Ocean Park Hong Kong 香港海洋公園

Ocean Park Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港海洋公園; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 hoi2 yeung4 gung1 yun2), commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park, situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. Opened in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Murray MacLehose, Ocean Park has grown to over 80 attractions and rides after the completion of a HK$5.5 billion Master Redevelopment Plan (MRP) begun in 2005, making it one of the world’s best marine-based theme parks. The park has won several awards, including The World's Seventh Most Popular Amusement Park and one of the “50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions" in the World by Forbes. In November 2012, Ocean Park received the 2012 Applause Award and three Brass Ring Awards from IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). Ocean Park is the first theme park in Asia to win this coveted Applause Award, which has made it one of the top theme parks in the world. [1][2][3]

Ocean Park claims that it received 6.95 million visitors in 2011, awarding it the position of the world's 12th most visited theme park by annual attendance.,[4] the most visited theme park in the Greater China region and the fifth most in Asia. By the end of December 2012, Ocean Park achieved a record-breaking calendar year annual attendance of nearly 7.5 million guests.

Covering an area of 91.5 hectares (226 acres), the park is separated by a large mountain into two areas, The Summit (Headland) and The Waterfront (Lowland). These areas can be reached by a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) cable car system, or the Ocean Express funicular railway. As the Headland comprises several hills, visitors can also opt to use Hong Kong's second longest outdoor escalator.[3]

The theme park currently has a wide array of attractions and rides, including 4 roller coasters, and also animal exhibits with different themes, such as a giant panda habitat, a jelly fish and Chinese sturgeon aquarium, as well as a world-class aquarium featuring the world's largest aquarium dome which displays more than 5,000 fish. Between 1979 and 1997, Ocean Park was most famous for its signature killer whale, Miss Hoi Wai (海威小姐).

Besides being an amusement park, Ocean Park Hong Kong is also committed to merging entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. This is done by operating observatories, laboratories, an education department, and the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK), a fund which advocates, facilitates and participates in the conservation of wildlife and habitats, with an emphasis on Asia, through research and education. In 2011/2012, the Foundation funded 42 conservation projects, covering 27 species in 10 Asian countries for a total of HK$5 million—all record highs.

Ocean Park Hong Kong was the first institution in the world to have success in artificial insemination of bottlenose dolphins, and developed numerous new breeds of goldfish