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August opening for new Shanghai theme park
Chinese media have reported that Shanghai Happy Valley, which will be China's largest theme park, is expected to open at the city's Mount She on 8 August.
The park is the fourth such project to be launched by China's Overseas Chinese Town group (OCT) and follows openings in Shenzhen, Beijing and Chengdu. Covering an area of more than 900,000 sq m (9.7m sq ft), Shanghai Happy Valley will comprise seven themes - Sunshine Port, Happy Times, Shangri-la, Ants Kingdom, Shanghai Beach, Gold Mine Town and Hurricane Bay.
On offer will be a range of entertainment programmes on water, as well as a large funfair. The latter, featuring the Wooden Coaster-Fireball, Diving Coaster, Mine Train Coaster, Space Shot & Turbo Drop and Mega-Lite, includes many rides imported from the Netherlands, Germany and the US. A 2km-long road and a 2.5km-long water touring line will connect the attractions. A 4,500-seat OCT Theater will present acrobatics, song and dance shows and concerts, while the Arthur Palace will house exhibitions and provide eating options for up to 1,400 people.
Liu Pingchun, chairman of OCT Shanghai, said the Shanghai project is part of OCT's nationwide development programme which aims to set up more Happy Valleys in different cities. Negotiations are reported to be under way with the Wuhan municipal government about launching a Happy Valley to serve Central China, although this will be smaller than that at Shanghai. Shanghai Happy Valley is expected to attract up to three million visitors annually.