Universal Studios Beijing
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Video taken from the roof of NUO Resort Hotel: https://www.weibo.com/tv/v/I7YHws2Vz

Beautiful weather in Beijing right now as rockwork begins to go in at the bottom of Hogwarts Castle









The fleet of helicopters and the contrail seen in the background of the first photo are the rehearsals for the city’s upcoming National Day festivities.

Sources: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4417993968387600 and https://m.weibo.cn/status/4418192673466005

Quick video clip of the construction site at night: https://video.weibo.com/show?fid=1034:4417612193436633

Sources: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4417592342648322 and https://twitter.com/chinadaily/status/1174227559355244549

Video released today by Universal that officially "announces" that the park will be opening in 2021: https://www.weibo.com/tv/v/I7l2fnHH4?fid=1034:4417490638316795

Sources: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4417208371249796 and https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/P5-ykB4j6EQVzSsxBJCj7Q

Video: https://www.weibo.com/tv/v/I737op1EP?fid=1034:4416802512668862

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4416871765976209

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4416043537529063

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter







Despicable Me/Minions area



Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Parks & Resorts, talking about Universal Beijing:

I keep reminding myself in less than two years, about a year-and-a-half from now, we will be open in Beijing, China with a fabulous resort. It will be the largest park we have ever built. You know, you just don't show up in China and build a park. You have to go through, I have been going over there for 16, 17 years building relationships and Brian's been very helpful in that regard as well. And we were invited and so we have got a fabulous parcel of land, a thousand acres.

It's at an ideal intersection of the Beijing-Harbin Expressway and the Sixth Ring Road. It's about 45 minutes out of downtown Beijing. It's got all the best IP's. We are going to have 1,200 hotel rooms, including a Universal Grand Hotel will be part of the opening. We will have a CityWalk there. We have so much land that we will be able to, in due course, if business warrants the investment, we would be able to, we have enough room to build more hotels and another park, a waterpark. I mean there is a lot of upside there. So we are well on our way. It's on schedule, on budget. The ops teams are progressing nicely against the timelines. And so that's coming to us in less than two years. In about a year-and-a-half, we will be open.

It will have the 1,200 rooms to begin with, located in two different locations. It's got a great location going for it. It's got Harry Potter. It's got Transformers. It's got Minions. It's got Hollywood. It's got Jurassic Park with new rides that we have never done before. I mean it's a terrific line-up giving weight to the winter weather in Beijing for about a month. It's got colder temperatures in Osaka. Our park in Osaka open 12 months of the year. So we know we are going to get wintertime visitation.

But indifference to it, two-thirds of the attractions are indoors. About 40% of the total park facilities are completely indoors. Now there is a Kung Fu Panda Land, it's 100% indoors. The rides are indoors. The shops are indoors. It's all indoors. And so we think that ratio of the total park capacity aligns nicely with the expected visitation on those cold, cold days. You wouldn't need it any more because not that many more people are going to come. So we think we planned it correctly.

The bottom of this article includes an interesting interview with Duan Qiang, chairman of Beijing Tourism Group, regarding the development of Universal Beijing and the integration of Chinese-made IPs in the eventual second theme park: http://www.bbtnews.com.cn/2019/0911/319109.shtml

Video showing CityWalk and surrounding areas: https://www.weibo.com/tv/v/I6CK900GR?fid=1034:4415727839711734

Sources: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4415729233031330 and https://www.cmcsa.com/events/event-details/bank-america-merrill-lynch-investor-conference-9 and https://seekingalpha.com/article/4291111-comcast-corporation-cmcsa-management-presents-bank-america-merrill-lynch-2019-media

I believe these first three images are the inside of the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride building











Video showing the progress of the transit station: https://www.ixigua.com/i6734929122033664519/

Sources: https://m.weibo.cn/1708823242/4415321093665185 and https://m.weibo.cn/status/4415059269173302

New on the ground photo of The Universal Studios Grand Hotel and a great set of BIM images to go along with it:

























Sources: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4414923083391398 and https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7QfTQBF8U2ihDvul4hkD4A

Source: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4414584594683766