One of the star attractions at Legoland Shanghai, which officially opens on July 5, is likely to be a mini replica of the Shanghai waterfront and skyscrapers of the Lujiazui financial district, all built in the colourful plastic bricks.
The Shanghai resort, which will be the world’s biggest Legoland so far and the first in China, features eight themed sections that will feel familiar to fans of Lego. They include Ninjago, Lego Friends and Monkie Kid lands, in which classic Lego pieces are brought to life and supersised – though not big enough to meet everyone’s expectations.
“I thought it would be huge, but it turned out to be half of the scale I dreamed ... But the attractions are beyond my expectation,” said Lyu Xiaole, a very grown-up seven-year-old whose family were among those able to get limited tickets for a pre-opening visit yesterday.
China’s economy has been hit by weak consumer spending in recent years amid a prolonged property slump and high youth unemployment, but Legoland Shanghai will be counting on resilient domestic travel and ‘experience’ spending which have remained strong.
Legoland Shanghai is operated by a joint venture between Merlin Entertainments, which runs Legoland parks around the world, and the Shanghai Jinshan District local government.
The replica of downtown Shanghai and the city’s waterfront is housed in the ‘Miniland’ building at the site, where skyscrapers face the colonial era splendour of buildings along Shanghai’s famed Bund promenade.
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