Shenzhen >> Minsk World

Attraction Typ: Historic Site

Location: City Centre - Central

Recommend: 4 Star

Minsk World

Minsk World is a military theme park which is famous for the huge former Soviet (later Russian) aircraft carrier Minsk.

Minsk World (Chinese: 明斯克世界; pinyin: Míngsīkè Shìjiè) is a military theme park including the huge former Soviet (later Russian) aircraft carrier Minsk, redesigned as a tourist attraction. It is located in Dapeng Bay, Shatoujiao of Shenzhen and opened to visitors on May 10, 2000.

The aircraft carrier Minsk was part of the Soviet Pacific Fleet. Due to Minsk World a military theme park, you can experience something different from the other parks. The ticket office of the Minsk World is in a vaguely St. Petersburgian fake palace, behind which are a shooting range where you can fire tennis balls at assorted objects, stalls selling animated military dolls, a row of MIG fighter planes, a tank or two, an inflatable Russian bear presiding over a number of centrifugal rides, and a Soyuz space capsule (the genuine article).

The carrier itself has been substantially repaired, with stirring Russian military music playing through a PA system. Your visit stars with a compulsory 10-minute cinema show on the history of aircraft carriers, into which you are ushered by pretty young women in naval uniforms, before you follow a clearly marked route through torpedo hall, bridge, deck, anchor room, missile elevators, and just about every other corner, with informative signage in good English. The deck has occasional reenactments of Russian military parades; the officers' mess is a restaurant serving black bread and imitations of Russian food; and the main aircraft hanger is a disco with neon signs shaped like weaponry, flight-simulator rides, and a stall selling popcorn.

When regular musical performances are held on the flight and the hangar decks, the staff is dressed in mock military uniforms. It is also possible to take a quick ride around the starboard side of the Minsk via motorboat. Exhibits onshore include various People's Liberation Army Ground Force equipment.