'Little Rascals' head to Hangzhou: Hong Kong comic king plans a HK$800m theme park far from home

Tony Wong Yuk-long never stops pursuing his dreams. From crafting his own comic strips at the age of 13 to becoming the "godfather" of Hong Kong comics, Wong has redefined the art and business of comics in the city. He is now exporting the cultural treasure in a form few people could have dreamt of.

"It's been my biggest dream to build a theme park," says the 65-year-old veteran artist. "And I'm proud to say that I can finally realise this dream."

Wong is referring to his latest venture - an HK$800 million comics theme park to be built in Hangzhou , Zhejiang province.

"It is a 'boutique version' of a crossover between Universal Studios and Disneyland," Wong says. "It is a theme park with Hong Kong characteristics, a brand of Hong Kong's creativity exported to mainland China."

The announcement about the comics theme park was made ahead of the Legislative Council debate on the copyright bill - an issue about which Wong is concerned. This Wednesday, councillors are set to resume the second reading of the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014, which has been dubbed by its critics as the "internet's Article 23", making reference to the article in the Basic Law on national security, as it has been seen as a government measure to clamp down on the freedom of expression.