Beijing Happy Valley has opened a 99-metre Ferris wheel as its tallest-ever structure, anchoring a wider park transformation marking the resort’s 20th anniversary.
Beijing Happy Valley has opened the Big Eye Beijing Ferris wheel, standing 99 metres tall and setting a height record for the Chinese capital. The attraction forms the centrepiece of celebrations marking the theme park’s 20th anniversary. Construction began in winter 2025, driven by demand for family-friendly attractions.
The wheel carries up to 460 passengers across 46 pod-shaped cabins, including ten VIP cabins designed for families and birthday groups. A full rotation takes about 22 minutes, offering panoramic views across the city. According to Wang Tao, chief engineer at Beijing Happy Valley, visitor surveys consistently ranked the wheel as the park’s most anticipated new addition, with around 70 per cent of respondents expressing interest before opening.
At night, the structure uses 276 LED-lit arms to create a layered lighting display. Beijing Happy Valley plans to run regular light shows alongside the wheel, part of a broader effort to extend visitor dwell time. The wheel sits within a new commercial plaza that also hosts live music, parades and dining venues, the latest stage in the park’s wider retail and entertainment upgrade.
The opening adds to a run of large-format Ferris wheel projects across Chinese theme parks in recent years, as operators look for landmark attractions that draw repeat visits without the land footprint of a coaster circuit. At 99 metres, Big Eye Beijing falls well short of global height records — Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest observation wheel, stands at 250 metres — but it gives Beijing Happy Valley a skyline landmark visible beyond the park boundary, a positioning increasingly used by urban parks competing for tourist attention.
Image: Beijing Happy Valley
