Never mind its 100,000 crocodiles and its pantropical spotted dolphins. What makes the forthcoming Chimelong Ocean Kingdom the most wondrous site in the world is the rendering above.
Currently under construction in Hengqin Island, near Macao in Guangdong province, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom promises some impressive creature features: a walk-through tunnel for viewing the park's whale shark and a collection of Chinese white dolphins, which have never before lived in captivity. But it is the park itself that may be its best claim to fame.
There appears to be a whale shark–shaped building rising in the background, beyond a lake-sized water feature and between several tree-shaped cottage structures and a vast ice mountain. If Chimelong Ocean Kingdom lives up to even one fraction of the promise of these renderings (by PGAV Destinations), it will be more amazing than the sea.
It's not possible to read every building in the rendering (which looks as though it could be a map from Chrono Trigger). But there appear to be structures with fins, wings, and tentacles, covering the primary appendage groups associated with marine life. That a lighthouse could be the least interesting structure on an island is a testament to the potential here.
Did I mention the whale-shaped building? There appears to be a whale-shaped building. There is definitely a whale-shark building—the walk-through viewing tunnel depicted below—and that building might also be shaped like a whale. Or it could be an entirely different example of cetacean architecture!
A representative from PGAV was not immediately available to answer questions such as "Is that a whale-shaped building?", "How amazing is that whale-shaped building?", and "Can I go inside the whale-shaped building?"
