Forbidden City replica touted for regional Australia
A regional council in New South Wales believes it can rival the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge by attracting Chinese tourists to a China-focused theme park.
Wyong Shire Council has signed a deal to sell 15.7 hectares of land to the company behind the proposal park.
It will feature a full-size replica of gates to the Beijing’s Forbidden City and a nine-storey temple.
Construction of the seven-sectioned theme park 80 kilometres north of Sydney is set to begin in 2015.
"Outside the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, this has the potential to be among the biggest tourist attractions in the state," Mayor Doug Eaton told AFP.
The first stage of the theme park to be built is likely to be the replica of an entrance to the Forbidden City, Beijing’s Imperial Palace, complete with red walls and golden roof.
"It is going to be a unique AUD500 million tourist attraction, employing more than a thousand people and bringing economic prosperity to Wyong Shire," said Bruce Zhong, chairman of Australian Chinese Theme Park, the private company behind the project.
TravelMole Comment: In the days when air travel wasn’t cheap, and China was off limits to many tourists, replicas of famous buildings attracted interest.
But now that low-cost airlines are flying travellers around the globe, it’s much easier and cheaper to see the real thing.
Why go to Wyong when flying to Beijing is no longer such a challenge?
And, say, if Beijing built a replica of the Sydney Opera House, would Australians fly there to see it? Most unlikely.
Ian Jarrett
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