Beijing can bear-ly believe it: Chinese firm spending US$8-million on British-themed teddy bear park near capital

A Chinese company is investing 50 million yuan (US$7.8 million) to build an amusement park in Beijing that will feature British-themed teddy bears.

The 400-hectare park, which will have a teddy bear themed museum at its centre, will be built in Daxing district, about 30km from central Beijing, The Great British Teddy Bear Company and its partner Tenio Architectural Design said on Thursday.

Parts of the park will open to the public next May, when the International Heritage Rose Conference is held in the district, while the museum is scheduled to open by the end of next year.

READ MORE: The power of Louvre: replica Paris pyramid joins fake Sphinx in Chinese theme park

The teddy bear park is part of Tenio’s 200-million-yuan programme to create a town of roses in the Weishanzhuang area of the district, according to Song Lingtao, Tenio’s CEO.

With 250,000 visitors expected annually, the teddy bear park will be aimed at “families of all generations to interact, create memories and have a British experience”, said Paul Jessup, founder of The Great British Teddy Bear Company.

The company designs and manufactures teddy bears with British themes, ranging from tourist attractions to high-profile British figures such as Sherlock Holmes, Prince William and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.