Legacy Entertainment, a leading theme park and resort design company, is anticipating a 2027 grand opening for Beijing Haichang Ocean Park.
Designed by Legacy Entertainment and its subsidiary, The Aquarium Design Company, the facility will include an advanced aquarium and an eight-floor resort hotel.
The opening date was announced as vertical construction advances on the site, which is adjacent to the Universal Studios Beijing resort in the city's Tongzhou district.
Advanced vertical contruction is underway at the Beijing Haichang Ocean Park site in the Tongzhou districtImage courtesy of Legacy Entertainment
At 157,100 square meters (1,700,000 square feet), the development marks the largest new aquarium facility currently under construction worldwide.
Upon completion, the complex will reach 23.9 meters tall, with three above-ground exhibit levels atop two subterranean floors for parking and services.
The aquarium is expected to host 4,000,000 guests each year.
Aquarium and oceanarium design innovation
Beijing Haichang Ocean Park is being jointly developed by Tongzhou Cultural Tourism Group and Haichang Ocean Park, one of China’s leading operators of marine life parks, and was initially announced in 2024.
It is the first new aquarium to be constructed in Beijing since 2000.
Beijing Haichang Ocean Park is the second collaboration between Haichang and Legacy Entertainment, following the design of Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.
The Shanghai attraction opened in 2018 and is one of China’s best-attended theme parks, welcoming more than 4,000,000 visitors annually.
The 157,100 sqm Beijing Haichang Ocean Park development will include a next-generation aquarium and eight-floor resort hotelImage courtesy of Legacy Entertainment
In contrast to this sister location, the new Beijing Haichang Ocean Park will be mainly indoors due to the region’s harsh winter climate.
Legacy Entertainment has been contributing to the global aquarium and oceanarium design industry for many years.
In 2022, the Sea Shell Aquarium at VinWonders Phu Quoc opened in Vietnam, and in 2023, the Chimelong Spaceship launched in Zhuhai, China. Chimelong Spaceship is the world’s largest aquarium and indoor theme park, and boasts seven world records.
Last year, Legacy Entertainment launched its seventh dedicated division, The Safari Park Company. This specialised business unit addresses significant global demand for Legacy to design new Safari Parks and to update and extend existing zoos and animal attractions.
