young people from Hong Kong and Macao to start a business and work in Shenzhen." ”
According to data provided by operator OCT, nearly 800,000 citizens spent the Spring Festival and punched the Ferris wheel in Binhai Cultural Park from the Chinese New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the first year alone. As of February 17, Happy Harbor (Binhai Cultural Park) ranked first in the Shenzhen Amusement Park Hot List in Douyin search, with nearly 60 million views.
The Ferris wheel seems to have a magic that allows all the popularity and resources to come together. Taking the Ferris wheel as the starting point, it attracts more tourists for sightseeing and tourism, and drives a complete theme industry chain, so that the city's economic, tourism, cultural and other benefits reach a peak, forming a unique "Ferris wheel economy". The "Bay Area Light" Ferris wheel, located in the central area of Bao'an, has gradually revealed its "magic".
"The number of people who come to Binhai Cultural Park every day to punch in the Ferris wheel is indeed endless, and with the improvement of the functions of various parts of the park, its economic benefits are more prominent." Liu Yuhui, deputy director of the Bao'an District Chengguan and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau, said that not only the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel, together with its Bao'an Binhai Cultural Park, has been given the function of further improving the "coastal + leisure + culture" of the western shoreline, and is an international-class city "living room" for the general public to provide water, leisure tourism and cultural feasts.
On Weibo, last year, "Shenzhen's largest Ferris wheel is coming" and other topics were read more than 13 million times; on Douyin, the "Bao'an Binhai Cultural Park Ferris Wheel" won the first place in the "Shenzhen Playground Hot List". The Ferris wheel not only gathers popularity, but also gathers top commercial and cultural resources. "China's most beautiful bookstore" Zhong Shuge, the national brand Huawei Shenzhen's first plus flagship store, nearly 60 international first-line designer trend brands dotted under the Ferris wheel, the 20,000-square-meter "Voice of the Bay Area" Performing Arts Center is the only theater in Shenzhen that can meet the international repertoire performance standards, and also echoes with the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel.
"Its gorgeous bloom reconstructs the skyline of the Greater Bay Area, enhances the visibility and recognition of the Greater Bay Area, adds to Bao'an's cultural tourism resources, provides a good place for the people to relax and recreation, and has become the brightest new cultural landmark and new business card of the city in Shenzhen." On April 18th, bao'an district and OCT Group officially opened the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel after three years of ingenuity. At the launching ceremony, Meng Jinjin, member of the Standing Committee of the Bao'an District Committee and director of the District Government Office of the District Committee, said that the Bao'an Central District is connected to Qianhai Yiwan, and we work together to help Qianhai jointly build a new center of a modern international and innovative city. Bao'an Central District is fully promoting the construction of major projects such as the Binhai Covered Bridge, the Bay Area Book City (Folklore Museum), the Central Green Axis, the Bay Area International Music and Drama Center, and the Binhai Cultural Park Phase II, which will greatly enhance the comprehensive service function and carrying capacity of the Qianwan Bay after completion, enhance the core engine function of Bao'an, help the integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the linkage development of the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary, and make greater contributions to the construction of the "dual area".
When the world flies to Shenzhen from above, the "Light of the Bay Area" Ferris wheel shows its beautiful silhouette in the clouds, and people can know that they have arrived at the core area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Coordinator: Guo Ruichuan
Written by: Nandu reporter Jiang Jinjin
Photo: Nandu reporter Huo Jianbin