Magic Slope Scenic Area

Magic Slope Scenic Area
Address: By car, about one hour directly north of the city.
Admission Fee: Admission Fee: 35 Yuan

The Magic Slope Scenic Area is one of the more unique, but ultimately unimpressive tourist sites around Shenyang. Its main attraction is a reverse gravity slope, on which cars and bicycles actually roll up the hill. The slope is slightly amusing, though certainly less than breathtaking. It’s only about 30 meters long, and at first glance it appears to be a flat surface. Upon closer inspection there is in fact a slight incline, which cars can coast up. One bicycle trip up and down the slope is included in the price of admission.
 
The compound also has a few other attractions. The most notable is a small wild animal park that has a handful of Manchurian tigers, a few lions, and some black bears. Chinese zoos generally do not have a good reputation with the foreign community on account of poor living conditions for the animals.  This zoo is probably slightly above average. The lions and tigers enjoy very spacious accommodations, but the bear cage is a bit run-down and dirty. The baby animals are also unfortunately confined to rather small cages.
 
Aside from the zoo, there is the “Lying Dragon Monastery”, a Qing Dynasty Buddhist temple, a giant slide, a reptile garden,  a monkey viewing area, and an “oddity exhibit”. The oddity exhibit claims to have abominations of nature including a “snake-turtle,” which is in fact a turtle with a long neck. Their pride and joy is a kitten placed in the same cage with a mouse. It’s supposed to be amazing that the animals don’t fight. What’s really amazing is that people will pay money to see it!
 
All in all, the Magic Slope area would be a colossal waste of time for visitors to Shenyang. For those living here however, it can be an inexpensive outing for a boring summer day. The area is surrounded by a very beautiful forest, and the park is built on a hill, which allows some nice views from the top. If nothing else, it’s still a nice excuse to get out of the crowded city.
 
Entry to the grounds costs 35 Yuan. The price of admission includes the magic slope, the tiger park, and the monastery.  If you only want to see the slope, it costs 20 Yuan.  The other attractions cost 10-15 Yuan each.  There is also an average-priced restaurant where visitors can eat lunch after a hard morning of reverse gravitational pull.

How to get there: To go to the Magic Slope by taxi will cost approximately 100 yuan, otherwise take the #4303 minibus from Shenyang City Orthopedic Hospital located in Da Dong district near the intersection of Dong Bei Da MaLu and Bei Hai Jie.