Summer Sun, A Day of Fun, and a Winning Run

Situated opposite the Science and Engineering University, Harbin's Amusement Park is a collection of attractions, fairground games, and rides in various states of disrepair. The centrepiece is a huge, dilapidated Ferris wheel, visible for miles around, that moved so slowly and so sporadically that I struggled to tell if it was in use at all.

The route in was lined with trees, which suddenly gave way to a fast-food complex and a series of fairground games. 10RMB (70p) bought 20 shots with a BB gun. After some haggling, Guanchen and I sat down and tested our aim. Popping 19 or 20 balloons netted you a 'First Prize', with poorer accuracy yielding rapidly diminishing returns.


Both Guanchen and I were well on our way to bagging some monster prizes when our guns started acting up. Splintered or deformed BBs spewed out at odd angles, while under-inflated balloons shrugged off direct impacts with a mocking *poink*. Our chances wrecked, Guanchen and Yanxin had a good-natured shouting match with the husband and wife duo running the operation. Their venom was rewarded with this Patrick from everyone's favourite cartoon about a square-panted sponge, Spongebob Squarepants, which he two Koreans insisted on calling 'Doongi'.

After we'd all gone on the Log Flume and the Bumper Cars, Enxi and Yanxin went on the one ride that stood out by virtue of being in respectable condition. I politely declined. I like roller coasters just fine, but I'm not a fan of getting spun around in circles. If I wanted to make myself sick, my weapon of choice is soju.

As I stepped back to take this picture, a girl's shoe came hurtling out of the heavens. It impacted hard on the ground where I'd just been standing, throwing up a cloud of dust, and leaving a tiny crater. I took a few more steps back.

Next up were the Bumper Boats. I sat in a rubber ring with a motorboat engine humming right between my legs, and viciously attacked surrounding punters. A propeller churned the water into a white froth, and I imagined that it wouldn't be too hard to stretch out a foot and lose a toe.

After some consideration, I figured that if they spent so little on maintaining rides then the park probably wasn't worth suing. I pulled my foot back in and made sure all my extremities well within the so-called boat. Besides, I didn't want to cut short my Bumper Boat time, which was ten minutes of nauseating but exciting fun.


According to Aladdin, Xiuli was allowed on the rides. Just about.

Before we left, we tried our hand at some games again, assiduously avoiding those where the prize was a real, live animal. With practice, Guanchen and I just kept getting better and better, and we progressively won bigger and better prizes. For our troubles, we won a dolphin for Zhen'er and a teddy bear for Xiuli.

On the way out, I spent a few attempts at throwing heavy wooden balls through holes placed in a wall a few feet away. On the fourth attempt, I nailed ten out of ten, earning a 'First Prize'. Yanxin laughed at my dogged determination, but gave me a look which was more concerned than impressed.

"I know, I know. I have a problem with having to win. It's my greatest weakness... and my greatest strength!"

"Who wants it?" I continued, turning back to the others. Guanchen chivalrously deferred to the ladies in our group, but Enxi, Xiuli, and Zhen'er clutched their winnings and shook their heads. So, Yanxin got to take home a giant bunny rabbit.

Despite his protestations, I'm sure I caught Guanchen eyeing up a particularly fluffy puppy though.