Happy Valley [Photo provided to China Daily]

A new Happy Valley — a large-scale international theme park — opened in Chongqing on July 8. It's the seventh of its kind built by the Overseas China Town Group in China.

The new facility covers an area of 500,000 square meters and is expected to give a shot in the arm for tourism in the municipality, says He Yousheng, a senior official with the local government.

The park is expected to draw in 3 million visitors annually.

The Overseas China Town Group built its first Happy Valley park in Shenzhen in Guangdong province in 1998.

Over the years, the group has built parks in major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu in Sichuan province and Wuhan in Hubei province.

The new park has nearly 50 recreation facilities and six themed zones.