CONSTRUCTION of China's first film studio park, which will provide a venue for filming and for entertainment, has got underway in Changchun City of Northeast China's Jilin Province.

　　Financed by the Changchun Film Studio and covering 1 million square metres, Changying Century Town is being built at a cost of 1.5 billion yuan (about US million).

　　The first phase of construction will focus on the building of 10 sightseeing centres on a land area of 300,000 square metres,swheresvisitors can treat themselves to the world's most advanced film technologies including laser films, ball-screen films and children's films.

　　Liu Lijuan, head of the project and deputy general manager of the Changchun Film StudiosgroupsCo, said last Wednesday that the centres will open to the public on October 1, 2004.

　　According to Liu, the second and third phases of construction will focus on the subsequent stages of film processing and exterior shooting.

　　Meanwhile, Zhao Guoguang, president of the Changchun Film StudiosgroupsCo, said his studio will strive to build a world-class park, advanced and unique in its contribution to Chinese culture. The funding for the project was raised from bank loans, business invitations and revenue from the sale of old factories, he added.

　　Dubbed "the cradle of new China's film industry", the Changchun Film Studio has been restructuring its management and operation mechanism since 1998.

　　The park project is a substantial, bold step indicating the company's ambition to branch outsintostourism.