Theme Park in China Essay Example for Free

Theme Park in China Essay Introduction There are a number of theme parks in China. Some of them are well designed and managed. Some are fairylands for the children, which have great fun playing in the fairy tale castles and the animal kingdoms with cartoon characters; The youngsters would like to experience the thrilled and exciting amusement ride. Meanwhile, the elderly like to take pleasure in the folk custom. However, though the market is believed to be big and potential, about 70% of the China’s 2500 amusement parks are losing money. Whom and why will run non-profitable business? Unlike residential developments, the restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to cool the hot property market do not apply to projects categorized as cultural or entertainment purposes. The loophole allows developers to buy land from the government often at a relatively low price to build a theme park and then erect adjoining apartments and hotels. To plug the loophole, Beijing authorities banned the construction of new theme parks over a certain size in August 2011. This measurement canceled many projects in the capital but not deterred most developers from continuing with their amusement park development plans. Actually, many investors do not concern on losing money when operating theme parks, since the sales of tickets and food make up only a very small percentage of their profits, a China Daily reports said. Furthermore, parks require a lot of funding and have high operating costs, so it can take a longer period of times for investors to regain their money. According to China Daily, many theme parks built in the early 2000s have been bankrupted, with the properties failing to sell at dozens of auctions over the past seven years. Amusement Park Industry Trend. Focusing on the theme park business, according to Chris Yoshii, an analyst for AECOM, told USA Today recently that almost a third of Chinas 2,500-plus theme parks have opened within the past two years, with the total number expected to surpass that of the U. S. by 2020. During the five years through 2012, the Amusement Park industry experienced rapid development, growing 14. 4% per year on average to an estimated $2. 3 billion in 2012. Chinas economy developed rapidly over this period, and household disposable income levels improved dramatically. As a result, the number of people paying for leisure activities increased significantly, resulting in strong visitor growth for this industry. The top four operators in China account for about 13. 6% of total revenue in 2012, and this share is expected to increase, as visitor numbers and gate receipts for the industrys largest amusement parks increase steadily. According to AECOM, a Hong Kong tourism consulting firm, theme parks in Asia sold a combined 103. 3 million tickets last year, one-third of the total in the world and second only to those sold in North America (127 million). Also, fewer new players will enter the industry due to its high and increasing barriers to entry. As a result, analysts are optimistic in this industry. It is forecasted that in the next five years, industry revenue is forecast to increase at an average annualized rate of 16. 7%. The increasing popularity of amusement parks was another industry driver. Since World Carnival entered the Chinese market in 2004, visiting amusement parks has become a popular way to spend time. The number of international visitors also rose significantly over the past five years, as Chinas popularity as a tourist destination has improved. According to 5u588. com, a Chinese tourism-industry information website, 70 tourism real estate projects have already been signed this year, with a total investment of 260 billion Yuan. That figure is expected to surpass 1 trillion Yuan by December 2012. Current Outstanding Theme Parks According to China Highlights website, there are top 7 theme parks in China. Here are the list and its brief notes: 1. Hong Kong Disneyland Park It is the newest Disneyland in the world at present, and one of two large theme parks in Hong Kong. There are four theme areas in the Hong Kong Disneyland Park: the Main Street, U. S. A. Adventure World, Fantastic World, and Tomorrow World. 2. Shenzhen Happy Valley There are nine theme sections in Shenzhen Happy Valley, including Spanish Plaza, Cartoon City, Adventure Mountain, Happy Time, Gold Mine Town, Shangri-la Forest, Hurricane Bay, Sunshine Coast, and Maya Water Park. Equipment and fun are unique in China and even in Asia, imported from the USA, Holland, and Germany, attracting numerous tourists to Shenzhen every year. 3. Beijing Happy Valley At present, Beijing Happy Valley occupies about 540,000 square meters. It offers a great opportunity to experience an ecological environment in Fiord Forest, the Mayan disaster in Lost Maya, a crystal city in Atlantis, ancient Greek myths in Aegean Harbor, a dream life in Shangri-La, and environmental protection consciousness in Ant Kingdom. 4. Shenzhen Window of the World Reproductions of the most famous of the worlds greatest wonders, historical heritage, and other interesting places there. At night, there are also many spectacular folk song and dance performances. 5. Cinemlong Happy World The vertical roller coaster there is the worlds best roller coaster. And the ten-looped roller coaster had gained a Guinness World Record. There are five theme sections in the park: the Habi Kingdom, the Screaming Zone, the Rainbow Bay, the Water Paradise, and a central square for shows. 6. Splendid China The 82 attractions have been reduced on a scale of 1:15 and located according to where they are in China. Splendid China is just like a giant map of China. These attractions can be divided into three categories: ancient architecture, landscapes, and folk culture. 7. China Folk Culture Village There are 25 ethnic villages set up on a scale of 1:1. It veritably shows local customs and folklore in China with ethnic performances, crafts shows, and regular large ethnic festivals, including: the Water Splashing Festival, the Shaman Festival, the Torch Festival, the Huaxia Great Cultural Temple Fair, and the Inner Mongolia Grassland Cultural Festival. Apart from Hong Kong Disneyland, all the above theme parks are managed by local Chinese. Another interesting finding is that five of them are located in Southern China. It is suggested that the weather and government authority did affect the location of an amusement park. Since the sub-tropical forest weather is good for amusement parks to raise up animals and could make visitors feel comfortable in winter times. Also, comparing to Beijing and Shanghai, Guangdong Province may not have as many as traditional site seeing spots for international visitors. Therefore, the government is generally accepted theme parks and believes it can boost the tourism. Forthcoming and Promising Players As we all know, Disneyland theme park will start its business in Shanghai 2015, with US3. 7bn investment. Furthermore, there are a number of theme park projects are being widely speculated. Firstly, news from BBC in August 2012, Dreamworks, the Hollywood studio production of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar, plans to invest US3bn to build â€Å"The Dream Center† in Shanghai in 2016. The main theme is about global cultural centre and the attraction point is the world’s largest Imax screen. Secondly, on the roof of the world, the Tibetan capital Lhasa is building its first theme park, to be opened in June 2013. This amusement parks core culture will be Oriental, ie. from the popular Chinese hero Monkey King to dinosaurs, to Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan. They believe it could help recoup their $472 million investment within six years, says Ding, an executive at Yu Gui Garden investment group. Local Fight Back Company owning â€Å"Happy Valley† theme parks is optimistic on strong and foreign amusement parks component in China. Believed this could cultivate a much bigger market in China. Similar to Japan, the Disney resort promoted the development of other local parks. Another example is the United States: before Disney set up its resorts, the country had only three parks that boasted more than one million visitors per year. After Disneyland opened, the number of overall visitors in the country quickly surged to more than 10 million annually. The same situation happened several years later in Hong Kong. When Walt Disney launched its third overseas theme park in the city in 2006, other amusement parks in Hong Kong, such as Ocean Park and the adjacent Shenzhen Happy Valley, all witnessed a rapid increase in annual revenue and number of visitors. Investment of 25 billion yuan is reportedly being put into the Shanghai Disney project, in comparison with the 2 billion yuan that invested in Shanghai Happy Valley in the first phase of construction work. The company has invested more than 16 billion yuan over the past 25 years to build theme parks. It has finished the first round of strategic theme park construction in Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, and has started the second round of park development in cities including Wuhan and Tianjin. It has received 164 million visitors to its theme parks, and has earned a total of 17 billion yuan so far. The company said they invest at least 30 million yuan in every theme park to develop new recreation projects every year. Expected the number of visitors to Happy Valley theme parks to surpass 20 million this year, with a growing trend to 30 million a year by 2020. China has a huge market for theme park operators. According to Wu Wenxue, vice-chairman of the China Tourism Association, over the next five years, the market demand for theme parks may surpass 10 billion yuan a year. Conclusion From my personal viewpoint, theme parks in China will be generally developed into two different main streams. Firstly, it is foreign and famous owned amusement parks, like Disneyland, World Carnival and Dreamworks†¦ etc. The second stream will be full of Chinese and Oriental cultures, which may aim to attract international visitors. Both streams are believed to be growing and promising. However, the key concern is safety. Since there are some fatal accident happened in local amusement parks every year, people may lose confidence in all amusement parks in China. The government body should put the focus on the quality issues ranging from equipment to food safety in the parks. Only quality assurance could allow the industry to develop continuously. References http://www. chinadaily. com. cn/business/2010-11/22/content_11587814. htm http://usatoday30. usatoday. com/news/world/story/2012-06-26/china-disney-theme-parks/56019074/1 http://www. chinadaily. com. cn/business/2012-05/22/content_15354029. htm http://www. china. org. cn/travel/2010-03/08/content_19554338. htm http://www. worldpropertychannel. com/asia-pacific-vacation-news/china-theme-parks-china-association-of-amusement-parks-walt-disney-china-shanghai-amusement-parks-walt-disney-shanghai-shanghai-disney-resort-yu-gui-garden-investment-group-6013. php http://www. chinahighlights. com/travelguide/amusement-parks/ http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-19162780.

Evolution: Just More Proof of God Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

Evolution: Just More Proof of God      Ã‚   The world around us changes. This simple fact is obvious everywhere we look. Streams wash dirt and stones from higher places to lower places. Untended gardens fill with weeds.   - National Academy of Sciences    Humans are inquisitive creatures. Throughout the centuries, we have thought, "Why are we here?" This one question has brought thousands of answers. Once Gods and Goddesses reigned. The many hands of Tishri and Buddha, Tao, Confucius, Muhammad, Huitzpotcly of the South Americas, Re of Egypt, and countless others have been worshiped. From these gods comes the creation of man. In our local, modern society, Christ is present in the vast majority of homes, and behind Christ, the Bible, or the book of God's word.    In the New International version of the Bible, creation was performed by GOD. It took Him seven days. On the first day, He created the earth, covered in water. The "glory of God" provided the light for Earth, as He proclaimed, "Let there be light." He created an atmosphere on the second day. Dry land emerged, on day three, from the sea, displacing it. On this day, He also brought forth trees and plants, which grew and matured before the end of the day. God distinguished night and day on day four. The sun and moon were placed to mark the passing of time. Adam, Eve and all of their descendants knew it to be so. Day five: creatures reproduce according to species. The next day, day six, brought the reproduction of humans and animals alike. Then, God rested on the seventh day (hollaway2).    This is the accepted Christian story of creation. People believed it undoubtedly until Charles Darwin, possibly the world's most noted evolutionist, ... ...more secure faith in a greater good, or possibly a great god.    Bibliography Bethel, Tom. "Evolution Is Not a Scientific Fact." Science and Religion: Opposing Viewpoints. RohrJanelle. San Diego, CA. Greenhaven Press Inc. 1988 davidll@cit-tele.com. November 30, 1998. Evolution vs. Creation Resource Center. Evolution vs. Creation Resource Center. Halloway, Kevin1. November 18, 1998. Is Evolution Science? Evolutionism vs. Creationism; Is Evolution Science? Halloway, Kevin2. November 18, 1998. Creation; Faith or Fact? The Final Countdown? Creation; Faith or Fact? Johanson, David. Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. New York. Simon and Schuster. 1981 National Academy of Sciences. November 30, 1998. "Teaching about evolution and the nature of science [Working Group on Teaching Evolution, National Academy of Sciences]".      

Gender Implications in Web Development/HCL Essay

There are many women just as men who use internet on the web pages. The number of users from both genders continues to increase and this leads to a size doubling of the World Wide Web every two to three months. However, despite the fact that both female and male users are many, there are fewer women compared to men in the IT professions dealing with web design and development. Objectives †¢ To identify factors of web-design that appeal to men and those that appeal to women †¢ To evaluate how the factors affect the usage of web across the two gender groups Background Internet usage is growing for both commercial and personal purposes. In website-development for commercial purposes, appeal is important because substantial studies show that visitors stay longer on the web site they are visiting if they perceive it to be appealing (Moss, Gunn & Heller, 2006). The more the visitors stop and the longer they stay at a page the more likely the success of the web’s purpose will be achieved. Research shows that customer preferences are varied and more so the difference is sharp between the male and female consumers segments. However, there are many men website-developers as compared to females and it is assumed that various web designs will thus be aligned to suit the male’s preference. Does this mean that female consumer preferences are sidelined in web designs and if so how does this affect the mushrooming e-commerce activities? Research Questions 1. What are the factors of web designs that are likely to appeal to women and how frequent do they occur in web designs? 2. How does the lack or presence of these factors affect on-line businesses? Literature Review Moss, Gunn & Heller, (2006) show the importance of women as consumers and web users. Moss, et al. , (2006) address previous study on web development in which demographics like age, social status, and geographic locations are factors identified to be most considered in web development. However, there is a growing interest on how gender-perceived factors influence the usage of web. Moss, et al. , (2006) conducted an interactionist in which data from Cyber Dialogue data of 1998 was used to measure the number of male and female visitors attending to various sites like news, fitness, health and fashion. The study tries to evaluate factors that attract the customers to particular sites. This research will be based on the same methodology but on a more current date because internet innovations occur at a first rate. The study will compare the factors in the current female and male consumer segments by answering why each group prefers particular websites to others. Proposed Methodology A rating system will be used in which respondents will be asked to rate different kinds of websites against a set of criteria that will be determined from Jakob Nielsen’s factors of an appealing website. The respondents will be required to indicate whether they are male and female. During the analysis stage, a chi-square test of association will be used to compare the rates achieved between the males and females. A quantitative rating system is a justified system for the study because individual preferences can be identified. Jakob Nielsen (1989) a primary researcher of human computer interactions revealed usability issues that have the most impact on the hypertext interfaces and showed how some of them are related to individual differences as far as hypertext systems are concerned. References Moss, G. , Gunn, R. & Heller, J. (2006). â€Å"Some men like it black, some women like it pink: Consumer implications of differences in male and female website design,† Journal of Consumer Behavior, 5: 328-341. Nielsen, J. (1989). â€Å"The matters that really matter for hypertext usability,† Proceedings of Hypertext ’89, Pittsburgh, PA, ACM Press, 239-248

Reading Definition and Examples

Reading is the process of extracting meaning from a written or printed text. Etymology:Â  From the Old English, reading, advice Readings Classic British and American EssaysGraham Greenes Lost ChildhoodOn Reading for Amusement, by Henry FieldingOf Studies, by Francis BaconOn Studies, by Samuel JohnsonReaders and Writers, by Edward Bulwer-LyttonReading QuizzesRemedial Reading, by Richard RodriguezScrapbook of Styles The Art of Reading [W]e can roughly define what we mean by the art of reading as follows: the process whereby a mind, with nothing to operate on but the symbols of the readable matter, and with no help from outside, elevates itself by the power of its own operations. The mind passes from understanding less to understanding more. The skilled operations that cause this to happen are the various acts that constitute the art of reading. . . .We have shown that activity is the essence of good reading, and that the more active reading is, the better it is.(Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book. Simon and Schuster, 1972) The P2R Reading System:Preview, Read Actively, Review You can get more out of the time you spend reading your textbook by using an easy, three-step approach.The P2R reading/study system is designed for textbooks that are from easy to average level in difficulty. . . . First, preview the entire chapter. Next, read actively by highlighting or taking notes as you read. Finally, review using an active strategy such as reciting, answering review questions, or writing questions in the margin.(Dianna L. Van Blerkom, Orientation to College Learning, 6th ed. Wadsworth Cengage, 2010) Strategies for Active Reading Annotation is a strategy for active reading wherein you write the key information (such as major points, definitions, and examples) in the margins of your text. You are looking for and marking all the information you will need to remember from each chapter. Because it gives you a purpose, youll find that annotation helps you concentrate while reading, and it actually helps you learn from the text.(Sherrie Nist-Olejnik and Jodi Patrick Holschuh, College Rules!: How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College, 3rd ed. Ten Speed Press, 2011)Think as well as read, and when you read. Yield not your minds to the passive impressions which others may make upon them. Hear what they have to say; but examine it, weigh it, and judge for yourselves. This will enable you to make a right use of books--to use them as helpers, not as guides to your understanding; as counselors, not as dictators of what you are to think and believe.(Tryon Edwards)The more we read, the more we are able to read. . . . Eve ry time a reader meets a new word, something new is likely to be learned about the identification and meaning of words. Every time a new text is read, something new is likely to be learned about reading different kinds of text. Learning to read is not a process of building up a repertoire of specific skills, which make all kinds of reading possible. Instead, experience increases the ability to read different kinds of text.(Frank Smith, Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2004) Reading in the U.S. According to the 2012 survey conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, only 54.6% of American adults read a book of any type outside of work or school. Out of those 128 million Americans, 62% read both fiction and non-fiction with only 21% reading just non-fiction.(Sarah Galo, Mark Zuckerberg Declares 2015 the Year of Books With Online Reading Club. The Guardian, January 7, 2015) The Reading Revolution Reading has a history. It was not always and everywhere the same. . . . Rolf Engelsing has argued that a reading revolution (Ledrevolution) took place at the end of the 18th century. From the Middle Ages until sometime after 1750, according to Engelsing, men read intensively. They had only a few books--the Bible, an almanac, a devotional work or two--and they read them over and over again, usually aloud and in groups, so that a narrow range of traditional literature became deeply impressed on their consciousness. By 1800 men were reading extensively. They read all kinds of material, especially periodicals and newspapers, and read it only once, then raced on to the next item. (Robert Darnton, The Kiss of Lamourette: Reflections in Cultural History. W.W. Norton, 1990) Coleridge on Four Kinds of Readers There are four kinds of readers. The first is like the hour-glass; and their reading being as the sand, it runs in and runs out, and leaves not a vestige behind. A second is like the sponge, which imbibes everything, and returns it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtier. A third is like a jelly-bag, allowing all that is pure to pass away, and retaining only the refuse and dregs. And the fourth is like the slaves in the diamond mines of Golconda, who, casting aside all that is worthless, retain only pure gems.(Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Books in the House What influences how far a child will advance in her education? The parents level of education would seem like a strong indicator, but it turns out theres an even more concrete one, says LiveScience.com: the number of books in the home. A recent study by University of Nevada sociologists analyzed 20 years of data on 73,000 people in 27 countries, including the U.S. It found that a child born into a family of average income and education but with 500 books in the house would, on average attain 12 years of education--three years more than an equivalent child with no books at home. The more books are present, the greater the educational benefit. Even a little bit goes a long way, says study author Maria Evans. The presence of books, in fact, was twice as important to childrens progress in school as the fathers level of education. You get a lot of bang for your book, Evan says. (The Case for Books. The Week, June 11, 2010)For many people, as a number of studies show, reading is a genuinel y tactile experience--how a book feels and looks has a material impact on how we feel about reading. This isn’t necessarily Luddism or nostalgia. The truth is that the book is an exceptionally good piece of technology--easy to read, portable, durable, and inexpensive. Unlike the phase-change move toward digital that we saw in music, the transition to e-books is going to be slow; coexistence is more likely than conquest. The book isn’t obsolete.(James Surowiecki, E-Book vs. P-Book. The New Yorker, July 29, 2013) Notes and Quotes on Reading Reading is a means of thinking with another persons mind; it forces you to stretch your own.(Charles Scribner, Jr.)Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not.(Francis Bacon, Of Studies, 1625)I believe that reading, in its original essence, is that fruitful miracle of a communication in the midst of solitude.(Marcel Proust) Reading as a Vice The great thing is to be always reading but never to get bored--treat it not like work, more as a vice!(C.S. Lewiss advice to his students, quoted by Alastair Fowler in C.S. Lewis: Supervisor. The Yale Review, October 2003)Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought.(Sir Arthur Helps, Friends in Council, 1847)Some people read too much: the bibliobuli . . . who are constantly drunk on books, as other men are drunk on whisky or religion.(H.L. Mencken, Notebooks)Nora Ephron on ReadingWhen I pass a bookshelf, I like to pick out a book from it and thumb through it. When I see a newspaper on the couch, I like to sit down with it. When the mail arrives, I like to rip it open. Reading is one of the main things I do. Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel Ive accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; its a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and its a way of making contact with someone elses imagination after a day thats all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.(Nora Ephron, Blind as a Bat. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006)