OCT Group’s flagship central China park launches a new culturally rooted zone on 19 June 2025, blending local identity with family entertainment.
Happy Valley Wuhan, operated by the OCT Group, has opened a new themed zone called Animal Town — styled in Chinese as 武汉话动物城 (Wuhan Dialect Animal Town) — on 19 June 2025. The addition marks the latest step in the park’s ongoing effort to embed local Wuhan culture into its guest experience.
The name itself signals the zone’s approach. “武汉话” refers to the Wuhan dialect, the vernacular spoken across the city. By attaching this to an animal-themed attraction, the park positions the zone as a distinctly local product — familiar regional identity expressed through a family-friendly format.
Happy Valley Wuhan sits within the East Lake scenic area in Hongshan District and covers 350,000 square metres. Operated under the OCT Group’s Happy Valley chain, it has run since April 2012 and is among the most visited parks in central China. The site already spans nine themed zones, with over 30 rides and multiple live entertainment programmes.
The Animal Town launch follows a summer of activity at the site. On 3 June 2025, the park reopened its Pier Culture Town — Hubei’s first immersive entertainment district themed around Wuhan’s historic dock culture — combining dialect performance with period streetscape. The Animal Town opening on 19 June extends that cultural strand into family entertainment.
Image: HAppy Valley Wuhan
