Following the successful opening of Puy du Fou España in Toledo, Puy du Fou is speeding up its international expansion in China and has created a brand new artistic concept for an immersive show, due to open in the center of Shanghai in 2022.
While stepping up its research into the creation of a new Puy du Fou park in China, Puy du Fou is also launching an innovative show concept, SAGA.
Much more than just a show, the new artistic concept for SAGA has been designed specifically to be set up in the world’s major city centers. Unlike the rural Puy du Fou which accompany their visitors on a 2- or 3-day journey through time, SAGA promises a 2-hour total escape, more suited to the pace of city life.
Inspired by Chinese history and legends, this immersive creation by the Puy du Fou artistic team will take its visitors back to Shanghai in the 1930s. Visitors seal their own dramatic destiny as they progress through the experience and select their own adventures. Spectacular backdrops represent different locations and periods, allowing the story to evolve and offering visitors a total of over 26 possible adventures.
For this project, the Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center near the Xujiahui district will be completely transformed into the an immersive experience covering more than 40,000 square meters (around 430,500 square feet) with its show, themed restaurant and bars. Puy du Fou plans to create 500 direct jobs in China and France for the new SAGA SHANGHAI.
Two New Chinese Partners to Bring SAGA SHANGHAI to Life
For this ambitious project, Puy du Fou has chosen to join forces with two major Chinese partners: CYTS (the tourism subsidiary of the Everbright Group) and Shanghai Xuhui Urban Renewal Investment Development Group (the investment company of the Xuhui district in the city of Shanghai). The signing of this agreement between these two partners and Puy du Fou has made it possible to create SAGA SHANGHAI, with a total investment of €76 million or nearly 600 million RMB (US$88.5 million).
Geoffroy Ladet and Anne Zhao, respectively CEO and Vice President of Puy du Fou Asia; Qiu Wen He, Vice President and General Manager of the CYTS Company, a subsidiary of the Everbright group; and Mr. Zhou, Director of Chengxin, an investment company for the Xuhui district in the city of Shanghai, finalized the ambitious project on May 19, 2021, in Shanghai. The official signing took place at the French Consulate, in the presence of His Excellency the French Ambassador to China, Laurent Bili, and the French Consul in Shanghai, Benoît Guidé.
Nicolas de Villiers, President of Puy du Fou, who was unable to be there in person due to the health restrictions, declared enthusiastically, “We are proud that our new SAGA concept is coming to Shanghai, China, as a world first, thanks to our Chinese partners. This is our first creation in this country, which calls for other projects on which we are actively working with our French and Chinese teams. This new ultra-immersive concept in the heart of the city illustrates our ambition: to innovate and offer new thrills to the world. Our plans are for SAGA to go global and discussions are already under way with several big cities worldwide.”
