The world's highest Ferris wheel project is expected to come up in Guangzhou, Guangdong's provincial capital, later this year. The idea is to give the city's tourism business a lift.

The giant Ferris wheel, to be built on the roof of the city's 450-m-high Guangzhou new TV tower, will be completed and opened to local residents and tourists before Oct 1, 2010, when the southern metropolis hosts the 16th Asian Games.

Located on the bank of the Pearl River in the city's premier destination, the Ferris wheel, consisting of 16 transparent crystal cars, will carry 100 persons, Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday. Each car, with a diameter of 3.2 m, and a door 1.2 m high, will seat four to six persons.

The Ferris wheel will combine sightseeing, tourism, leisure and entertainment, the paper said.

According to Guangzhou New TV Tower Construction Company, which will be responsible for construction of the project, the designing of the Ferris wheel will be completed in April and construction officially begin in November. Trial runs and tests are due to end in August 2010.

It will take the Ferris wheel between 20 and 30 minutes to complete a circle along the slanting roof of the Guangzhou new TV tower, Guangzhou Daily said.

The Ferris wheel will withstand an earthquake of up to magnitude 8, owing to its quake-resistant design. Lightning arresters will form part of the design to make sure there is little damage during storm and lightning.

Wu Yuhui, a local white collar worker, told China Daily, that the Ferris wheel "will help further raise Guangzhou's image at home and abroad and help promote the city's tourism". She plans to bring her eight-year-old son for a ride.

Many cities in China and abroad, including London, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanchang, Changsha and Zhengzhou, have built their own Ferris wheel projects which have proved to be major tourist attractions.