Universal Parks & Resorts announced Monday that a fifth park will open in Beijing, China sometime around 2019. Although Universal kept quiet about which attractions would be featured there, the concept art released this week clearly shows images of both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade (with Hogwarts oddly missing), attached by a much-shorter version of the Hogwarts Express than at its Orlando counterpart.

The first image below shows what is clearly the pointed buildings of Hogsmeade (on the right) and the colourful town of Diagon Alley (the left), along with the Hogwarts Express line and train stations; the second is the overall concept art of Universal Studios Beijing.

Development of a world-class Universal theme park in Beijing has been approved by the Chinese central government. The theme park will include all-new attractions designed especially for it as well as some of Universal’s most popular themed entertainment experiences from around the world.

The overall investment in the Universal Beijing theme park will be more than 20 billion RMB. It will be jointly owned by Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd. (BSH Investment), a consortium of four state-owned companies, and Universal Parks & Resorts, a business unit of Comcast NBCUniversal.

The Universal Beijing theme park and support facilities will occupy a 120-hectare (approximately 300-acre) site located northwest of the intersection of the Beijing-Harbin Expressway and the East Sixth Ring Road in Tongzhou District, Beijing. The theme park will be accompanied by a Universal CityWalk entertainment complex featuring multiple retail, dining and entertainment opportunities, and a first-ever Universal-themed resort hotel, collectively forming the core components of the resort. Additional phases are planned, with the resort eventually encompassing 400 hectares (approximately 1,000 acres).

Specific details for Universal Beijing as well as an opening timeframe will be announced at a later date, as BSH Investment and Universal Parks & Resorts formalize their agreement and complete all steps necessary to move this project forward. The theme park will blend China’s rich cultural heritage with Universal Parks & Resorts’ unique brand of compelling family entertainment. The new destination is the latest project for Universal Parks & Resorts, which has theme park locations in Orlando and Hollywood as well as licensed theme parks in Osaka and Singapore. More than 35 million people visited Universal’s existing theme parks around the globe in 2013 and experienced attractions such as Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Jurassic Park River Adventure and more.

"Chinese people love the movies and exciting entertainment, and we are proud to introduce China’s first Universal theme park and CityWalk, as well as the first Universal-branded hotel anywhere in the world," said Duan Qiang, Chairman of Beijing Tourism Group and BSH Investment.

"Universal Beijing will showcase blockbuster movie themes and present entertaining family shows that will highlight the very best of popular culture. It will be a tourism crown jewel, not only for Beijing but for all of China, bringing extraordinary entertainment experiences to the Chinese people and to our guests from around the world. In bringing Universal to China, we will also share the best of China with the world," Duan added.

"Universal Beijing will create a higher level of economic growth, understanding and cultural exchange between our two countries. Together, we will create a unique experience that spotlights hugely popular Western entertainment concepts as well as China’s rich cultural legacy. This will be an opportunity to build relationships with the Chinese people on a direct and personal level," said Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Parks & Resorts.

"We are excited to be working with our partners at Beijing Tourism Group and at BSH Investment, under the leadership of Chairman Duan, and we are thankful for the strong support of the Chinese central and Beijing municipal governments," Williams added.

The Universal Studios Beijing concept art above also shows notable attractions similar to that of like The Incredible Hulk Coaster (in green below Diagon Alley) and Revenge of the Mummy in what will be the largest of the five parks from Universal.

As of now, the only new confirmed Harry Potter attraction from Universal is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, set to open in 2016. Two attractions - the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan; and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando Resort - already opened to the public this past summer.

Casey O