Great World

The Great World (Chinese: 大世界; pinyin: Dà Shìjìe; Shanghainese: Da Syga) is an amusement arcade and entertainment complex located in Shanghai, China. Built in 1917 on the corner of Avenue Edward VII (now Yan'an Road) and Yu Ya Ching Road (now Middle Xizang Road), it was the first and for a long time the most influential indoor amusement arcade in Shanghai, so much so that it spawned imitations all over China. It had gained a reputation as the “No. 1 Entertainment Venue in the Far East.”

While the traditional style entertainment offered by the Great World today faces great competition from newer forms of entertainment and electronic media, it remains an important tourist attraction popular with visitors to Shanghai from other parts of China.

Such is the influence of Great World, that its Chinese name (Da Shijie) has become the name of a locality in its vicinity, "Dashijie". Dashijie Station, on Line 8 of the Shanghai Metro is located nearby and is named after Great World.

It was closed in 2003 due an outbreak of the SARS epidemic, and the place is scheduled to reopen at its centennial after repairs, in March 2017.

The Great World opened on 14 July 1917, the brainchild of Shanghai magnate Huang Chujiu. It was built as an integrated entertainment complex featuring amusement arcades, parlour games, music hall shows, variety shows and traditional Chinese theatre. Great World was rebuilt in 1928 in an eclectic style borrowing largely from European baroque, topped by a distinctive four-storey tower which quickly became a landmark. In 1931, Great World changed hands, bought out by another magnate, Huang Jinrong.

On 14 August 1937 it was the site of the Great World bombing, or "Black Saturday". It was the second day of the Battle of Shanghai between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. Great World had thrown open its doors for refugees fleeing the fighting in the Chinese and Japanese zones of the city for the relative safety of the Shanghai International Settlement (where Great World was located). Two bombs from a damaged Republic of China Air Force bomber were accidentally released and exploded in front of Great World. The pilot, fearing the plane would crash, had intended to release the bombs into the large uninhabited space of the nearby Shanghai Race Course, but the bombs were released too early. About two thousand people, made up of shoppers, passers-by, and refugees who were standing outside Great World, were killed or injured.

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Wikipedia