Lanzhou New Area 兰州新区. Excavators in their hundreds are flattening the mountains. From afar they look like matchbox cars in a sandbox. The yellow loess looks soft, but these dunes are deformed by the ongoing construction. A huge Sphinx, the Parthenon and several other world monuments are being built as part of an amusement park. A theme park is a necessary facility of every new urban development in China.