Copy of Old Summer Palace opens amid controversy

A tour boat cruises the lake. [Photo/CFP]

It is not yet known whether the new park will be used for film production. The entrance fee will be 280 yuan per person, but Xu confidently predicts there will be 40 to 50 million visitors within five years.

Public doubts surfaced when the project was first announced in 2007. A major concern has been whether it is necessary to rebuild a destroyed site that carries sad memories for all Chinese people.