Theresa May announces deal with China that will see Eden Project with waterfalls as tall as Niagara Falls and Poldark exported
China Eden will have waterfall taller than Niagara Falls
Olivier VergnaultSenior Reporter
The Eden Project will take a slice of Cornwall to China after it signed a deal with the Chinese government to export its world famous biomes and create its first overseas attraction.
Last year the iconic Eden Project announced plans to export its Cornish technology and expertise to not only China but also Australia, North America and even New Zealand.
As a result the St Austell organisation set up a new company to drive the establishment of Edens around the world.
Eden Project International Ltd (EPIL) is a new entity formed as part of the Eden Trust to "partner with like-minded organisations to deliver the Eden mission and to deliver social and ecological benefits during a time of global environmental decline and social disruption".
Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim Smit is executive chairman of EPIL.
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Now the creation of an Eden Project park in China is a step closer to reality after David Harland, Eden Project International Limited chief executive, signed a historic agreement with Zhao Lintao of China Jinmao Holdings Limited, Eden's partners in the landmark new attraction in the coastal city of Qingdao.
Zhao Lintao is general manager of Eden Qingdao.
The proposed Eden project to be built in China (Image: Grimshaw Architects)
The agreement sets out the terms of the future development of the Eden Project in Qingdao, including design, construction and operation of the attraction. The signing ceremony took place at the British Ambassador's Residence in Beijing.
Eden Qingdao will be themed around water and will feature the world's largest indoor waterfall, which is set to be more than 50m high – roughly the same height as Niagara Falls on the border between the USA and Canada.
The project is due to cost £150m and will create 80 jobs at head office in Cornwall. Construction is due to begin this year (2018) and the project will open to the public in 2020.
The deal was announced as Theresa May took a delegation of British businessmen and women to Beijing.
The PM also announced that another Cornish export would be heading east - Poldark, along with Mr Selfridge, is to be shown on Chinese TV.
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Mr Harland has been travelling with the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, and other UK business leaders as part of the three-day trade delegation to China to promote Mrs May's vision for a "global Britain".
He said: "This is a huge development in the history of the Eden Project and the biggest step we have yet taken towards opening an Eden Project in China.
"We are very excited about the possibilities for this attraction and the city of Qingdao and are very pleased to be working with our friends and colleagues at China Jinmao Holdings Limited."
Another Eden Project could start see the light of day in Yan'an, China, from 2019 (Image: Eden Project)
The new projects will focus on the big global challenges as defined by their specific localities - such as soil, water, food and biodiversity - and will work in collaboration with a wide variety of organisations, companies, communities, research and conservation groups.
Mrs May said: "Both the UK and China have rich and distinctive cultures of which we are rightly proud. Today's agreements mean we will work even more closely together, collaborating on film festivals, theme parks, architecture, history and much more.
"These deals underline the strength of the UK's creative industries and will generate hundreds of millions of pounds of investment, creating opportunities across the UK.
"By sharing our history and culture we will also deepen the strong ties between our two peoples."
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Eden Project International is currently working on four projects in China and others in Australia and New Zealand. Other overseas projects, including some in the Middle East and North America, are due to be announced in the coming months.
Eden is working on the China, Australia and New Zealand projects with Grimshaw Architects, who designed the world-famous Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes at the Eden Project.
Speaking exclusively to Cornwall Live last year after the original announcement was made, Sir Tim said: "Eden's mission is to explore our dependence on the natural world, to use that understanding to excite people into delivering transformation where they live and to ask really serious questions about what a great future might look like for all of us.
"We want the new Edens to act as a heartbeat for those who feel the same way as we do and to develop in all of them the ability to tell the stories that inspire the people who are their constituency.
"We need to green the desert of our mind, we need to fertilise our imagination and we need to believe that the future remains ours to make."
Eden Qingdao will explore the theme of water and its importance for life on earth (Image: Eden project)
Sir Tim also said that some 80 top-end, well-paid jobs could be created in Cornwall, while millions of pounds in franchise fees can be expected to flow back to Britain as the Eden Project expands around the globe.
He said Cornwall will become "the mothership and a test bed in research and development".
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Among Eden's proposed projects in China is one in the historic city of Yan'an, famed for being the end of Chairman Mao's Long March and north of the Xian, home of the terracotta warriors.
This project will explore the theme of land and soil and its importance for life on earth. The project will showcase ecological restoration as a vital tool for the future and restore a degraded site just outside the city into a fertile valley full of flowers, agriculture, craft and education.
Eden Project International Limited chief executive David Harland (right) signs an agreement with Zhao Lintao (left), general manager of the Eden Qingdao with Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox at the British Ambassador's residence in Beijing (Image: Eden Project)
Eden has announced that it will undertake pre-planning and early feasibility consultancy work for a project in Jizhou, near the city of Tianjin, in a former limestone mine with the ultimate aim of regenerating the landscape and surrounding area.
Eden is also working on a project based at Sheng Lu Vineyard in Beijing. The aim is to create a place to reconnect with nature. Education and training programmes will run from here, offering the chance for children and adults to play in natural environment.
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Eden has been asked to provide support in turning the vineyard into a profitable and educational visitor attraction as well as supporting education and offering horticultural and landscaping advice.
The Eden Project is due to welcome its 20 millionth visitor during 2018 and, since opening in March 2001, has generated £1.7bn for the regional economy.