China to build $4.7 billion theme park in Lhasa
The government of Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet autonomous region, has started construction on the RMB30 billion ($4.7 billion) culture and tourism park, aimed at increasing tourist inflows to the region.
The park will be dedicated to the ancient Chinese princess Wencheng, daughter of Emperor Li Shimin of the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), who married Tibetan King Songtsan Gambo. It will include an 'Art City,' home to displays of Tibetan handicrafts and medicine, and a 'Folk City,' where tourists can get a taste of local life and buy folk goods.
The park will include attractions themed around Princess Wencheng. Visitors will be offered regular Wencheng-based outdoor performances and other educational and entertainment facilities tracing the footsteps of the princess in Tibet.
The park will be located at a village two kilometres from downtown Lhasa. Cultural innovation, business and residential districts will also be incorporated into the project. It is expected to be completed in the next three to five years.
