Wuxi - WANG Jianlin, Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group announced Wuxi Wanda City will begin construction on Feb. 28 and open to the public in 2017, over one hundred reporters from different parts of China were invited to the press conference.

This is the first time this media-shy top rich actively opens to so much exposure. Headlines about the grand Wuxi project instantly appears on various media that it desires to surpass Shanghai Disney.

It all started last fall, right after the eye-catching Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis ceremony, Wang and the Wuxi government signed a contract to transform Wuxi into a cultural tourism city - Wanda’s 8th strategic move from commercial real estate to cultural tourism after projects in Changbai Mountain, Harbin, etc.

The Wuxi project stretches 1.2 million square meters and boosts a total budget of over $6 billion. Dance galas, a film theme park and a studio are planned, besides a children’s theme park, an X-sport venue and an outdoor entertainment park. As usual, a Wanda Shopping Center with a number of hotels and residence area will be built alongside.

The indoor X-sport venue sounds original and adventurous, for instance, F1 and sailing will be bridged with films and other cultural elements.

Wang thinks Wuxi Wanda City can beat Shanghai Disney not only in terms of content, but also in sustainability: all venues will be installed with special designing to combat China’s poisonous fog, an environmental issue that worries millions of people.

Wuxi Wanda will join hands with Alibaba and Tencent, China’s top two internet companies, to develop Wanda’s own e-commerce.