A disaster in the making
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When contacted, the Beijing Earthquake Department deferred inquires to the Haidian District Earthquake Department, which in turn recommended the park's local township office in Sijiqing. "I'm not the government," a woman at the Sijiqing office quavered. "Contact the Department of Propaganda, only they know what you want to know."
"Why do you want to know about this park? Who manages the park isn't relevant," said a woman at the Department of Propaganda. Only after careful goading would she agree to email a 10- page document—Meet the Educational Needs of Disasters From Time to Time, Take Precautions to Highlight Social and Human Progress—that contained "everything there is to know about the park" before abruptly hanging up.
The document cites "being prepared in times of danger and peace" as the main reason for the building of the park, the design of which is "comprehensive" in its "combination of entertainment and education" to satisfy a "highly educated population's need for safety." Signed by the "Beijing Haiqing Shuguang Real Estate Development Center," the document also notes that the park's grounds are "highly flex-ible," and were built to accommodate a second hand car dealership, hotel, restaurant, tennis court and temple.
Before Mr Han returned to lunch with his workers, he mentioned the park also functioned as a safe haven on the off chance that a disaster were to actually strike Beijing. Several signposts near the park's entrance (above which sits a bronzed golfer to promote the neighboring golf course) point to areas designated for "Emergency Command," "Emergency Fire Extinguisher" and "Emergency Toilets."
The signposts all point to areas occupied by the golf course.
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