Polar and ski parks are coming to Shanghai

A huge polar-themed ocean park will open in July 2018 in the Lingang area in Shanghai’s southeast — part of a Pudong master plan to revamp the area.

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

With these new facilities, the Lingang area in the Pudong New Area 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.

Land preparation work has started on the skiing park named WinterStar near the polar park, which is planned to become one of the world’s largest indoor skiing resorts, according to the committee.

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 the Lingang area, 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 in September.

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

A yacht training base has also been planned in Lingang, the committee added. Construction has also 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.

The committee has announced that professionals in the area will be encouraged to apply for local hukou, or household registration, in a move aimed at attracting talented personnel to help to realize its ambition.

Such professionals will also enjoy preferential housing prices, low rents and accommodation subsidies.

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, the committee said.