The Newest Universal Theme Park Just Opened in Beijing After Pandemic Delays

The newest Universal theme park finally opened this week in Beijing.

While the resort was long scheduled to open in 2021, the exact timeline was vague due to the pandemic. But on Sept. 20, Universal Beijing Resort finally celebrated its grand opening.

Universal's newest resort includes the flagship Universal Studios Beijing theme park, as well as Universal CityWalk Beijing and two hotels on its property, The Universal Studios Grand Hotel and NUO Resort Hotel. The amusement park features 37 rides and attractions, plus 24 shows and performances in seven lands, most of which are dedicated to popular movie franchises.

While the Chinese outpost will have favorites from its other locations — most notably the fourth location of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — it will also feature the first themed lands for Kung Fu Panda, Transformers, and Waterworld, as well as the largest Minion Land in the world and a new experience called Jurassic World Isla Nublar. Among the rides will be Transformers: Battle for the AllSpark, Kung Fu Panda Journey of the Dragon Warrior, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, and Jurassic Flyers.

Both theme park admission tickets and hotel bookings are available now, and the park recently announced that single-day tickets will have four price tiers based on seasonality. Low season tickets start at 418 RMB (about $65 USD), while special holiday dates go up to 748 RMB (about $116 USD). Tickets are available for purchase via the Universal Beijing Resort mobile app (on Alibaba and WeChat), as well as through the resort's Fliggy flagship store and 21 other official partners.

Earlier this month, the theme park underwent trial operations with invited guests who experienced the rides, attractions, shows, and restaurants (following COVID protocols) to provide feedback ahead of the opening. The park currently has a number of COVID-19 health and safety measures in place, including required face masks, temperature checks, and more.