Shanghai's oldest indoor amusement park, Dashijie, or The Great World, will reopen on March 31, more than a decade after it closed down due to poor management. When it reopens, the park will take on new significance -- as a venue that showcases intangible cultural heritage from around the world.

The Great World had been a Shanghai landmark for decades. The park used to be the largest of its kind anywhere in the city. It was so famous that tourists would often say a trip to Shanghai wasn't complete until one had visited The Great World.

The park was operated on the basis of a single-entrance ticket system. Visitors could enjoy a wide variety of entertainment, such as operas, dancing and acrobatics performed on small stages. They could also seek amusement in the cinemas, shopping centers, snack stands and restaurants within the park.

The Great World, on which construction began in 1917, had been operating for almost 10 years by the time Walt Disney introduced Mickey Mouse.

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