Jackie Chan theme park planned for Beijing

A theme park dedicated to Chinese superstar Jackie Chan is to be built in Beijing, China according to reports by Chinese state media.

The Jackie Chan World Park, or JC World, also confirmed by Chan on his Weibo feed, is being built in the suburb of Yizhuang, on former hunting ground once used by the Chinese elite.

Though no opening date has been announced, it is thought the park will include five themed areas and different exhibition centres displaying items collected by the Hong Kong-born actor, including four antique Chinese wooden buildings.

The park is expected to be free for visitors, with the exception of a few ticketed attractions that will be charged for.

Further south in Shanghai, the world’s first Jackie Chan museum is set to open later this year along the city’s Suzhou River.

The 10,000sq m (107,639 sq ft) facility will house a gallery of film costumes, as well as other artefacts documenting Chan’s decade-spanning film career. The museum will also feature a four-storey Italian restaurant and movie studio.

The Jackie Chan Museum is part of the Chinese government’s wider plans to redevelop Shanghai’s Suzhou riverbank area, as China’s most populous city aims to increase its status as a leading tourism destination in the country.

China’s attractions industry is growing rapidly, with Disney opening a resort in Shanghai in 2015 and Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks planning a resort titled the Dream Centre also for Shanghai, which will feature cinemas, shops, restaurants and hotels.