Walking along a path overgrown with waist-high weeds, with the sun filtering through the low clouds over the hills of Zhejiang, I found myself face-to-face with them: nine reinforced concrete colossi, giant dragons twisting on the slopes as if the myth had taken shape in the 20th century. We are in Jiulongshan Scenic Area, near Dongyang City: an amusement park that opened its doors for a brief moment, only to close shortly thereafter. It was not just any amusement park: here, sculptures 35 meters high and over 400 meters long housed spacious interiors, 8 meters high and 9 meters wide, ready to catapult you into a parallel world.
The Birth of a Failed Dream
Imagine the late 2000s or early 2010s: local investors are betting on a “Jiulong Grand Canyon,” a scenic area of over 500 acres in the remote mountains, not far from Hengdian—China’s Hollywood. They open with promises of unique attractions, but after a short period of operation, everything comes to a halt. An additional pool, Shuilong, attempts to revive the site, but it closes again. Why? No one openly admits to this: rumours on Douyin and urbex videos suggest that funds have evaporated, there were few visitors in an overly isolated area, and the tourist economy has failed to take off. Today, ‘no entry’ signs rust among the vegetation, and the dragons watch silently. A guard stands watch over this area, although he is not very vigilant. We passed by three times, but he never noticed our presence.
The Nine Giants: Elements and Directions
Each of the nine dragons is unique, inspired by the five elements of Chinese philosophy (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) fused with the four directions (east, south, west, north). There are no official plaques left, but from internal tours and scattered descriptions, here are the probable names: a mix of ancient mythology, Buddhism, and Taoism, from the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea to Mount Everest:
• 金龙 (Jīnlóng) – Golden/Metal Dragon: the shining guardian, perhaps with golden interiors.
• 木龙 (Mùlóng) – Wood Dragon: intertwined with natural themes, evoking ancestral forests.
• 水龙 (Shuǐlóng) – Water Dragon: connected to the Shuilong pool, humid and mysterious.
• 火龙 (Huǒlóng) – Fire Dragon: symbolic flames in a mountain landscape.
• 土龙 (Tǔlóng) – Earth Dragon: rooted in the hills, solid and imposing.
• 东龙 (Dōnglóng) – East Dragon: dawn and Eastern myths.
• 南龙 (Nánlóng) – South Dragon: warmth and Southern directions.
• 西龙 (Xīlóng) – West Dragon: sunsets and Western legends.
• 北龙 (Běilóng) – North Dragon: cold and Arctic majesty.
They were designed as immersive tunnels: modern mythology, technology, spirituality.
The Abandoned Buddhist Temple
Towards the 东龙 (Eastern Dragon), an extra touch of spiritual decadence: a small Buddhist temple, now in ruins, with dusty statues and forgotten incense. Entrance semi-covered by vines, interior statues of Bodhisattva and rusty bells – a perfect nest for the mystical atmosphere of the site.
The Exploration: Night in a Tent Amidst Humidity and Silence
Remote parking lot, steep trail: then you see them winding their way up the mountain. The exploration took a whole day, forcing me to pitch my tent at the highest point, near the abandoned Shuilong pools. I went there with a girl from Shanghai, accompanied by her trusty analogue camera.
The humidity was suffocating, the air thick and sticky all night long, with fog rising from the ruins and a silence broken only by rustling in the bushes and a few small animals. At night, there were no guards, only nature reclaiming its own.
Urbex location:
