CHANGSHA－A newly opened amusement park in Changsha, the capital of Central China's Hunan province, has become a hot topic among residents.

The park opened on July 11, but people had been snapping up tickets since the end of June. Visitors to the park have also included the stars and production crews of several popular entertainment programs.

"We can play in the water and snow here in the hot summer. It's a great place to relax and have parties," said Wu Shu, who visited the park with her friends.

Another reason the park, dubbed the "kingdom of ice and snow on a mine", has gone viral is that it was built above an abandoned pit more than 100 meters deep in the city's Pingtang subdistrict as part of efforts to restore the environment and boost urban development.

Pingtang, on the outskirts of Changsha, was home to a cluster of more than 30 construction material and chemical factories in the 1950s that caused serious pollution.

"The sky was gray and dusty at that time. People who lived around here hardly opened the windows. Our windowsills, even the leaves on the trees, were enveloped by dust," said 54-year-old Pingtang resident Xie Yiqiang.

In 2008 the city government shut down dozens of cement and chemical plants, leading to a significant reduction in air and water pollution.

One of the businesses that shut down, a cement company, left behind a huge pit covering an area of 180,000 square meters.

To heal the scar on the land, Hunan Xiangjiang New Area Investment Group spent 12 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) building the amusement park, which includes a lake. Construction work began in November 2015.

Other attractions built nearby, including a shopping street and a movie theme town, helped reinvigorate the old industrial area.

"In the past, on a clear day, you would be covered with dust, while on a rainy day, you would be splashed with mud," Xie said. "However, I can now invite my friends to my place with confidence. With convenient roads, I feel much happier living here."

Xinhua