Kill Time Waiting for Opening of Universal Studios at Beijing's Best Theme Parks

Kill Time Waiting for the Opening of Universal Studios at Beijing's Best Theme Parks

Andrew Killeen | Mar 30, 2019 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 1040 reads

The long gestation of Universal Studios Beijing theme park rumbles on, with its opening delayed until 2021.

Negotiations between Universal and Chinese authorities began as long ago as 2001, in the now almost unimaginably different pre-Olympic era. Final permission was granted in 2013 and a site was purchased in up-and-coming Tongzhou, now also home to some of the city’s administrative functions. However, progress has been slow, and a recent announcement promised the park would finally open in 2021.

The announcement came from local authorities rather than Universal, as did the earlier opening date of 2019. Universal are playing their cards very close to their chest; we approached them to contribute to an article on Beijing theme parks, and they did not respond. Universal Beijing Resort celebrates the completion of the site’s project management, even though the quotes used on their own website come from another source.

However, construction has begun on some of the attractions, as documented on theme park fan websites like Theme Parx. They carry pictures of the site and are able to identify some of the rides from their skeletal form. Theme Park University reports that there will be areas themed around Harry Potter, Transformers, Kung Fu Panda, and, erm, Waterworld.

Theme park watchers speculate that there is a sudden urgency to construction so that the park can open in time to benefit from visitors to Beijing’s Winter Olympics in 2022. However, the company behind it is saying nothing.

Universal Studios Beijing is not the only theme park in development which is keeping mysteriously silent. We also approached the company behind the Peppa Pig attraction due to open this year and the Legoland Discovery Center. They did not respond to requests for news about opening dates.

All this leaves Beijing, when it comes to theme park thrills, sadly lagging behind Shanghai, though we say it through gritted teeth. While southerners rejoice in the biggest Disneyland in the world (though of course, Disney World in Florida makes it look like one of the Seven Dwarves), we take a look at the alternatives Beijing has to offer: