THE Chinese capital is set to become the third destination in Asia to have a Universal Studios theme park, following Japan’s Osaka and Singapore, according to media reports.
The 20 billion yuan (US$3.3 billion) park will span some 120ha in Beijing’s south-eastern Tongzhou district, according to China Daily. The complex will be jointly owned by Universal Parks & Resorts and Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment, a consortium of four state-owned companies.
The destination will be home to China-themed attractions as well as well-known ones based on Western brands like the Harry Potter series, according to a Reuters report.
Tom Williams, chief executive of Universal Parks and Resorts was also reported by Reutersto have said that the park would target to attract visitors from outside China, while Hollywood director Steven Spielberg would be participating in the design.
Although no opening date was announced by the company and its Chinese partners, local media said that the park would debut in 2019.
The Beijing Universal theme park is expected to join a flurry of theme parks debuting in China in the next few years, including Shanghai Disney Resort, which is due to open in late 2015, and a entertainment complex by DreamWorks Animation, scheduled to launch in Shanghai by 2016.
