Theme park part of revamp master plan

Ti Gong

A huge polar-themed ocean park will open next July in the Lingang area as part of a Pudong master plan to revamp Shanghai’s southeastern most area.

As well as a skiing park and planetarium, the master plan will see two new universities opening with other colleges setting up campuses.

With these new facilities, the Lingang area in Pudong aims to attract 450,000 residents and 10 million tourists annually by 2020, according to the Lingang management committee.

Shanghai Polar Ocean World, which is planned to cover 300,000 square meters, will include four marine animal interactive programs, three theaters and a further 15 entertainment facilities, its developer said. Upon completion, the park aims to showcase a broad range of Arctic and Antarctic wildlife. It’s a 90-minute drive from People’s Square in the city center.

Work has started on the skiing area named WinterStar near the polar park, which is planned to become one of the world’s largest indoor skiing resorts.

Construction has also started on Shanghai Planetarium, which is scheduled to open in 2020 to become the world’s largest planetarium.

Several universities will open campuses in Lingang, and two new ones are setting up shop — the Sino-French arts and design management school of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Sino-British International Low-carbon College. Both will start enrollment next month.

Construction is also under way for a new campus of the Shanghai University of Electric Power.

A yacht training base has also been planned in Lingang. Construction has begun on modern office buildings, hotels, shopping malls and convention centers.

The port area of the city aims to develop itself into a new town featuring science and technology, culture, finance, trade and tourism.

In the future, Lingang will promote an 18.9-kilometer, medium-capacity traffic system, along with electric buses, as well as vehicle and bicycle sharing programs to create a green and efficient public transport system.