Construction has begun on Nickelodeon Cultural Resort, the Viacom-owned net’s first theme park in China. The resort will be part of the Foshan Cultural and Ecological Coastal Project in Sanshui New Town.

Sanshui New Town Management Committee, the representative of Sanshui New Town, along with Hong Kong Elite Global Group and Viacom International Media Networks, broke ground on the project January 4.

Approximately one third of the 32 million-square-foot area is being set aside for Nickelodeon-themed attraction.

The development project—estimated at US$1.71 billion—is expected to open in 2020 and create 37,000 jobs. As many as 6.7 million tourists are anticipated in the first year of operation.

Fan-favorite Nickelodeon characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be represented at the resort.

The park is the most recent in a string of location-based entertainment investments by Nickelodeon. In December, the net signed on to IMG Worlds’ new theme park in Dubai to launch its first-ever branded park in the region.

It also comes as more companies bank on the power of theme parks in Asia, with Disney pouring more assets into its Shanghai theme park and expanding Hong Kong Disneyland.