Ocean theme park under construction near Shanghai Disneyland

This is a rendering of a castle at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, east China. Intended to open at the end of 2015, the resort will initially be comprised of Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic-Kingdom-style park as well as two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and transportation hubs. Covering an area of 1.16 square km, the theme park inside the 3.9-square-km Shanghai Disney Resort will be the world's sixth Disney amusement park and the first on the Chinese mainland. [Photo/Xinhua]

SHANGHAI - An ocean theme park is under construction in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, only a 25-minute drive from the city's Disney Resort.

Construction on Haichang Polar Ocean Park kicked off on Sunday. With planned investment of 3 billion yuan ($482.74 million), the park will cover 190,000 square meters and include 12 display venues, four marine animal interactive programs, and three theaters, said Wang Xuguang, president of developer Haichang Holdings.

The park, located near Dishui Lake, Shanghai's biggest artificial lake, will feature various marine animal species and is expected to receive over 6 million visitors per year after completion, Wang said.

Chen Mingbo, vice head of Pudong District, said transportation between Haichang and Shanghai Disneyland will be improved.

Haichang Polar Ocean Park is scheduled to open in 2017.