VALLEY FIRM WILL DESIGN THEME PARK IN CENTRAL CHINA.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

Perhaps ``The Great Leap Forward - The Ride'' is coming.

North Hollywood-based Landmark Entertainment, in a milestone to expand its services overseas, signed an agreement Friday to design a $150 million theme park in central China.

The unnamed project, due to open in 2000 in Wuhan, will feature both Chinese and Western themes and include a hotel, retail stores, an Imax giant-screen theater and live entertainment venues. The project, developed by Bin Sheng Du and Lee Kwok Shing of Hubei Yangtse Entertainment Development Co., will be one of about half a dozen theme parks in China when it opens although no others are in the vicinity of Wuhan.

The developers have 200 acres of land available on Wuhan's East Lake. Landmark President Tony Christopher said Wuhan officials want to take advantage of the region's proven ability to attract tourists drawn by its scenery.

``We've been approached by several people from China during the past three years but those talks have never materialized into a realistic project,'' Christopher said in a statement. ``After our more recent trips to China, and our meetings with local developers, we realized that the resources these parties had at their disposal, combined with their standing within the Chinese government, made them logical partners for us at this time.''

Landmark plans to enclose large parts of the project because of the area's occasionally harsh weather conditions.

``Our goal will be to marry the best of the Eastern culture with the best of Western technology, while at the same time paying homage to the Chinese culture and its history,'' said Mike Marquez, Landmark's senior show designer.

Landmark, founded in 1980 by Christopher and Gary Goddard, has previously worked on the ``Jurassic Park'' ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, Terminator 2/3D at Universal Studios Florida and Caesar's Magic Empire in Las Vegas. It is currently designing and producing ``Star Trek: The Experience'' for Paramount at the Las Vegas Hilton, due to open this summer, and has been trying to expand its niche beyond theme-park design into developing family entertainment projects.

The Wuhan deal is the first major project for Landmark, which has about 90 employees, since October's $50 million investment by a company co-owned by pop star Michael Jackson and Prince Alaweed Bin Talal Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. The project is also the first to involve Landmark's joint venture with Pasadena-based engineering-construction specialist Parsons Corp., announced in November.

Landmark also agreed late last year to design ``cybercafes'' for struggling Apple Computer Inc., offering Internet surfing, videoconferencing and food at the same location.

The prince recently disclosed he has bought about 5 percent of the common stock of Apple, which has been held down by the company's loss of market share and poor financial results.

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2 Photos

Photo: (Color) Landmark's project will be one of about half a dozen theme parks in China when it opens.

(2) The park will feature both Chinese and Western themes and include a hotel, retail stores and an Imax giant-screen theater.