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Universal Studios Beijing

Tongzhou, Beijing, China

“One of the best Universal theme parks on the planet”

A while ago, I found it quite challenging to plan a trip to China. You needed to check visa requirements, electronic payments seemed challenging and The Great Firewall of China made it difficult to access your favorite apps and internet pages. Although it was by no means impossible to travel to China, the preparations felt like a hassle. Fortunately, all of the aforementioned issues have become easier to deal with in recent years. Residents of many countries (including Belgium and the Netherlands) can now visit China without a visa and creating an Alipay account has become relatively straightforward. Besides, an eSIM allows visitors to access Instagram and Google Maps without having to use a separate VPN. And when it gets easier to travel to China, it also gets easier to discover China’s abundance of theme parks.

UNIVERSAL BEIJING RESORT

Our trip to China started in Beijing and it obviously involved some sightseeing. We wandered through the Forbidden City, we made a selfie with the Beijing National Stadium (a.k.a. the Bird’s Nest) and we took a walk on the Great Wall of China. However, we mainly came because of the city’s two major theme parks, which can both be found southeast of the city centre. Beijing is home to a large Happy Valley park and the relatively new Universal Beijing Resort. The latter opened in 2021 and it became the famous film studio’s third location in Asia. They went all out: in addition to the theme park, there are two luxury hotels and a Chinese version of Universal CityWalk. Adjacent to this lively dining and shopping street, you’ll also find the modern Universal Resort train station. It’s serviced by metro lines 1 and 7, making it incredibly convenient to travel between downtown and Universal.

Staying on Universal property is not mandatory to fully enjoy Universal Beijing. Still, a night in a theme park hotel often makes a trip feel more complete. That’s why we were happy to check in at The Universal Studios Grand Hotel, which is located right above the entrance to Universal Studios Beijing. The monumental hotel creates an impressive arrival for day visitors, but the real splendor is behind the facade. The lobby, the bars and the restaurants transport guests to the golden days of Hollywood, while various Universal films are brought to life inside the rooms. Our room, for example, was themed to Kung Fu Panda. The beds were designed to ressemble rickshaws and the ceiling was adorned with a dozen colourful lanterns. In addition to these fun decorations, we were pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness (a stark contrast to the average hotel room in Asia) and the lovely view of Universal CityWalk.

ROLLER COASTERS

I don’t want to claim that the Universal parks are literal copies of each other, but there is a certain predictability. The rotating globe with the Universal letters is inevitable and the Hollywood-inspired Main Street looks very familiar as well. However, when it comes to the roller coasters of Universal Studios Beijing, there’s only one that I recognize from the other resorts. That is Flight of the Hippogriff, part of the equally unsurprising Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Like Universal Studios Hollywood, the Chinese park opted for a Mack YoungStar Coaster. That’s a good thing, as I like this ride slightly better than the versions in Orlando and Osaka. The trains are comfortable and the (rather short) layout includes a few surprisingly powerful turns.

The Minions have their own themed land at every Universal resort across the globe, but the large scale of Minion Land in Beijing is unmatched. The highlight of this area is Super Silly Fun Land. This enormous hall functions as a kind of amusement park within an amusement park. It catches the eye because of the white coaster tracks on top of the roof, but unfortunately, that roller coaster is fake. Still, we managed to ride a Minion-themed coaster in Super Silly Fun Land, which is called Loop-Dee-Doop-Dee. Don’t expect any loops or crazy g-forces, as this is a relatively simple family roller coaster with a few oversized decorative elements and a funny-looking train. Fun fact: at the time of writing, this is the only Universal roller coaster in the world that was built by a Chinese manufacturer.

If you’re looking for more action, Transformers Metrobase is the place to be. I’m not really into the Transformers franchise, but this ultra-modern zone is definitely worth seeing. As an experienced theme park visitor, you’ll notice that Metrobase’s ride lineup bears striking similarities to Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal Islands of Adventure. In addition to a trendy spinner flat ride and a simulator dark ride, you’ll find a giant B&M with an upward launch. The layout of Decepticoaster is actually identical to that of The Incredible Hulk, although the latter feels faster and more intense. I would never describe Decepticoaster as a glorified family roller coaster, but it’s clear that The Hulk’s super-intense ride experience has been toned down a bit here. Decepticoaster remains a fantastic roller coaster, nevertheless. The ride offers excellent inversions, it’s incredibly smooth and the onboard soundtrack certainly adds to the experience.

Universal Studios Beijing surprised us with its exceptionally smooth operations. Attendance was far from low during our visit, but wait times for major rides ranged between 15 and 30 minutes. The only exception was Jurassic Flyers, a suspended powered coaster similar to Arthur at Europa-Park. It seemed very popular, so we had to be more patient to obtain this last credit. Unfortunately, we weren’t rewarded with a fantastic ride experience. This actually turned out to be the most disappointing attraction in the entire park. That’s not Mack Rides’ fault, as the hardware is fine. The twisty layout is fun and Jurassic Flyers feels a lot faster than its German counterpart. However, Universal’s designers failed to turn this ride into a thematically pleasing experience. Riders glide through the Jurassic World Aviary and experience two short track sections in the open air, but it all feels incredibly pointless. Where are the dark ride scenes and where are the dino animatronics? Universal Studios Beijing does many things well, but they really missed the mark here.

DARK RIDES

Jurassic Flyers failed to amaze, but the Jurassic World section still delivered the best ride experience we had at Universal Beijing Resort. Behind the facades of the recognisable Innovation Center lies Jurassic World Adventure, a motion-based dark ride that shows the darkest side of Isla Nublar. In fact, this is a kind of Spiderman-like dark ride, but without the 3D glasses and with a completely different theme. A theme that works incredibly well, by the way. Dinosaurs are always cool and Universal Beijing managed to integrate some incredibly clever dark ride tricks. The highlight is undoubtedly the moment when the Indominus Rex seems to be chasing our vehicle, but the climax (in which the Indominus and the T-Rex engage in a direct confrontation in the devastated shopping street of Jurassic World) doesn’t fail to impress either. Jurassic World Adventure may not be filled with hundreds of animatronics, but the interaction between real sets and screen scenes is elaborate, to say the least. The timing is perfect and the story line is easy to follow, even if you don’t speak Mandarin. Perfectly executed attraction!

We can’t talk about Universal without talking about screen-based attractions. And although Universal Studios Beijing’s offerings feel quite balanced, there’s no way to avoid screens entirely. Minion Land, for example, is the home of Despicable Me – Minion Mayhem, the well-known simulator that has claimed a place in every Universal resort. I must admit that we skipped this Chinese version, precisely because the ride has few surprises in store. The same can be said about Transformers – Battle for the AllSpark. The exterior of this 3D dark ride looks particularly impressive in Beijing, but behind the facade lies exactly the same attraction you know from Hollywood, Orlando and Singapore. It’s an attraction that always leaves me a little underwhelmed because of its monotonous story. The similar Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man offers humour and variety, but Transformers shows one long brutal fight that’s stretched out over a dozen scenes.

Over the past two decades, DreamWorks has produced several films that are on a par with Disney in terms of storytelling and animation style. One of their most successful film franchises is Kung Fu Panda. And the adventures of that clumsy giant panda have proved to be a hit in China. That’s probably why Po got his own themed land. The so-called Land of Awesomeness is a charming indoor zone that transports us to an authentic Chinese village. This nighttime scene is beautiful, and I dare say that this theming level wouldn’t look out of place at Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi or even Tokyo DisneySea. The accompanying dark ride is a bit disappointing, though. Kung Fu Panda – Journey of the Dragon Warrior is a boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean, but it lacks a wow factor. The animatronics are too static, some scenes look rather empty and screens play too big a role. Still, it seems that Universal Studios Beijing had high expectations for this dark ride, as they provided a queue of astronomical proportions. If it ever fills up, you can expect to wait for at least three hours.

A visit to the world’s most famous wizard is obligatory during every trip to Universal. Here in Beijing, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter may be even more popular than in the United States and Japan. At any given moment, hundreds of young girls pose for extensive photo sessions, often while waving an expensive magic wand. Due to the crowds, the walkway between the snow-covered roofs of Hogsmeade wasn’t the most pleasant place to spend time, but the area’s headliner attraction was surprisingly easy to access. After only 20 minutes (which we spent in one of the most beautiful queues in the amusement park business), we took our seats on one of the flying benches of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This classic Harry Potter attraction remains one with pros and cons. On the one hand, I’m a fan of the original ride system and the fact that passengers get incredibly close to the decors. On the other hand, the attraction’s technology is often too visible and those wrap-around screens make me feel nauseous every single time. Forbidden Journey is therefore not a perfect dark ride, but it’s definitely one that changed the theme park world for good.

ENTERTAINMENT

After sunset, The Wizarding World becomes the stage for a video mapping show at Hogwarts Castle. However, in terms of evening entertainment, that is currently all that Universal Studios Beijing has to offer. I’m eagerly awaiting a large-scale nighttime spectaclar, which could take place on the central lake. Until that premieres, you’ll need to get your dose of entertainment earlier during the day. First of all, there are countless meet & greets with Kung Fu Panda, the Minions, the raptors from Jurassic World and a few life-sized Transformers. In addition, a number of recognisable characters make an appearance during Sing on Tour, a stage show that takes place in the Illumination Theatre. The live singing is excellent and we also admired some great animatronics during this performance.

Have you ever seen the film WaterWorld? And if so, do you have fond memories of it? Generally speaking, the film is considered a failure, so there’s absolutely no need to feel ashamed if your answer is ‘no’. Nevertheless, Universal is keeping the spirit of this 30-year-old film starring Kevin Costner alive. Over the years, the original stunt show from Universal Studios Hollywood has been replicated at Universal Studios Japan (2001), Universal Studios Singapore (2010) and Universal Studios Beijing (2021). I find that really bizarre. The show boasts beautiful decors and a whole range of special effects, but haven’t there been plenty of more successful films released over the past three decades that could also be used as the basis for a stunt show? Yet Universal doesn’t seem to have any plans to repurpose the theatre any time soon, as a small WaterWorld themed land has been created in Beijing.

Despite its name, Universal Studios Beijing is not a ‘studio park’ in the most literal sense of the word. The park is not filled with sound stages, but instead features immersive themed lands that are themed from top to bottom. There’s only one attraction that reminds me of those old-fashioned film theme parks. That is Lights Camera Action, a show that allows visitors to take a look behind the scenes of an action film. Steven Spielberg and his Chinese colleague Zhang Yimou provide the introduction, after which we experience the power of special effects first-hand. Guests enter a boathouse and next, they witness a particularly severe cyclone. Three-minute scene consists of sound, wind, water and fire effects that make us believe that the end of the world is near. Lights Camera Action is not entirely new, by the way; the show has been running at Universal Studios Singapore since 2010.

With two show venues, the Hollywood area is the epicentre of entertainment. Lights Camera Action is located inside the Pantages Theatre, while Untrainable takes place in the colossal Universal Theatre. The Asian exterior of the building is impressive, but the true splendour takes place on the stage. Untrainable is a kind of sequel to the How To Train Your Dragon films. The story is brought to life with large-scale sets, live singing and a number of dragon animatronics. By the way: the action doesn’t just take place on stage, but also in the air. Main characters Hiccup and Toothless make their entrance in a magnificent way, after which they fly high above the heads of the audience. This is a breathtaking moment, especially when you add John Powell’s incredible soundtrack to it all. I knew it was coming, but I still got goosebumps when it actually happened. Can’t wait to experience it again at Epic Universe soon!

WORTH A VISIT?

As a reminder: I’ve awarded five stars at the top of this page. So yes, Universal Studios Beijing should be on every theme park enthusiast’s bucket list. Although this is one of the youngest ‘major’ parks on the planet, it boasts a very complete and high-quality lineup. Jurassic World Adventure and Untrainable are obviously the highlights, but there’s plenty of other great stuff to experience in this park. Decepticoaster provides the thrills, young families can visit Minion Land and The Wizarding World appears to be a fantastic location for Instagram queens. Still, I can think of a few things that would make this park even better. I’d like to see the addition of a water ride and a large, high-quality family roller coaster. I dare to predict that a copy of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure would be at least as popular here as it is in Orlando… and there happens to be a huge plot of land available next to Hogsmeade.

Universal Studios Beijing is a very pleasant place to spend time. Firstly, the park is large and spacious, without feeling unpersonal. Secondly, the themed lands are all beautiful in their own way. My attention is immediately drawn to the Kung Fu Panda section and Jurassic World, which is a real eye-catcher thanks to its towering rock formation and impressive Aviary. Thirdly, the food at Universal Studios Beijing is excellent. We had three meals in the park and it was very tasty every single time. Finally, the staff deserve praise for their efficiency. Although their American and Japanese colleagues seem to smile more broadly, the Chinese team works incredibly hard to keep queues as short as possible. This applies to both the rides and the F&B department.

Needless to say… Universal Studios Beijing exceeded our expectations. You can tell that Universal benefits from its many years of experience in the theme park business, which means it can perfectly respond to what current theme park visitors are looking for. It’s too early to claim that this is the best Universal theme park in the world, but after a number of strategic expansions, it could well become so in a few years’ time. Have you already visited Universal Studios Beijing? What did you think of Jurassic World Adventure? Do you understand why a new WaterWorld show was introduced even in 2021? Be sure to leave a message in the comment box below.