In March of 2021, Merlin Entertainments announced the opening of LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong at K11 MUSEA.[1] [The city-state of Hong Kong, a former British colony, is now the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.] Please note that in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong, Merlin uses the Queen’s English, with the result that it refers to “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres” in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong. However, in the U.S.A., it uses American English, so, here they are called “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers.” In Japan and in the rest of China outside Hong Kong, in English-language documents, Merlin refers to them as “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers” because in Japan and China outside Hong Kong people learning English will invariably learn American English rather than the Queen’s English.
LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong is for families with children ages three-to-ten. Merlin estimates it should provide two-to-three hours of “interactive and educational experience.” [2] It has ten LEGO®-themed play areas: Kingdom Quest, MINILAND®, LEGO® Friends, Master Builder Classroom, DUPLO Farm, Café, Magic Bikers, Build & Test, 4D Studio, and a gift shop. [3] Single Day Admission Passes and Annual Passes are available for purchase both online and on-site, starting at HKD$240 and HK$1,099 per person, respectively. [4]
MINILAND® Hong Kong encompasses models of many famous buildings and miniature street scenes.[5] It is comprised of 1,500,000 LEGO® bricks. Building it entailed forty-six LEGO® Builders, nine LEGO® Designers, and four Technicians who spent more than 7,150 man-hours on the project.[6] The buildings recreated in miniature include Star Ferry Central Pier, Peak Tram, Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, Tai O, Temple Street, Blue House in Wan Chai, and Mei Ho House.[7]
“Our primary concern has always been to create a fun and educational experience, while protecting the health of our guests and staff,” stated Ben Sweet, Merlin’s New Openings Director – Asia Pacific. “Now that the Hong Kong government has approved the opening of indoor entertainment facilities, we will implement the necessary health and safety protocols, and we look forward to welcoming families to the ultimate indoor LEGO® playground.”[8]
Due to when LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong opened, Merlin stated, “The attraction will open with “Leave Home Safe’ QR Code, capacity control measures, thermal scanners, social distancing and mask requirements according to guidance provided by the Hong Kong government. Enhanced cleaning measures are also implemented throughout the day to clean and sanitise the attraction, including high-frequency touchpoints, play areas, and LEGO® bricks.” [9]
There were already three LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers in the People’s Republic of China. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Shanghai opened in a 32,291-square-foot space on April 2, A.D. 2016. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Beijing opened in a 37,673-square-foot space in the Longfor Shopping Center in the Chinese capital city’s Chaoyang District on April 15, A.D. 2019. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Shenyang opened on January 10, A.D. 2019. It is the largest LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in the world as it occupies 75,347 square feet.
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Furthermore, Merlin has begun construction of a LEGOLAND® theme park and has plans in the works to build two more. On August 26, A.D. 2021, Merlin announced that construction had begun on the world’s largest LEGOLAND® Resort, LEGOLAND® Shenzhen Resort.[10] [Shenzhen (formerly called Sham Chun) is a mega-city with a population of over 17,500,000 people and special economic zone in Mainland China, in the southern province of Guangdong. The historic core of the city is on the east bank of the Pearl River (Canton River) estuary. As a political entity, it borders Hong Kong. However, a large part of Hong Kong is on Hong Kong Island, so it is necessary to point out it borders the part of Hong Kong that is on the mainland. It is also relatively close to the city-state of Macao, the former Portuguese colony that is now the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, which is on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary.] Representatives of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Dapena New District, Merlin Entertainments, The LEGO® Group, and Hazens Holdings attended the ceremony. [11]
Merlin plans to open a LEGOLAND® Resort in Sichuan, which is a mountainous, landlocked province in south central China. This resort is being built in a city that is relatively close to the provincial capital city, Chengdu. Merlin has gone from referring to this resort as “LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort” to “LEGOLAND® Chengdu Resort.” On September 27, A.D. 2019, Merlin announced it had “entered into a partnership agreement with Global Zhongjun Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd (‘Global Zhongjun’) to build and operate a LEGOLAND Resort in Sichuan Province in Western China” and if everything went according to plan it would open in 2023.[12]
On November 6, A.D. 2019, Merlin announced agreement with three parties to build a LEGOLAND® resort in Shanghai’s Jinshan District.[13] Those three parties were KIRKBI; the Shanghai Jinshan District Government; and CMC, Inc. [14] Merlin and those other organizations would “form a joint venture company and contribute funding for the construction and development of LEGOLAND® Shanghai.” [15] Mr. Chen Yin, the Executive Vice Mayor of Shanghai, was present at the event where Merlin made this announcement as part of China International Import Expo (November 5-10, 2019). [16] As Shanghai already has LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Shanghai, this means it will be the only city in the world to have both a LEGOLAND® theme park and a LEGOLAND® Discovery Center.
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ENDNOTES
[1] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong successfully opens at K11 MUSEA,” March, 2021, p. 1
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid
[8] Ibid
[9] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “LEGOLAND® discovery Centre Hong Kong successfully opens at K11 MUSEA,” March, 2021, p. 2
[10] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “Merlin Entertainments Announces Commencement of Construction on the World’s Largest LEGOLAND® Resort in Shenzhen,” 26 August, 2021, p. 1
[11] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “Merlin Entertainments Announces Commencement of Construction on the World’s Largest LEGOLAND® Resort in Shenzhen,” 26 August, 2021, p. 1
[12] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “LEGOLAND Resort in Western China Announced,” 27 September, 2019, p. 1
[13] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “Merlin Entertainments announces LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort,” 6 November, 2019, p. 1
[14] Ibid
[15] Ibid
[16] Ibid
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Empire of the Brick 