On February 12, 2025, Jinjiang International Group announced the signing of a joint venture framework agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences (“WBDGE”), a leading global media and entertainment group, to jointly develop Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai – the Making of Harry Potter (“Harry Potter Studio Tour (Shanghai)”). Anticipated to open in 2027, the project is located on the former site of Shanghai Jinjiang Park and is expected to cover an area of approximately 53,000 square meters, including both indoor and outdoor areas. This will be the first Harry Potter Studio Tour project in China. Currently, the joint venture agreement and project kick-off is still in the process of obtaining regulatory approval.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour (Shanghai) will take visitors on an exciting behind-the-scenes journey of the movies, showcasing the clever design and unique ingenuity of the film shoots, and providing a deep understanding of the magical world of Harry Potter. While exploring iconic scenes meticulously portrayed by the creators of the Harry Potter movies, visitors will have the opportunity to view original costumes and props used in the productions, as well as experience scenes from the movies through novel and interesting interactive installations, which reveal how the popular novel series were brought to life on the big screen.

图源：锦江国际集团公众号

As legal counsel for this project of Jinjiang International Group, Zhong Lun Law Firm provided one-stop legal services, including the design and discussion of the transaction structure and joint venture scheme; legal due diligence; the drafting and negotiation of the joint venture agreement and other transaction documents; and counselling on other related legal issues such as anti-monopoly, compliance, and intellectual property rights. Zhong Lun, as the leading firm in this mandate, also coordinated legal advisors from Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, and other jurisdictions to provide full-package advice and solutions for complex cross-border legal issues such as cross-border intellectual property licensing and cross-border compliance. This project marks another addition to the track record Zhong Lun has established in international theme entertainment and cultural tourism projects in China, demonstrating Zhong Lun team’s extensive experience and comprehensive strengths in these sectors.

The project was led by partners Gavin Zhang and George Ji, and primarily handled by partner Ethan Zhu. The team also included non-equity partners Elaine Zhu and Mark Wang, associates Zhou Yijun, Wu Hao, and Cui Can, among others.

Jinjiang International Holdings Co., Ltd. (“Jinjiang International”), a leading travel and hospitality conglomerate in China, runs three core businesses in hotels, travel, and transport, and owns related business divisions in the sectors of finance, city services, and industrial business.Jinjiang International owns three listed corporations, “Jinjiang Hotel” (600754.SH, 900934.SH), “Jinjiang Online” (600650.SH, 900914.SH), and “Jinjiang Travel” (900929.SH). “Jinjiang” is a national brand with a history of nearly 90 years and a Chinese Well-known Trademark.As part of its “going global” efforts, Jinjiang International employes the strategy of “devoting greater efforts to the Chinese market, enhancing its business presence in the international market, and conducting multinational operations”. By the end of 2023, Jinjiang International had invested in and managed the opening of more than 13,200 hotels with more than 1.34 million rooms, establishing a network across more than 100 countries and garnered the second place in the world, of which, 871 hotels in 77 countries are along the Belt and Road and 2,539 hotels in 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Jinjiang International has five major travel agency brands in the tourism industry, including Jinjiang Travel, CITS, Shanghai Travel Service, Huating Overseas Tourist CO., and CTG. Its passenger transport business has 10,000 mid-to-high-end buses, including Jinjiang Taxi, Wai Shi, Jinjiang Business Travel, etc. Jinjiang International coordinates the resources of the industrial chain, expands its new business of city services, and builds a “city service system supplier” to help the construction and development of key areas such as the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lin-gang Special Area, the “Five New Cities”, and the Eastern Hub Shanghai East Station.

WBDGE is a leading global creator, developer, licensor, and operator of real-world entertainment experiences. Its business is based on the popular franchises, stories, and characters from Warner Bros. Pictures’ world-renowned feature films, television series, animation, and games studio, as well as from HBO, the Discovery Channel, and Cartoon Networks. WBDGE has created many groundbreaking projects, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ at Universal Studios theme parks around the world, the award-winning Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo, the iconic Harry Potter flagship store in New York, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour, and countless other experiences inspired by Harry Potter, DC Universe, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, Friends, and more.