'I'm a little disappointed that this cannot be built in Hong Kong': Comics 'godfather' Tony Wong Yuk-long to build HK$800 million theme park - in Hangzhou, Zhejiang

Hong Kong comics "godfather" Tony Wong Yuk-long is turning his creative dreams into reality with a HK$800 million theme park that he calls a "boutique version" of a crossover between Universal Studios and Disneyland.

But this new tourist attraction based on the city's strong cultural heritage of comics is not in Hong Kong - it will be built in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

"I'm a little disappointed that this cannot be built in Hong Kong. Land in Hong Kong is an issue," said the author behind Tiger Wong and classic titles like . He made his debut aged 13 and recently celebrated his 50th anniversary in the comics industry.

READ MORE: Tiger Wong and creator Tony Wong Yuk-long aim to draw in new generation 

Speaking to the media after signing contracts with Hangzhou government representatives, Wong said the theme park was expected to occupy over 11,000 square metres - more than half of the size of Victoria Park - in Qiandao Lake, a tourist destination in the west of Hangzhou. Wong said it had taken him nearly five years to identify the location.

According to the latest blue book report on China's animation and comics sector, the industry ranks high on the national agenda in developing cultural and creative industries. It projected that China's animation and comics industry was growing at 30 per cent a year and would be worth 20 billion yuan (HK$24 billion) by 2020, making the country a world power in the sector.

Wong said the theme park would ride this trend and he had chosen Hangzhou because the city was the fortress of China's animation and comics industry.

It would feature well-known titles from not just Hong Kong but mainland China, Taiwan and Japan, said Wong. There would be three sectors - animation and comics, film classics and amusement park rides.