World Showcase China
THIRD COUNTRY
IF ENTERING CLOCKWISE
A showcase of
China and its cultures featuring a Chinese garden and Nine Dragons
restaurant
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INTRODUCTION
Journey with the ancient Chinese Poet Li Bai into the ornate Chinese Hall
of Prayer and into the history, culture and lands of China. Stand
before the China Pavilion and you will be impressed with the majesty of
the presentation.
ATTRACTIONS
Wonders of China - a 19-minute CircleVision 360 movie presentation.
Li Bai is the 8th Century poet host of this magnificent movie you
won't want to miss.
Land of Many Faces - An exhibit introducing China's ethnic peoples.
This is an incredible exhibit! You will not find the gallery exhibits
anywhere else in the United States.DINING
Nine Dragons - Serving lunch and dinner featuring Chinese cuisine.
CHINESE GARDENS
Chinese
gardens follow completely different rules than those of the West. “In
Chinese gardening, there’s no central plan,” Darden says. “Someone
once said that if you want to create a Chinese garden you could fly the
plants up in a plane and push them out of the window and wherever they
land is where you plant them.” Things in the garden don’t appear
disorganized -- just naturally placed. For example, the grass in the China
pavilion is not mowed, but allowed to grow naturally producing a tufted
appearance. The one essential in every Chinese garden is water. As Darden
explains, an old Chinese saying states that “A garden without water
is like a portrait of a lady with her eyes closed.” The water is
usually still and frequently has water plants such as lilies or lotuses
growing in it. The lilies at the China pavilion actually grow in containers
placed underwater.
The Chinese respect age and want their gardens to appear old. Disney landscape
architects have selected trees with “corkscrew” trunks or with
“weeping” branches to help give the gardens a mature look. Here,
a weeping mulberry -- one of the most impressive trees in Epcot -- can
be found to the left of the Nine Dragons Restaurant entrance. Other interesting
trees native to China are the tallow tree, a plant with waxy fruit traditionally
used to make candles and one of the few that changes colors in Florida’s
fall, and the runner bamboo. Also at the China pavilion are large rocks
on the water side of the promenade. The Chinese like to create “surprising
views” throughout their landscapes as experienced by looking through
the holes in the rocks toward the water.
Epicurean adventures into five Chinese provinces await World Showcase
travelers under one roof in the 250-seat Nine Dragons Restaurant.
The Nine Dragons is located within a 12,000-square-foot building next
door to "Yong Feng Shangdian" shopping gallery along China Showcase's
"Street of Good Fortune." Next door, the 200-seat Lotus Blossom
Cafe offers counter-service.
In addition to the familiar Moo Gu Gai Pan and sweet and sour pork, the
Nine Dragons menu offers everything from sirloin to lobster prepared Cantonese-style.
There's also Treasure Duck, braised and lightly fried; honey-roasted Chinese
spareribs; and an entree of stir-fried grouper and fresh garden vegetables.
Kiangche-style entrees include stir-fried scallops and vegetables. Szechuan/Hunan-style
entrees feature chicken, shrimp and lobster brought to life with hot peppers
and spicy sauces.
Featured item on the Lotus Blossom Cafe menu is a combination platter
that includes stir-fried beef and garden vegetables, egg roll and fried
rice.
ENTERTAINMENT
Dragon Legend Acrobats - an energetic display of agility, strength
and balance by young students from the Pu Yang Academy of Acrobatics
in China.
Si Xian - Shanghai region folk music
For more information on Epcot Live Entertainment, visit Steve Soares WDW
Entertainment Website.TOURING TIPS
If you go to the temple in China and stand in the very middle of the round
room, it is acoustically perfect. So say something! Because it is acoustically
perfect, you will hear yourself talk, which is something we rarely do.
Usually we hear ourselves talk through our own head, and that's not how
others hear us. Does this make sense? Everyone who did this said something
and then went "oooo! how weird!" (Seth & Sonya)
The Wonders of China is shown on the half hour. Use the time before
the next showing to view the Land of Many Faces gallery.
If the 360 degree movie screen makes you a little dizzy, stand near
the back of the room, you'll be able to see most of the film. Remember,
this is a standing attraction.
Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival - Highlights include a
bamboo garden, exotic water garden, Feng Shui area and a wonderful panda
topiary! The water garden has many water lillies just for the Flower and
Garden show! Be sure to also check out the stacks of begonia columns that
border the walkway to the main pavilion.
Holidays from Around the World features storytellers in each country.
In China, the Monkey King tells of celebrations.
Assistive Listening Devices from Guest Services Can Be Used Here.
KIDS AND CHARACTERS
Each of the World Showcase countries has a special "KIDCOT"
area that provides an opportunity for your child to interact with a native
of the country you are visiting.
Epcot PassPorts are great fun for kids as they have them stamped at each
pavilion around World Showcase.
Disney Characters appear "On Holiday" in their sightseeing bus
around World Showcase. Check your Daily Epcot Guide Map for times and
locations.
Epcot Characters At A Glance
Character Meet and Greet FAQ!
SHOPPING
Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store - Furniture, Kitchenware, rugs, clothing,
slippers, silk, paper fans, pictures, cloisonne (jewelry with enamel inlay).
INTERESTING FACTS
The three-tiered, circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is a one-half
scale reproduction of its counterpart inside the Temple of Heaven complex
near Beijing. Many of its architectural details, both inside and
out, have important significance to the Chinese people. Inside the
hall, there are 12 outer columns supporting the roof. They represent
the 12 months of the year and the 12-year cycle of the Chinese calendar.
Closer to the center of the room are 4 columns representing the four seasons.
These columns support a beam, representing Earth, which is topped by a
round beam, signifying Heaven.
Filming the Wonders of China proved to be quite challenging for the crew.
For one sequence on Huangshan Mountain, the crew and 40 laborers had to
carry the three-hundred pound camera and other equipment to the top, over
a mile in height.
To reflect the gardening style of China, the pavilion features a very
loosely structured landscape. There is no strong feeling of being
either inside or outside of the garden. The lack of structure of
the China garden is deceiving because, as in the Japan garden, the symbolism
is strong. Chinese gardens are designed to be quiet, still and passive,
as in the meditation pool. The zoysia grass is left alone to grow
as it would look in China. Plants are used sparingly with the accent
on those with unusual color. Several fruit trees, orange, plum and
pomegranate are also part of the landscape.
The weeping mulberry, while resembling a tree you might find in China,
is actually over 100 years old and was found in New Jersey.
In order to depict the intricate tile work patterns of the original Temple
of Heaven, the Imagineers artisans screen printed hundreds of exact replications
of its detailed patterns onto each and every tile at Epcot.
EPCOT's China pavilion allows you to enjoy all the beauty and culture
of the ancient nation without risking arrest and torture for being an
enemy of the state. Drop into the Temple of Heaven for the Circlevision
360 film Wonders of China or stroll down the street for some jade Buddhas
and an egg roll.
Wonders of China
Every
time you take a trip down to your local noodle shop, chances are you don't
consider the millennia of history that went into that sesame chicken of
yours. Well, thanks to the Circlevision feature
Wonders of China you can. An ancient poet is our guide as we travel
from Mongolia to Shanghai and beyond. In fact, the Disney filmmakers
were the first western film crew ever to have access to certain sites.
The result is a beautiful film that shows us dirty Yanks a side of a nation
that few of us have ever seen.
Please note that in true Circlevision fashion, you must stand
as the action unfolds on nine screens around you. The show lasts
19 minutes.
House of Whispering Willows
Adjacent to the waiting area for Wonders of China, this gallery
features rotating exhibits of art and Chinese history.
Nine Dragons Restaurant
The Nine Dragons is the pavilion's 'fancy' sit-down restaurant.
The food is Chinese, of course, and quite good. However, with the
proliferation of Chinese restaurants all over America you might prefer
to eat somewhere at EPCOT that features fare you can't get for $5 at home.
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Now this is more like it. A place to drop in and grab
a cheap egg roll or some stir-fried chicken. A limited menu (it's
fast food, after all) but it's all good. Plenty of Asian booze,
too, if you're into that. Like I said above, it's nothing you can't
get at home for cheaper, but if you're craving something from the GREAT
WOK this is the place to go.
Yong Feng Shangdian
The Chinese pavilion has only one shop, but it's a doozy.
The Yong Feng Shangdian reaches all the way from the exit of the Wonders
of China film to the restaurant on the other side of the street.
The stock is diverse, featuring a wide array of clothes, house decorations,
jewelry, flair, weapons, trinkets, and what can only be generously described
as junk. If you have a pulse there's probably something you'll find
vaguely interesting here (the lipstick cases are a particular tradition
among the women of my family). It's a great place for a cheap gift
for the folks back home, or a giant animal carved out of jade. Get
a panda! |
