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Universal Studios Beijing to draw eager throngs amid uneasy US-China ties

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Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Chinese national flag flutters next to a flag of Universal Beijing Resort, ahead of the resort" s="" opening="" in="" August="" Tingshu="" Reuters="" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/09/20/flags.jpg"/><figcaption>Chinese national flag flutters next to a flag of Universal Beijing Resort, ahead of the resort&#x27;s opening in Beijing, China, August 27, 2021.<em> Tingshu Wang, Reuters/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>BEIJING - Universal Studios&#x27; Beijing resort was set to open its doors to the public on Monday after a two-decade wait, including delays because of COVID-19.</p><p>The highly-anticipated opening takes place amid U.S.-China relations that have deeply deteriorated in recent years.</p><p>The park will be US-based Universal&#x27;s largest and its fifth globally. It is also a first for Beijing, which lacks a big branded theme park to rival the Disney resorts in Shanghai and Hong Kong.</p><p>And, it will be the first Universal park with a section dedicated to the movie &quot;Kung Fu Panda&quot; and includes an area based on the Harry Potter franchise, which is popular in China.</p><p>All 10,000 tickets for the opening available in a pre-sale on Sept. 14 sold out in three minutes, according to Trip.com Group.</p><p>However, many complained on social media about ticket costs, which range from 418 yuan ($64.76) in the low season to 748 yuan during peak periods.</p><p>&quot;This is a rare time in a long while when an America-themed topic has attracted such obvious and widespread praise in China,&quot; the Global Times, a nationalistic tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party&#x27;s People&#x27;s Daily, wrote last week.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/16/21/beijings-top-diplomat-to-us-politicians-help-heal-us-china-ties">Beijing’s top diplomat urges Democrats, Republicans to help heal US-China ties</a></li></ul><p>The resort was proposed 20 years ago by the Beijing Tourism Group, according to the official China Daily, and is 30% owned by Comcast Corp&#x27;s Universal Parks &amp; Resorts and 70% by state-owned Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment.</p><p>The new Chinese ambassador to Washington, Qin Gang, likened its roller coaster ride to ties between the two countries.</p><p>&quot;After all the tumbling and shakes, the roller coaster came to a soft landing in the end,&quot; he tweeted on Tuesday.</p><p>Universal Studios announced the development of the resort in 2014, saying at the time it would cost $3.3 billion. In 2017, Comcast Chief Executive said the park could provide $1 billion of operating cash flow per year when it opened.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1665996" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Universal Studios' Beijing resort was set to open its doors to the public on Monday after a two-decade wait, including delays because of COVID-19.