David Harland, CEO of Eden Project International
Property developer China Jinmao is teaming up with British educational charity Eden Project International to build the world’s highest indoor waterfall in the northeastern city of Qingdao.
Through the deal, Shanghai-based China Jinmao will help the UK foundation set up its first overseas attraction, according to a statement. Eden Project International is a spin-off the Eden Project, which built the world’s largest indoor rainforest in England.
The duo signed an agreement in Beijing during British prime minister Theresa May’s trade delegation to China last week, which details the design, construction and operation of the £150 million ($209 million) attraction.
Watery Tourist Attraction Coming to Northeast China
Dubbed Eden Qingdao, the aqueous project will feature an enclosed waterfall planned to be more than 50 metres high — the height of Niagara Falls on the border of the US and Canada. The project, which is expected to create 80 jobs, is due to start construction this year and open to the public in 2020.
“This is a huge development in the history of the Eden Project and the biggest step we have yet taken towards opening an Eden Project in China,” said David Harland, Eden Project International’s chief executive in the statement. “We are very excited about the possibilities for this attraction and the city of Qingdao and are very pleased to be working with our friends and colleagues at China Jinmao Holdings Limited.”
Aerial view of the design of the Eden Qingdao project
Formerly used for salt production and prawn breeding, the site in the coastal city of Qingdao is now a large zone of reclaimed, damaged land, according to an account in The Guardian. The land sits at the confluence of two rivers.
The original Eden Project is a popular tourist attraction in Cornwall, a county in southwest England, featuring two biodomes with plants collected from diverse climates and environments. The project is due to welcome its 20 millionth visitor this year and has generated £1.7 billion ($2.4 billion) for the regional economy since its opening in 2001.
China Jinmao, a real estate and hotel unit of state-owned Sinochem Group, ranked 31st among Chinese property developers by contracted sales last year.
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