Construction on Legoland Shenzhen Resort started Thursday in Dapeng New District, sources from Merlin Entertainments Group, the project operator, said.

Located on the Dapeng Peninsula, the Legoland Shenzhen Resort will be the first international IP-based family entertainment theme park resort in the Greater Bay Area, covering approximately 580,000 square meters and exclusively operated by Merlin Entertainments, with Hazens Holdings as its local partner. The total project investment is expected to be over 7 billion yuan (US$1.08 billion) and the park is due to open in 2024.

The commencement of construction on the resort marked its dedication to the 41st anniversary of the establishment of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Representatives from the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Dapeng New District, Merlin Entertainments Ltd., The LEGO Group and Hazens Holdings attended a launch ceremony which featured the arrival on site of 20,000 brightly coloured LEGO bricks.

Legoland Shenzhen Resort, covering an area of roughly 580,000 square meters, will be the world’s largest Legoland park, according to the group. Upon completion, the Shenzhen resort will encompass a Lego theme park (262,700 square meters), a Legoland Discovery Center (103,000 square meters), a Legoland Water Park (96,500 square meters) and a scenic area and tourism service zone (71,800 square meters).

Earlier this Monday, a land auction for amusement facilities in Nan’ao Subdistrict, Dapeng was won by Shenzhen Hazens Culture and Tourism Group Co. Ltd., with a bid of 1.05 billion yuan (US$163.2 million) on Monday. The deal has paved the way for the construction of Legoland Shenzhen Resort.