Of mummies and miniskirts

Thrill seekers in Pudong will have to stick to the street food for the forseeable future -- Universal Studios has shelved its much-ballyhooed plans for a Shanghai theme park, Reuters reports, adding that Universal's announcement opens the door for Disney to formalize its Shanghai park plans -- which aren't happening until after 2010. Don't fear, folks, there's always The Mummy Returns Live over at Zhongshan park if you feel like buying an overpriced ticket for something.

In other Chinese amusement park news, The Epoch Times files this report from Zhengzhou in Henan Province:

In recent years, pornographic elements have begun to enter China's markets. Century Amusement Park, in Zhengzhou city, allows women over age 18 wearing miniskirts shorter than 38 centimeters (14.8 inches) to enter for half price from July 1st through August 31st.

Century Amusement Park is a thrilling entertainment retreat. Tickets are expensive at 80 yuan (US$9.66) each, making one shrink at the sight of the cost. The park has a new slogan, "To be cool and refreshed summer, all girls love wearing miniskirts." Starting July 1st, two female personnel with rulers stand at the ticket windows to determine whether the length of the skirt earns a discount.

Upon hearing the news, this website immediately moved its main offices to Zhengzhou.