[Beijing Diary] Is This Tuesday?

"Zhe shi xingqi er? (這是星期二? · Is this Tuesday?)"

On the 6th, at the famous theme park Universal Studios located in Tongzhou District, Beijing, China, a weary sigh from a local woman was heard in a queue for an attraction. Universal Beijing, a popular tourist destination, is always crowded, but we had come after hearing that weekdays are 'somewhat' better.

On the 6th, crowds gathered at the entrance of the famous theme park Universal Studios located in Tongzhou District, Beijing, China. (Photo by Hyunjung Kim)

In the end, the guessing game was a complete failure. On this day, when the daytime high temperature soared to 36 degrees Celsius, popular attractions required a wait of 60 to 80 minutes. Restaurants and benches were so crowded that finding a seat was difficult, and to escape the heat, we had to wander around souvenir shops. While it was a holiday (Memorial Day) in Korea, it was a regular weekday in China. I searched Chinese portal sites to see if there was a local holiday I was unaware of, but the only information I found was 'Love Your Eyes Day (愛眼日)'.

The ticket price for Universal Beijing is 528 yuan (about 95,847 KRW) on weekdays and 638 yuan on weekends for adults. The Express Pass, which allows 'legal queue-jumping,' costs 720 yuan for a ticket that can be used five times without waiting in line, and 1,200 yuan for unlimited use. Checking via the mobile app, the unlimited pass, priced well over 200,000 KRW, was sold out due to high demand.

As we approached the entrance of Universal Studios, people dressed in Harry Potter costumes could be seen everywhere. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

One in ten visitors wore Harry Potter costumes costing over 800 yuan, and many children held Harry Potter wands. The wands, about twice the length of chopsticks, were priced between 399 and 499 yuan. Ordering lasagna, pizza?which were essentially the same in taste and ingredients?and a few pieces of meager chicken at the restaurant resulted in a receipt exceeding 200 yuan. It was impossible to estimate how much revenue Universal Beijing would rake in in a single day. Of course, the high prices at theme parks are not unique to Beijing. Universal parks worldwide set ticket and merchandise prices at somewhat burdensome levels when considering each country's average income.

"Is this what weak consumption looks like?" In a similar vein to the woman who was surprised by the crowd and doubted it was Tuesday, I recalled this question. As someone who produced articles warning of economic slowdown based on production and inflation indicators falling short of forecasts, the term 'weak consumption' did not fit the scene that day at all. On a weekday, with so many people opening their wallets wide, how could consumption be weak?

I was reminded that the biggest pitfall in China is falling into the 'average trap.' The single-digit numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics and the heat of a theme park in Tongzhou District?a mere dot on this vast continent?neither fully reflect China's current reality. The only way to avoid this trap is through data, its analysis, and observing as many real-world scenes as possible. I reflected on this at Universal Studios in early summer, realizing that the habit of misreading data, born from political and public opinion biases, is not easily corrected.