A proposal to build a theme park based on ideas of hell at a public cemetery in Hualien County has gone viral on the Internet, drawing mixed reactions from the public while the county government quickly denied authorizing the project.
A netizen on Wednesday reposted a proposal published on the county government’s Web site, and said that Hualien County Commissioner Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁) planned to build a theme park featuring the “18 Levels of Hell,” — referring to a belief combining elements of Buddhist and traditional Chinese thought that the dead are taken to one of 18 levels of hell to atone for their sins.
The project proposes an amusement park comprising 18 sites that correspond with the 18 levels of hell, featuring gruesome attractions such as a bridge of reincarnation and food stalls hawking “human barbeque” and sausages.
A group of fortune-tellers would be positioned at the entrance to the park to warn off those perceived to be susceptible to the influence of spirits, the proposal says.
Some netizens lauded the proposal as being creative, saying such an amusement park has yet to open in the country, while others questioned its peculiarity.
“There is no need for that. Why do we need to build a hell when we are already in it?” one netizen said.
County government officials who declined to be named said Fu was furious upon learning about the rumors and had asked the county’s Economic Affairs Department to clarify the matter.
A department official, Wu Chun-hsun (吳俊勳), said contractors had proposed nearly 100 development projects, which were posted online for public review before a smaller selection is presented for government review and public hearings.
Criticisms over the proposed theme park were gratuitous, as the government has not yet approved the project, Wu said.
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