China plans world's largest aerospace theme park

Those interested in aerospace will be able to ride a flight simulator or sample a space pilot's diet in three years time.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced on Tuesday that it would build five to six aerospace parks across the country dubbed "the big world of aerospace," with a total input of up to 120 billion yuan ($20 billion).

The first theme park is expected to open in 2017 in Yanliang, Shaanxi province.

These interactive parks will feature exhibition, entertainment, tourism, leisure and learning facilities.

The company, referred to as AVIC, plans to build five or six theme parks, with the first one scheduled to open by 2017, the Beijing-based planemaker said in an e-mailed statement. It’s in talks to build the parks at locations including in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi and Sichuan, AVIC said.

The project is one step in updating China's industrial structure with more cultural and creative industries.

China has a growing market for leisure entertainment and the company is seizing this opportunity. “There will be a big market for leisure activities and AVIC can’t be left out as new leisure products emerge and aviation becomes a way of life for many,” Lin Zuoming, who heads AVIC, said in the statement.

The parks will create a cash flow for the development of the industry and raise public interest in the science and culture of aerospace, he added.