Universal’s Beijing theme park has been approved by the Chinese central government.
The 20 billion RMB theme park, set to open in 2019, will be jointly owned by Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd. (BSH Investment), a consortium of four state-owned companies, and Universal Parks & Resorts, a business unit of Comcast NBCUniversal.
Universal Beijing will be built on a 300 acre site northwest of the intersection of the Beijing-Harbin Expressway and the East Sixth Ring Road in Tongzhou District, Beijing.
A Universal CityWalk entertainment complex will be included in the development as well as the first Universal-themed resort hotel.
Additional phases are already being planned, with the resort eventually covering around 1, 000 acres.
Commenting on the announcement Duan Qiang, Chairman of Beijing Tourism Group and BSH Investment, said, "Chinese people love the movies and exciting entertainment, and we are proud to introduce China’s first Universal theme park and CityWalk, as well as the first Universal-branded hotel anywhere in the world.
"Universal Beijing will showcase blockbuster movie themes and present entertaining family shows that will highlight the very best of popular culture. It will be a tourism crown jewel, not only for Beijing but for all of China, bringing extraordinary entertainment experiences to the Chinese people and to our guests from around the world. In bringing Universal to China, we will also share the best of China with the world.”
Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Parks & Resorts, added, "Universal Beijing will create a higher level of economic growth, understanding and cultural exchange between our two countries. Together, we will create a unique experience that spotlights hugely popular Western entertainment concepts as well as China’s rich cultural legacy.”
