Qualla: Splendid China (Florida) https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:13 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/j/j/c/splendid-china-florida-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Splendid China (Florida) https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida Splendid China (Florida): Introduction https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida/ Photo credit Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. The Great Wall of China once stretched half a mile through central Florida. Built from seven million tiny bricks at one-tenth scale, the replica was the centerpiece of Splendid China, a $100 million theme park that opened near Four Corners, Florida, in 1993 and became one of the strangest chapters in the Orlando attraction wars. Owned and operated by China Travel Service, a state-owned corporation of the Chinese government, the park featured more than 60 handcrafted miniature replicas of Chinese landmarks. It attracted protests from Tibetan and Uyghur activists on its opening day, bled $9 million a year by the end of the decade, closed on December 31, 2003, and spent the next ten years decaying in the subtropical humidity until bulldozers erased it in 2013. Today a Jimmy Buffett-themed Margaritaville resort sits on the land. The transformation from miniature Potala Palace to swim-up bar is almost too on the nose.

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Image: Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/j/j/c/splendid-china-florida-wp/djjc-splendid-china-florida-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Splendid China (Florida): A Taiwanese Educator's Gamble https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida/ Photo credit Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. The idea began with Josephine Chen, a former educator from Taiwan who toured the original Splendid China Miniature Scenic Spot in Shenzhen, China, in 1988. That park, operated by China Travel Service, sat close to Hong Kong and drew 3.5 million visitors in its first year, recoupi...

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Image: Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/j/j/c/splendid-china-florida-wp/djjc-splendid-china-florida-a-taiwanese-educators-gamble.mp3 0:06 2 full Splendid China (Florida): Protests at the Gate https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida/ Photo credit Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Splendid China was controversial from its first day. A group called Citizens Against Communist Chinese Propaganda staged demonstrations at the park, objecting to what they saw as Chinese government propaganda embedded in exhibits depicting Mongolia, Tibet, and Eastern Turkestan. ...

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Image: Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/j/j/c/splendid-china-florida-wp/djjc-splendid-china-florida-protests-at-the-gate.mp3 0:06 3 full Splendid China (Florida): Nine Million Dollars a Year https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida/ Photo credit Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. The financial picture was bleak from early on. In May 1996, the Orlando Sentinel reported a management shakeup that replaced the park's president, general manager, and senior vice president for entertainment. By May 1999, the Far East Economic Review confirmed what locals already...

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Image: Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/j/j/c/splendid-china-florida-wp/djjc-splendid-china-florida-nine-million-dollars-a-year.mp3 0:06 4 full Splendid China (Florida): From Forbidden City to Margaritaville https://qualla.com/splendid-china-florida/ Photo credit Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Abandonment was worse than closure. Thieves and vandals descended on the empty park, carrying off hundreds of items ranging from small miniatures to portions of life-size statues. The perpetrators were never caught. The property cycled through several owners and sat on the market...

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Image: Pat David from Mobile, AL, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/j/j/c/splendid-china-florida-wp/djjc-splendid-china-florida-from-forbidden-city-to-margaritaville.mp3 0:06 5 full