The new Universal Studios theme park currently under construction in Beijing will incorporate 35% of “Chinese elements”, Beijing Business Today reports.
The newspaper cited Duan Qiang, chairman of Beijing Tourism Group, which is involved in the project, as saying research is being conducted into what content to incorporate. As Universal Studios is a movie-based concept, there are concerns that Universal doesn’t have enough popular movies based on Chinese stories.
As such, initial performances at the park are likely to be predominantly American, but more Chinese elements will be included in later phases.
Duan added that the entire three-phase project will cover a total area of 4km² and will require a total investment of CNY100 billion (US$14.5bn). Work on the project, which is located in the eastern Tongzhou district of Beijing, started in October 2016 and the first phase is expected to open in 2020.
The branding of the theme park’s two hotels has also been revealed, with one being a Universal hotel and the other a Nuo Hotel, as part of an agreement with Beijing Hotel Nuo Company.
The new park will become the sixth Universal Studios theme park in the world, the third in Asia and first in China.