China
Epcot

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

Reflections of China - a CircleVision 360 movie presentation that was debuted May 2003.  

Tomb Warriors - Guardian Spirts of Ancient China exhibit

Epcot Attractions At A Glance

 

DINING

Nine Dragons - Serving lunch and dinner featuring Chinese cuisine.

Lotus Blossom Cafe - Counter service which includes stir-fry, eggrolls and a daily special.

Epcot Restaurants At A Glance
Menus From Around the World
Vegetarian and Other Special Diets

 

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 entertain in the Temple of Heaven.

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 Reflections 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 Device from Guest Services Can Be Used Here.

Reflective Captioning Available - see Cast Member upon arrival.

 

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.

 

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).

(Exerpt from Shopping Around the World) The Shoppers headed to China, but before we reached the Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store, the several kiosks located outside of the pavilion proved a distraction. Quite quickly, JoDeen found the brightly colored Parasols (with your name written in Chinese) for $10-$14.

In the department store at last, the Shoppers found a wide range of items including furniture, kitchenware, rugs, clothing, slippers, silk, and paper fans. Michelle was partial to the silk slippers ($10). The Chinese Lanterns at $12 were very colorful and the perfect item to help celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival, part of the Chinese New Year celebration. The "Take Out or Carry Out Purse" ($17), a Chinese takeout food container adorned in decorative silk, proved a favorite among several of the female shoppers, as well.

Other items that caught the Shoppers' eagle eyes included a Straw Hat (called a Cao Mao, $4), carved Jade Elephants ($12), and Silk Purses for $12 and under.

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 b 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 b.  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.

March 25, 2002 the original Wonders of China 360 movie closed until May 23, 2003! The new movie is called Reflections of China! Nine cameras were used to photograph the cultural and scenic images in the new movie. During a 2 month period in 2002, 7 Chinese cities were filmed. New shots of many of the landmarks in the current movie such as the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square will be in the new version. Other images that have been updated include Beijing, Harbin, and Urumqi. Every bit of footage of Shanghai has been replaced!