Conceived in the late ’90s, Wonderland, located just outside of Beijing, was supposed to be the biggest theme park in all of Asia. Today, all that is left of the project are the skeletons of structures that were left abandoned and incomplete once funding was cut. For her series Wonderland, UK-based photographer Catherine Hyland ventured through empty cornfields to explore the unrealized tourist attraction, which, in a twist of irony, has become an unlikely hangout for the area’s residents. “At first glance you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking you had walked into some post-apocalyptic scene straight out of Cormac Mccarthy’s The Road,” she explained in a recent interview. “There is a strange allure to what the locals are doing here, that creeps up on you in the most unsuspecting manner.” Click through to check out some the stunning images that Hyland captured, along with a rather haunting video that documents the entire experience.
Wonderland, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland I, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland IV, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland V, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland III, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland XI, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland VII, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland II, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland
Wonderland XIII, China, 2011. Photo credit: Catherine Hyland