Wax statues of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, the prince's wife.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Global tourist attraction giant Merlin Entertainments announced an important strategic partnership with Beijing's leading developer, SOHO China yesterday, which will result in the company bringing a number of its iconic global brands to Beijing. The first brand will be Madame Tussauds Beijing, scheduled to open in 2014.

Merlin already has successful tourist attractions in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Wuhan. As the 16th Madame Tussauds worldwide and the fourth one to open in China, the Beijing location will be a multi-million yuan investment, located in the heart of the city close to Tiananmen Square.

Managing Director for Midway Attractions, Glenn Earlham, indicated the company was very excited about the prospect of opening its first location in Beijing and hoped to be announcing plans for other attractions soon.

Pan Shiyi, Chairman of SOHO China, said, "Merlin is one of the world's most successful and biggest visitor attraction businesses and we are delighted to be working with them to bring one of their best known and loved global brands, Madame Tussauds, to Beijing. It will bring a new dimension and international flavor to the city, and we look forward to working with Merlin on more projects in the future."

Western art at the China Art Festival	'A Dream of Red Mansions' staged in Jinan