Xuyi as a famous crayfish county locates in Jiangsu province. Recently, it has a bigger and promising plan. The construction of 'The Sky Eye' will start soon, in order to build Xuyi into the world-famous astronomy-themed travel destination. The local government has already signed the corporation deal with the International Planetarium Society (IPS) on May 19.
The construction of the town will start later this year and be finished by 2020. According to the design plan, this area is named as "Xuyi IPS Starry Town". The main building is called "The Sky Eye", which is a 70-meter ring-shaped complex building. There is also a visiting area around it, where several traditional Chinese architectures can be found.
With an initial investment of two billion RMB (more than 310 million US dollars), it’s going to be a destination for astronomy tours and education to attract annually 2.5 million tourists around the world. In addition, around 8,000 working positions will be provided to the public. The town is expected to make profits in three years after opening.
The "Xuyi IPS Starry Town" will be a perfect site for astronomy fans and lovers. The town will give people a chance to learn more about astronomy and boost Xuyi County’s economic and travel industries at the same time. The IPS thinks this project as a popular development for the astronomy education and outreach community. "Humans all share the sky, yet it is becoming more challenging to see it given many city lights,” said Shawn Laatsch, the president of IPS.