County Town Middle Class: How Many "Pirated" Disneys Are They Feeding?

Why Do Middle-Class County Residents Feel Powerless When Confronted with Fake Disney?

Text / Mian Er

Editor / Octopus

Parents in small towns share a common long-term goal: constantly seeking new “kid-friendly destinations.”

Living in the same area for years, there are only so many places to go and play. When they discover a new “Disney” nearby, they will decisively drive over 20 kilometers to reach it, only to face the harsh reality of the local amusement scene:

They thought it was a cheap substitute before going, but after arriving, they realize it’s a pirated version.

Of course, county Disney isn’t entirely a knockoff.

It not only has castles but also includes all the top IPs beloved by kids born in the 2000s.

Many parents, before setting out, often overlook the law of “anything is possible in a county town.”

They may not know what their family’s “Water World” looks like beforehand, but chances are it’s not like what they see now.

Many people have lived in one place for decades and don’t realize there’s their own ocean world right at their doorstep. When they arrive, they can’t even guess:

How can such a small simple house hold so many underwater treasures?

If they come with the mindset of “we’re here, let’s play,” they’ll understand:

Claiming to be “Disney” isn’t just bragging for a small-town wild amusement park.

No matter how chaotic the appearance, structure, or management of these amusement parks, on weekends, parents want to rush their kids in for a quick play, spending about the same as a trip to Disney.

County Disney, filled with “minefields” of cautious parents

Being a parent is hard; being a parent in a county town is even harder.

Every weekend and long holiday makes it even more challenging.

Staying home on weekends means noise and chaos; going out, and you don’t know where to go.

Diving into the county’s parent-child entertainment scene reveals a constantly changing “real-life magical realism” map.

Trying to expand daily entertainment in a county requires finding places where there are none.

County amusement parks can be roughly divided into three categories:

Old, Dilapidated, Large.

Every small town has at least one old amusement park, with a history of at least 10-20 years. Those still operating give a sense of frozen time just by walking in.

The operators may have changed several times, but their approach is remarkably uniform—simply maintaining the existing infrastructure. Honest operators might refurbish some parts, just to ensure safe play.

Therefore, whether visiting here twenty years ago or returning in 2026, the rides are still the same ones kids played with back then.

The same archery booths aimed at kids, now repainted and still entertaining the children of the 80s and 90s generation in the town.

The difference is that twenty years ago, five arrows cost 5 yuan; now, it’s 30 yuan.

The amusement park is so old that it looks like a nostalgic Chinese dream core, with the lifespan of steel sheet houses validated by time.

In a small town, there might only be one or two old amusement parks, but over 90% of children’s playgrounds are “dilapidated.”

These wild parks are located in two extreme types of places:

Either in densely commercial areas with barely visible entrances, inside decorated with interior renovations that hint at a recently closed nail salon.

Or embedded within farmers’ markets and early-morning/late-night markets.

Since both are family outing spots with overlapping customer bases, they trigger spontaneous consumption.

Another common site choice for wild amusement parks is in suburban areas, relying on group buying and local live streams to attract visitors. These are often the “minefield” for well-prepared parents.

County parents who love social media often want to take their kids out of the city on weekends to experience a pastoral atmosphere. Because these parks are in remote locations, they give parents the illusion of “weekend fun.”

But once there, they realize it’s a truly “wild” amusement spot.

The roads are dirt, equipment old and overgrown with weeds, no staff around, and the experience feels like exploring an abandoned park, with eerie music looping in the environment.

〓 Image source: Xiaohongshu @End

Setting aside the “old and dilapidated” factors, larger parks tend to have similar experiences.

Compared to the first two, they are more popular and more expensive.

Just like every snack street has milk tea, stinky tofu, and egg waffles, every small town has a rainbow slide built on a slope.

A constantly lit rainbow light, costing about 30-50 yuan per use, can generate significant weekend income in good weather.

Similarly, a designated area with simple obstacles and a few children’s equipment becomes a hot entertainment item: children’s real-life CS.

Tires laid out on the ground form a track for off-road go-karts, costing 45-88 yuan per ride; renting racing suits incurs additional fees.

Wild county amusement parks charge per activity, with each costing between 30-80 yuan.

Though these costs seem modest, no child plays just one game.

Even with discounts on “old and dilapidated” facilities, parents can easily spend hundreds of yuan in a day.

Ultimately, the gap in children’s entertainment in small towns is paid for by parents’ wallets.

County Parent-Child Trips, “Spending Money for Suffering”?

Never underestimate the purchasing power of county residents, especially parents.

In small towns, “kid-walking” is a carefully crafted economic activity. There are “kid-walking” plans for toddlers, middle children, and teenagers.

And each one can make county parents bleed a little.

Even if the activities are clearly priced, hidden costs and “coercive” consumption exist.

For example, fishing for fun costs 20 yuan for unlimited catches, but the fish can’t be taken home. To take one home, it costs 10 yuan per fish.

Explaining to preschoolers that “the fruits of today’s labor can’t be taken home” is a headache for parents. Buying a bucket of small fish for 100 yuan is even more painful for the wallet.

Similarly, buying a 10-yuan bag of carrots to feed rabbits or 39 yuan for an hour of space sand are highly profitable amusement projects that attract children.

In the parent-child consumption scene, animal-related activities are always cheap.

Switching from indoor to outdoor activities involves different tactics.

Blindfolded chicken catching costs 30 yuan; if caught, you take the chicken home; if not, you get a colorful chick sold at the school gate for 1 yuan.

A 3-minute game of chasing chickens and ducks with 10 players yields significant profit for the owner, just by timing.

Experienced county parents look forward to their kids growing up quickly so they can spend the same money on tutoring classes.

But entertainment needs don’t diminish as children grow; in fact, smart children can’t be fooled by a few rings, ocean balls, or 30-yuan trampolines for 5 minutes—they want more刺激 (excitement).

Thus, themed amusement parks have their own low-end and high-end options.

Low-end ice and snow-themed parks, seasonal parks limited by geography, often appear in winter.

Experts know that there’s no cheap way to do ice activities, let alone driving cars with tires around a track—spending 200-300 yuan on a few projects in even low-GDP counties is a conservative estimate.

Higher-end options include parks with themes like “Boonie Bears,” “Underwater World,” “Crabs,” “Ducks,” and other attractions.

Limited by location and time, parents who can’t reach Disney or Wansui Mountain settle for a weekend at a carefully chosen amusement park that offers comprehensive “minefield” avoidance.

〓 Image source: Xiaohongshu @ELF

Unlike common wild parks in lower-tier markets, these themed parks usually sell combo tickets.

150 yuan for 15 rides, 300 yuan for 30 rides, 600 yuan for 60 rides—initially seeming like affordable amusement parks.

But whether you enjoy the rides depends on the actual situation on-site.

Popular rides are always crowded, and many attractions outside the combo ticket aren’t open or are long queues.

Some water-based attractions are off-limits due to hygiene concerns, and some require parental accompaniment, meaning extra charges.

This doesn’t include hidden costs like 10-yuan bottled water, 80-yuan popcorn buckets, or 15-yuan skewered sausages.

〓 Image source: Xiaohongshu @Changwen Bantang Plus Taro Balls

County parents, with money but nowhere to spend it?

County parents have long suffered from a lack of quality parent-child entertainment.

In recent years, wild parks have proliferated in a “multi-point flowering” pattern.

A vacant lot where elders play cards or dance can suddenly turn into a profitable spot with trampolines and aerial flyers on weekends; a square outside a residential community can become a “children’s park” with an inflatable castle.

Pricing is entirely at the owner’s discretion, safety relies on parents’ awareness.

From the location choices of many wild parks, it’s clear that operators aim to shift from “voluntary payment” to “passive spending.”

Amusement parks are often set up right below old residential buildings, relying on parents’ reluctance to refuse, and even grandparents’ inability to say no.

The growing parent-child entertainment market in small towns increasingly resembles a mismatch of supply and demand.

In fact, small towns have the highest demand for parent-child activities.

Households are numerous, disposable income is high, and parents are eager to spend on their children.

But the harsh reality for many small-town families is a demand-supply mismatch: high demand, limited supply, and a crowded entertainment “siege.”

Middle-class families living in small towns not only have spending power but also aesthetic and social needs.

They can spend on amusement parks but are reluctant to splurge on “old and dilapidated” wild parks.

They can occasionally camp, bike, or boat in free parks, but can’t do so every week in the same natural environment.

Cultural and entertainment projects in small towns seem abundant but are fleeting.

Most small towns only have outdated museums and exhibition halls; occasionally, they host music festivals and concerts that are already unpopular in first- and second-tier cities; some trendy restaurants open briefly and then close down.

Stores on the pedestrian street often change from milk tea shops to Werewolf Kill, then to script-killing cafes, and finally to pixel art shops after renovations.

Popular trends reach small towns periodically, but rarely take root.

Adult entertainment options are limited, and for children’s parent-child activities, even less.

Parents in small towns feel anxious about this.

Kids having nowhere to play is a minor issue; worrying about sharing holiday experiences like trips to Universal Studios or Polar Museum is more pressing. They fear their children falling behind in arts and culture education due to limited exposure to museums, art galleries, and new experiences.

That’s why county middle-class parents will drive to a “Metaverse Experience Center” nearby, even if it’s just a 15-minute 4D movie with bumping chairs and water sprays, paying 99 yuan for the experience.

Because entertainment options are so limited, many flood into small-town malls.

Malls, as the only comprehensive entertainment venues in many small towns, often generate more consumer activity than in first-tier cities. Wang Jianlin can sell Wanda malls in big cities, but may not be willing to transfer the CBD in small towns.

On the other hand, countless entrepreneurs spend hundreds of thousands opening amusement parks only to go bankrupt.

After all, visitor flow isn’t fixed; a “big and old” park might only have visitors a quarter of the year.

In off-season, they are often converted into camping sites or pick-your-own farms to maximize revenue.

The lifespan of a small-town amusement park is short—only busy on weekends and short holidays. How many families stay in town during summer and winter breaks is uncertain.

Parent-child entertainment in small towns is almost a vacuum.

Both parents and wild parks struggle in this market, with no clear way out.

In this specific area and consumer track, no one benefits more than others.

Except for the children who find joy on weekends, and the vendors selling bottled water and grilled sausages at the entrance.