People pose for a picture at LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort in Shanghai on May 26, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort

LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort on Monday held a handover ceremony, where the project team presented a key made of Lego bricks to the operations team, marking the final sprint toward the official opening of the first LEGOLAND in China.

After the handover, the resort will launch internal test and trial operation, inviting select guests to be among the first to explore the park and help fine-tune every detail before the grand opening, according to a press release sent to the Global Times on Monday.

During this period, the resort will open progressively in waves, gathering feedback and making final adjustments to perfect the guest experience.

"We are filled with enthusiasm and excitement to jointly witness this milestone moment of LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort... We look forward to every guest stepping into the resort in the future," Jeanette Chen, general manager of LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort, said in the press release. 

The LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort handover came just a week after groundbreaking for the Spider-Man-themed land at the Shanghai Disney Resort marked the latest major expansion project of the resort.

Shanghai Disneyland has already expanded twice since its June 2016 opening, with the addition of a Disney Pixar Toy Story Land in April 2018 and Zootopia in December 2023.

These developments underscore the continued confidence of international businesses in the Chinese market, which offers vast opportunities for growth and development, Xi Junyang, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Monday.

Entertainment-oriented projects, in particular, have significant room for growth in China, the Chinese expert said, noting that as the economy continues to develop, people's basic material needs are increasingly being met, leading to rising demand for entertainment and leisure activities.

China's economic opening-up has been steadily advancing, reflected in the country's consistent efforts to attract and encourage foreign investment. To date, foreign investors have established 1.24 million enterprises in China, with a total investment of nearly $3 trillion, the People's Daily reported on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials have repeatedly vowed to further expand opening-up in various areas. For example, China will update the catalog of industries where foreign investment will be encouraged, opening more sectors, Li Chao, a spokesperson of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the top economic planner, told a press conference on May 20.

China has steadfastly advanced its reform and opening-up policy over more than 40 years, remaining an ideal, safe and enabling investment destination for foreign enterprises, the NDRC spokesperson said.