World’s largest Legoland set to open in Shanghai

The Shanghai resort, which will be the world's biggest Legoland so far and the first in China, features eight themed sections that will feel familiar to fans of Lego. They include Ninjago, Lego Friends and Monkie Kid lands, in which classic Lego pieces are brought to life and supersized - though not big enough to meet everyone's expectations.

"I thought it would be huge, but it turned out to be half of the scale I dreamed ... But the attractions are beyond my expectation," said Lyu Xiaole, a very grown-up seven-year-old whose family were among those able to get limited tickets for a pre-opening visit on Friday.

China's economy has been hit by weak consumer spending in recent years amid a prolonged property slump and high youth unemployment, but Legoland Shanghai will be counting on resilient domestic travel and "experience" spending which have remained strong.

Legoland Shanghai is operated by a joint venture between Merlin Entertainments, which runs Legoland parks around the world, and the Shanghai Jinshan District local government.

The replica of downtown Shanghai and the city's waterfront is housed in the "Miniland" building at the site, where skyscrapers face the colonial era splendour of buildings along Shanghai's famed Bund promenade.

The Miniland creations took 168,000 hours to complete, using more than 20 million bricks.

"I think it's best to play Lego in Legoland because I have much less Lego at my place," said seven-year-old Shen Jieqi.

Lego, the Danish family-owned toymaker that produces the bricks, is a familiar name in China where it has more than 400 stores.

In Shanghai, Legoland will offer another leisure space in the city for those who can afford it. Tickets will start from 319 yuan ($44.46) in low season and up to 599 yuan on peak days.

"We came very early in the morning. The atmosphere in the park is very joyful. The staff are full of passion," said Huang Xuanhua, 44, who lives close by the resort in Shanghai's Jinshan district and visited on Friday. "It has been a joyful day."

($1 = 7.1756 Chinese yuan renminbi)