New cultural theme park for Lhasa

A huge 800-hectare theme park is to be built in the Tibetan capital Lhasa to celebrate the area's rich cultural heritage and bring more tourists to the area.

The plans were reported by Xinhua, China's official news agency, and will cost some 30 billion yuan (around 4.7 million US dollars) over the next three to five years.

Once opened, the new cultural theme park will celebrate Wencheng, an ancient Chinese princess who is seen as a symbol of ethnic friendship because of her marriage to a Tibetan king.

The park, which is being built near downtown Lhasa as part of a spending plan from Beijing designed to help the local economy and win over ethnic residents, will also feature local Tibetan culture such as folk arts and medicine.