The Jinjiang Amusement Park dropped the curtain on its one-month night carnival Sunday. More than 6,000 people went to the park each night last weekend, said Ge Yunkui, a park official.

"Opening the park at night has turned out to be a big success," he said, noting the park reported record turnover during the past 30 days. The number of visitors per day was 4,000 to 5,000 on average, with 3,000 to 4,000 people attending on workday nights, and 6,000 to 7,000 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Jinjiang Amusement Park, founded in 1984, was once regarded as one of the most popular local amusement resorts with 2.3 million visitors per year.

With the aging of its equipment and flourishing of more fashionable entertainment venues, its prosperity began to wither in the 1990s. In 1998 the park spent millions of yuan importing several world-class rides, but it had failed to achieve its expected revival.

"The success of last year's World Carnival has taught us the importance of marketing and advertising," said Cui Zhineng, general manager of the park. "Besides good rides, music and lights are also vital to attract more visitors, especially young people."

"We've managed to tell people that the Jinjiang Park is no longer old and outdated," he said. "I believe that many people will come back in the future."

(eastday.com  August 30, 2004)