Construction of the first modern amusement park in the plateau region of Tibet kicked off Thursday in the regional capital Lhasa. Designed for children and appropriately named "Happy Baby" in Tibetan, the park is expected to start business on next year's International Children's Day that falls on June 1, said Liu Shuxin, general manager of a company established to undertake the project.

With a total investment of 75 million yuan (12 million U.S. dollars), the park will cover an area of 4,281 square meters on the bank of the Lhasa River, Liu said.

Besides a Ferris wheel, the amusement park will have an indoor playground so children can play music, dance and paint during the cold, dry and long Lhasa winter.

"I'm longing to take the Ferris wheel on next Children's Day!" said Chonyi Como, a fifth grader in Lhasa.