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Madame Tussauds opens in Beijing

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Politicians, actors,pop stars, they all gathered in Beijing on Saturday. No, it's not the G20 or the Oscars. London's famous Madame Tussauds has opened its fourth waxworks museum on the Chinese mainland, right here in the capital. Grace Brown went along to get a close up view of some of the famous faces.

Kung fu legends, Peking opera sensations, Beijing novelists, and rock stars. Madame Tussaud's latest branch, in Beijing, is hoping to cash in on celebrities - with Chinese characteristics.

"Opening Madame Tussauds Beijing underlines Merlin's overall commitment to expanding our attractions in China. It's our most important developing market which, you know, I cannot stress enough." Craig Dunkerley, Head of Asia Openings, Merlin Entertainments Group said.

Fuelled by a surge in domestic tourism and its growing middle class, the museum franchise has grown rapidly in China. Visits to its Shanghai museum tripled, since it opened in 2006. While visits to its Hong Kong venue have surged seven-fold since 2000 - largely driven by mainland tourists.

"This is a waxwork model of one of China's most famous actresses, Li Bing Bing, who stars in the latest transformers film. She has her own studio, charity and even a hotpot restaurant here in Beijing. It's one of many Chinese celebrity replicas here, as the museum adapts to a growing base of Chinese fans."

And it seems to be working.

"I came after seeing the museum in Hong Kong. I found it really interesting. I hope I can see Li Bing Bing." Zhao Zhouyi, Visotor of Madame Tussauds Beijing said.

While appealing to local trends, the group says consistency is still key.

"I would always say break it down into three areas. We have the general figures that are popular wherever we go - like Lady Gaga, George Clooney, Brad Pitt - they tend to feature in all our venues. We also have ones that are popular in Asia and ones that are popular in Beijing. So for here we made Mr. Pan who's our landlord, we made Robin Li, as well as many others." Craig Dunkerley said.

International icons appear just as popular.

"I came to see Obama and Putin. My family told me the political figures are more interesting." Zhou Youxia, a Visitor said.

There's no word yet on whether Chinese politicians will be given waxwork doubles. But the museum says it hopes to include past leaders - like Mao Zedong (in the near future).

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