Beijing looks to become a major tourist destination as the city begins negotiations to host a Legoland Amusement Park to be located on the outskirts of the capital.
Miyun District Committee Secretary Xia Linmao confirmed that talks are underway with Merlin Entertainments to build the amusement park in the northeastern Beijing suburb, but that nothing final has yet been decided.
The decision to build the future theme park in a location that is over an hour's drive away was intentional. According to Xia, the long distance away from Beijing is to encourage tourists to stay overnight in Miyun. By contrast, the future Universal Studios theme park (to open in 2020) will have its own subway stop on Line 7.
Legoland amusement parks are geared towards families with small children. In addition to areas equipped with motorized rides like roller coasters, the parks contain "Lego minilands" that feature miniaturized versions of famous landmarks as well as educational attractions.
There are eight Legoland amusement parks located throughout the world, two of which include those located in Japan and Malaysia. Legoland has been Merlin's highest-earning franchise, bringing in 66 million visitors last year.
The Beijing Legoland amusement park will be the third such Lego attraction in China and comes after the construction of Legoland Discovery Centers located in Chongqing and Shanghai.
The new Legoland will add to Beijing's growing roster of amusement parks that include Happy Valley, Fun City, and Shijingshan.
And if you find that you simply can't wait, local residents can piece together their own playsets at Lego's first official Beijing store located in Chaoyang Joy City (directory here).
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Twitter: @Sinopath
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This would be awesome! Any updates on the Universal Studios under construction in Tongzhou?
There has been no new updates made about Universal Studios Beijing so far this year. Previous reports said it is expected to open next year, but others have delayed it until 2020.
