BILL HILLMAN'S
WEIRD AND WONDERFUL PHOTOS
Noah's Ark in Hong Kong
www.hillmanweb.com/archive/rare/18.html
.

Noah's Ark Theme Park, complete with fiberglass animals,
sits in front of the Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong. 
The tourists go in two-by-two.

The Hong Kong-based Noah's Ark theme park 
was built in 2009 17 years after first planned
The enormous structure  is popular among tourists. 
.

Biblical scale: The Ark in Hong Kong measures 450 ft. long and 75 ft. wide.
.

Water sight: The Ark also boasts less authentic Biblical Touches
Such as double-glazed windows and a Fine Dining Restaurant.

Various fiberglass animals stand outside the Ark to mimic 
the Bible tale where Noah took creatures on board the vessel.
.

The billionaire brothers who built the Ark in Hong Kong claim it is the only full-scale version in the World. 
And the imaginative trio even attempted to give the giant boat an air of authenticity 
by placing 67 pairs of animals at the entrance, just like the pairs of creatures 
saved from the Great Flood by Noah in the Bible Story.
The creationistiInspired vessel forms part of a theme park near Hong Kong 
which was inspired by a young girl's scrawled drawing of the mammoth boat. 
Architects appear to have used some artistic license in parts of the Ark -- 
for instance including double-glazed windows, a fine dining restaurant and luxurious bedrooms. 
Inside, real-life exotic animals can be found -- including a nautilus, a toucan and reams of fish.
THE WEBSITE FOR THIS POPULAR HONG KONG ATTRACTION IS AT:
www.noahsark.com.hk/eng
.

All lit up: The Ark shines under Hong Kong's lights 
as a fiberglass giraffe stands guard near the entrance.
.

Food for thought: The Ark also includes a 
sophisticated-looking restaurant 
as one of its on-board attractions.

Bed for the night: Guests on board Noah's Ark 
can also stay on the Biblical vessel in 
one of its luxurious hotel-style rooms.
.
Click for full-size collage of more Noah's Ark photos
.
The Noah's Ark Theme Park is now run by several Christian organizations, 
who use it to promote peace and unity.

Matthew Pine, manager of Noah's Ark Theme Park, said:
"They had a vision to do something remarkable, something outstanding. 
"They came up with many ideas. Some of them were really outrageous!
"But then they came across this girl's drawing, and knew it 
would be something do-able that captured imaginations.
"So they hired architects and engineers to create the replica, Noah's Ark."

Matthew added: "The reason we chose that moment in the Bible's story is because 
this is the message we want to bring to Hong Kong, to China, to the world. 

"In our lives we always face floods, we will face trials, we will face difficulties. 
Hopefully Noah's Ark will inspire people 
to pass through those troubles as Noah did in his day."

Similar Ark projects over the years haven't had the success
experienced by the Hong Kong project. 
The best-known one in the USA is at:

2800 Bullittsburg Church Rd. ~ Petersburg, KY 41080
The Creation Museum in the USA has a Noah's Ark display and have had plans to build a full size ark. According to The Huffington Post of June 5, 2014, however: ". . . for the past four years, fewer and fewer people have headed to Petersburg, Ky to sit on dinosaur models and watch Adam and Eve canoodle, culminating in a record 10 percent drop in attendance last year. . . . At stake is the fate of Ark Encounter, the museum’s planned theme park. As of this February, the park, and its “‘full-size’ replica of Noah’s ark,” looked unlikely to materialize, due to poor ticket sales and fundraising that has 'slowed to a crawl,' according to Slate magazine."

We recently toured the museum and took photos of the displays - including the one which features the building of an ark. We've created a virtual tour of the museum using some of the photos we took:

INTRODUCTION
1. Biblical History
2. God's Word
3. Adam & Eve
4. Sin & Corruption
5. Noah's Ark
6. Life After Flood
7. Dinosaur Den
8. The Garden

THE MUSEUM IN THE MEDIA
Since its opening the popular museum 
has received much criticism from the media and the scientific world.
The Internet and satirical magazines 
have been somewhat merciless with their cartoons and parodies.
The following piece from MAD humour magazine is one example.

Read the Comic Book Feature
.


Visit our Reason and Free Thinkers Site
.
WEIRD CONTENTS
www.hillmanweb.com/archive/rare
BACK TO HILLMANWEB.COM