For priority seating at The Nine Dragons phone 407 939 3463
There are 11 countries in the World Showcase, China is the 3rd if you are going clockwise around the lagoon.
Leaving Norway your next destination is China, where you’ll find it hard not to be impressed by the ornate Chinese Hall of Prayer, majestically representing China’s history and culture. This three tiered circular hall is an exact one half scale copy of the original building found inside the Temple of Heaven complex near Beijing, built by the Chinese to pray for good harvests.
The imagineers have gone to great lengths to replicate the architectural details that have great significance to the Chinese people. Examples of this can be seen where the detailed and intricate tiled patterns from the original Temple of Heaven have been reproduced by screen printing these patterns onto each and every tile of the scale copy.
Inside the hall the twelve outer columns supporting the roof represent the twelve months of the year and the Chinese calendars twelve year cycle. Set closer to the centre of this room is a beam, representing the Earth, which is topped by a round beam representing Heaven and this is all supported by four columns that represent the four seasons.
An interesting exercise to try whilst in the Temple is to stand in the very middle of the round room, as it is claimed to be acoustically perfect, the idea is that as you speak you can actually hear yourself talking from the aspect of how other people would hear you. Normally you hear yourself through your own head – unfortunately my husband got there first and I couldn’t get a word in edgeways!
If you’re lucky with your timing you may see the Dragon Legend Acrobats. Young students from the Pu Yang Academy of Acrobatics perform an exuberant display exhibiting fantastic balance, strength and agility.There is also a performance of Si Xian, Shanghai’s regional folk music. Both displays are performed inside the temple if raining, otherwise they are outside in the sunshine.
Reflections of China is movie shown on a 360 degree screen, viewed while standing, so can make the viewer dizzy! The movie is shown once an hour. A pleasant way to pass the time while waiting for the next show to start is to browse the Land of Many Faces Gallery.
Nine Dragons is open for lunch and dinner. It’s Oriental grandeur and ornately carved wooden figures create an authentic Asian atmosphere, and the foods good too!
They serve a variety of dishes from different regions including Cantonese, Mongolian and Szechuan.
Lotus Blossom Café offers a delicious counter service for guests wishing to grab a quick bite.