A first-hand look at the controversial Yunnan theme park claiming to provide a haven for China’s “little people”
Weaving through the twisting pathways between colorful houses with roofs like mushroom caps, watching shorter-than-average park staff strolling past round wooden doors in a replica of The Shire, I get the sense that I’m walking through the pages of a Dr. Seuss book—if Dr. Seuss ever set his tales in a remote theme park in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan, and courted international displeasure for exploiting people with disabilities.
Just west of Kunming’s famous Dianchi Lake (滇池) in the provincial capital’s westernmost suburb, the “Kingdom of Little People (小人国),” or “Dwarf Kingdom,” is a theme park that has billed itself as a haven for employing and empowering people with dwarfism. For applicants of most job positions at the park, there are just three requirements: no infectious diseases, younger than 50, and under 130 centimeters (4 feet 3 inches) tall. Since opening its doors in July of 2009, the “kingdom” has raised debates about the ethics behind its business operations.
Anson Zong-Liscum is the digital content manager at The World of Chinese. Originally from Colorado, he now lives in Yunnan where he often goes up the mountains to explore the province’s unique outdoors, enjoys testing out distinct ethnic dishes, and sipping on local Pu’er tea or coffee while updating the TWOC iPhone app.
