BEIJING — 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.
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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 Beijing attraction, the US media conglomerate's fifth park globally, was
first announced in 2014 after receiving approval from Chinese authorities.
The city has since opened a dedicated subway station for the park.
Searches for the theme park on the popular Ctrip travel booking site soared
more than 800 percent on Monday after the opening date was announced, state
media reported.
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.
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