A Chinese businessman has announced plans to build a Noah's Ark replica and a Bible-related theme park in Saskatchewan, Canada.
The park would be next to a private cemetery south of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan. The cemetery's manager is working on a plan with the developer, he said in an interview with The National Post.
"I'm getting lots of people saying, 'You're putting an amusement park on your cemetery? Well, it's nothing of the sort. It's going to be an educational process where people can come and learn about loving one another. And we need more of that in the world," Sunset Cemetery manager Marc L'Hoir said.
"The second (floor) will depict animals that were on the ark and the third will be a 3-D technological expose on the life of Jesus," L'Hoir told CBC News.
The Chinese businessman, Sun Wenquing, has already built a Bible-themed park in China. L'Hoir said that Sun converted to Christianity from Buddhism in 2009 and wants to spread the word.
"This is part of his legacy he wants to leave behind," L'Hoir said.
The developer told China Christian Daily that he wants to build an ark the same size as it's referenced in the Bible, after God warns Noah about a great flood and tells him to build a ship to carry his family and two of every animal. A tabernacle for worship has already been built in China, and will be shipped to Saskatchewan to place in the park. L'Hoir said he is confident that the project will be approved and construction can start soon.
News of the ark surprised Mike Wirges, administrator of the Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw. He said the council approved a "passive park" with a walking path, statues, and murals, but not the ark.
"Those plans were never presented to our municipality. Had we known that there was certainly more to it, rest assured, we would have done a little more investigation, hearings," the Post reported.
The administrator said more approvals would be needed, since the site is next to a highway, and height restrictions will be in force because of the proximity to Candian Forces Base Moose Jaw, the military's pilot training school.
The ark would be a major tourist destination. "This will be a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction and I think there will be people coming from all over the world to visit," L'Hoir said in the CBC News report.
The United States already has a Noah's ark replica, at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.
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