The Beijing Great Wheel, () a tall giant

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

, was to have been constructed in eastern

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

's Chaoyang Park, one of the 2008 Summer Olympics venues. If it had been built, it would have become the

world's tallest Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

, superseding the

Singapore Flyer The Singapore Flyer; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் ராட்டினம் is an observation wheel at the Downtown Core district of Singapore. Officially opened on 15 April 2008, it has 28 air-conditioned capsules, each able to acco ...

(world's tallest 2008-2014). The

Great Wheel Corporation Great Wheel Corporation was a company engaged in the development, building, financing, and operation of Ferris wheels, which they often termed "observation wheels" or "observation platforms". Great Wheel Corporation, registered in Singapore as GW ...

originally forecast the wheel would start turning on August 1, 2008, one week in advance of the Beijing-hosted 2008 Summer Olympics.Beijing begins construction of world's biggest wheel
''AFP'' 2007-11-05 In 2007, Chinese state media reported that construction had begun, with completion delayed until 2009 due to design issues. Completion was subsequently rescheduled for 2010. On 3 May 2010 it was reported that Great Beijing Wheel Co., the company set up to build the wheel, had gone into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...

after breaching the conditions of a loan, with

Ferrier Hodgson Ferrier Hodgson was a firm specialising in corporate recovery, corporate advisory, forensic accounting and forensic IT. The firm has a specialist management consulting arm called Azurium. Ferrier Hodgson was established in 1976. It became on ...

and Zolfo Cooper appointed as administrative receivers.

Design

If it had been completed, the wheel would have had a diameter of , and each of its 48 air conditioned observation capsules would have been able to carry up to 40 passengers. It would have been rotated by four drive units, each capable of producing over 16 million lb-ft of torque and comprising a pair of hydraulic drive modules, each module containing a hydraulic power unit driving four hydraulic motors. Each of the 32 hydraulic motors was to have powered a planetary gearbox driving rubber tyres against the wheel's circumferential rim. An automated boarding system would have enabled the wheel to rotate continuously while passengers boarded and disembarked the capsules via electric feeder vehicles. It was expected that, on a clear sunny day, passengers would have been able to see the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic gro ...

in the mountains to Beijing's north.Great Wall old hat as Beijing eyes Great Wheel
''Reuters'' 2007-11-05, Ben Blanchard

References

External links

{{Ferris wheel Unbuilt Ferris wheels Tourist attractions in Beijing