China's first Universal Studios theme park opens in Beijing

Universal Studios announced Monday that its first theme park in China will open in the country’s capital in September. The company set the opening date for 20 September, according to a statement and video posted on the Chinese social media site WeChat. Under construction since 2016, the theme park has received strong backing from Beijing authorities, including the extension of one of the city’s main subway lines to the site. Along with rides, shows, restaurants and exhibits, the resort features a pair of hotels. The project will complement Universal’s other two Asian parks in Japan and Singapore. The Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Kung Fu Panda film franchises feature heavily, along with the Minions from the Despicable Me movies. Beijing’s historic sites have long drawn tourists. The coronavirus pandemic curtailed a rapidly growing demand for domestic travel and tourism, but new cases of local transmission have been falling, feeding optimism in the tourism sector. Visitors got a sneak peek at Universal Studios’ first theme park in China on Wednesday as the Beijing attraction had a soft opening, drawing queues from dawn. The park hosts rides inspired by blockbuster film franchises including Harry Potter and Jurassic World and is part of a larger Universal-themed resort that includes two hotels and a shopping street. Liu Muhan, a 26-year-old university lecturer who dressed up in a witch costume for the occasion, said she was looking forward to the Harry Potter-themed area and felt lucky to get in. “I’ve been a hardcore Harry Potter fan for more than 20 years,” Liu told AFP. “I’ve wanted to come here for a long time.” Wednesday’s trial run was open only to visitors holding special corporate invitations. The park promises water shows and close encounters with an animatronic dinosaur, while facial recognition cameras allow visitors to open storage lockers, pay for meals and join express queues for rides without physical tickets. The city has since opened a dedicated subway station for the park. The park is expected to see a surge of visitors during the upcoming week-long National Day holidays in October, as pent-up tourism demand from a summer marred by Covid-19 lockdowns spills into autumn. Visitors on Wednesday were required to declare they were not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms and had to go through temperature cameras to enter. (With inputs from agencies)