Chocolate Theme Park to Open in Beijing

The Hershey theme park in Pennsylvania now has competition… 11,000 miles away, in Beijing. The chocolate theme park, which will be housed near the site of the Olympic Bird’s Nest, will open in early 2010, according to Artsource Planning Co., the group that will manage the park. The Wonka-like fairyland will feature chocolate renderings of the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, and Ming Dynasty porcelain, in addition to famous paintings and artwork made out of chocolate. Su Yan, of the Olympic Park Organizing Committee, said she expects that the park will attract between 10,000 and 20,000 visitors every day, and she cites a growing fascination with chocolate among Chinese young people as one of the reasons for creating the theme park. “There is the potential for a huge market in China in regard to chocolate consumption,” she said.