The world biggest military-theme park, with the "Kiev" aircraft carrier as its focal point, will be built in Hangu District of Tianjin Municipality, north China, according to sources from the Tianjin Beiyang Maritime Pleasure Ground Co.

With a total investment of RMB 5bn yuan and the first input of RMB 500mn yuan, the military museum is scheduled to cover an area of some 7 square kilometers, of which 3.3 million square meters are water area.

"Kiev" will be made a focal point of a warship museum attached to the park, with a number of other ex-military devices to be introduced.

Other facilities in the park include recreational grounds, restaurants and hotels.

As reported, the park will be build into world biggest military-theme park, China's biggest educational base for national defense as well as the biggest maritime scientific base in north China.

In 2000, a local company spent 70 million yuan to purchase "Kiev," the retired flagship of the former Soviet Union, with a discharge capacity of 40,500 tons and since last July, the carrier has been anchored at Tianjin Port.

"Kiev," 274 meters in length, 52 meters in width and 51 meters in height and weighed 24,000 tons, was built in 1975 and demobilized from the Russian Navy in 1995.

( June 6, 2002)