18 Dec 2012
Chinese plan to develop a theme park based on homegrown cartoon
BY Kath Hudson
The local government of Chongqing in China is planning to invest 3.5bn yuan ($560m, 425m euro, £345m) in a theme park based on the homegrown cartoon, Xiha Youji, according to the Global Times.
Cartoon producer, Hu Yigang, says the company has learned from Disneyland’s business model and the theme park will be filled with animated characters and scenery from the cartoon.
He has ambitions to build more theme parks in 10 provinces across the country. It is hoped this park could be up and running in 2016.
Currently there are more than 2,500 theme parks in China, but experts say many are operating at a loss. However, real estate developers reportedly use theme park approvals to build commercial property projects, such as hotels and shopping complexes under the same name.
A number of foreign-invested projects are underway, including Disneyland Park in Shanghai, and both a Hello Kitty theme park and an Angry Birds theme park in Zhejiang Province.
There are also plans for a fairy tale themed amusement park in Nanjing and a further park, featuring rollercoasters and a 4D movie theatre in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.
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