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A huge Universal Wine Museum is due to open near Beijing in April 2021. It has been designed in partnership with the City of Bordeaux wine museum.
The museum of 18,000 m2 will offer a permanent show of 6,700 m2, temporary exhibitions, an auditorium, a cellar with world wines, a gourmet restaurant and a school wine.
Universal Wine Museum
Situated near the Dachi River, this museum constitutes the central building of an International Wine Village.
There will also be an organic vineyard on 8 square kilometers, a business incubator, restaurants, bars, hotels, shops around wine and European products, as well as companies in the wine sector, organic farming and energy transition.
Some 500,000 visitors are expected in the first year.
Funded by the city of Beijing to the tune of around 60 million euros, work on the museum is due to start in April in the district of Fangshan, 40 km southwest of Beijing.
However, with the emergence of the new coronavirus - which has left 425 dead so far- the organizers are not confirming dates for the completion of the project.
Légion d’Honneur
Businessman Weixing Tang, president and founder of the International Wine Village - which he will build next to his own vineyard - was awarded the Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur in 2015 for his long commitment to French culture.
Tang explained that the new project aims not only to provide a way of certifying real wines and exposing forgeries, but also to provide a way for people in China to taste and learn about wine.
“We have to help people discover the wine and to teach them how to taste it …This is the reason why we are building this wine museum,” he said.
The technical and scientific content that will be offered at the villages was developed by the Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilizations, which manages the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux.
The Foundation is calling on Chinese experts to adapt this content to the local culture.
Tang started the museum project, but the Chinese government supported the project and is now the sole financial backer. Visitors will be able to visit the village, which has five themes:
- What Is Wine?
- Wine Around the World,
- The History and Civilization of Wine,
- Wine and the Senses
- Lifestyle and Wine