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Megan: Baoshan Erects "Counter Strike" Park in Sichuan Ruins 

Posted on Feb 19 | 15:02

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Reason to build a theme park on the site of the 5.12 earthquake: "This place used to be a plain field … no one really died on this spot." That wisdom direct from the general manager of construction colossus Baoshan Group, the company that chose to "build" a 6.6 hectare Counter Strike-like battlefield within Sichuan's quake zone. China Daily reported the news yesterday in an article that's just plain weird.

The lede:

"It was the perfect setting for a sprawling battlefield - open spaces to run around, ruins to duck behind, and guns to eliminate the enemy. Only, the war had to be fun, a game, the guns innocent, and the enemies your friends."

The kicker:

"It seemed like a great idea, easy to implement with natural ruins already in place, until the rather prolific Chinese netizens voiced that they had a problem with a place of demise and sorrow being used for entertainment."

Hmm that could be a problem, oh wait, 64% of the 6,624 Sina.com users that took an Internet poll said they were in favor of the park. Great, now lets cut back to that GM guy:

"The spirits of the earthquake victims would wish for a happy life for those who survived, and for a prosperous economy for the survivors to live in."

That's true! Perhaps next Baoshan can build some sort of Backdraft theme park in the charred wreckage of the CCTV building. That hotel wasn't fully built anyway and, besides, only one person died there.