The first theme park at China’s Wanda Cultural Tourism City development is now scheduled to open in July 2016, after the groundbreaking ceremony took place on 19 April.

Developed by the Wanda Group, Chinese culture will be at the heart of the project – differentiating the 380,000sq m (4,090,286sq ft) Wanda Hefei theme park from Disney and other domestic parks.

Located in Hefei in China’s Anhui Province, the park is being designed by Dutch company Jora Vision. CEO Jan Maarten de Raad said the biggest challenge in taking on the project has been to design a theme park world “where Anhui’s heritage and stories don’t make visitors feel like they are in a museum.”

“Our goal is to design an environment where culture and heritage come to life through strong story lines and fantasy,” he said.

The park will feature more than 30 attractions and has a man-made lake at its centre. It will be divided into six thematic zones.

Classic Anhui celebrates ancient Anhui architecture. The Battle of Feishui is based around a historic battlefield; Butterfly Dreamland is a themed wonderland garden featuring human-like animals and insects; Lost Chaozhou recreates a sunken city; Happy Water Town is modelled on a waterfront village; and Opera Garden focuses on Anhui’s operatic and theatrical stories.

For each area, Jora Vision has implemented a specific storyline blending fairytales, art, history and legends, with the aim of translating the Anhui Province’s heritage into a “full leisure experience.”

Sister company Jora Entertainment will help design the audio and special effects for the park.