【正文】
anshan39。s no surprise that Maanshan39。s bigger than a village now seems to think its economic future can be secured through tourism. At least Maanshan already had its tourist infrastructure the bathhouses in place. Many of the towns and cities that are pinning their hopes on being the next Lijiang or Pingyao believe that getting people to visit requires them to build a theme park, no matter how bizarre the subject or how expensive it is. If dinosaur fossils have been found nearby, as in Lufeng , in Yunnan province , then a dinosaur theme park is in order. Bruce Lee39。s second city has been hailed by locals, officials and economists. Everyone, it seems, is convinced that Disneyland will be the panacea for the ills of the economic slowdown.. But, just as the Hong Kong Disneyland has had far less of an impact on the city39。s revolutionthemed attraction, it seems set to join such white elephants as Nanjing39。s Egyptian theme park. Even the mainland39。s Bird Nest National Stadium is seeing a dwindling number of people prepared to pay 50 yuan to get their photo taken on the running track. The craze for theme parks is symptomatic of the way the central government believes that economic growth can be sustained by massive public investment. Just as Beijing is preparing to spend its way out of the current recession by pumping 4 trillion yuan into infrastructure, so local officials like those in Baise see a theme park as a way to solve the problems of an area where most people earn less than 3,000 yuan a year. Such shortterm fixes are no substitute for jobs that won39。t depend on tourism. The funds would be better spent on improving public access to education. Creating prosperity, or the chance of it, requires something more substantial than a theme park ride. What is a theme park?Amusement park or theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group of people. An amusement park is more elaborate than a simple city park or playground, usually providing attractions meant to cater to adult