About 95,000 square kilometers of the area is covered in desert. Photo: haixi.gov.cn

For all space enthusiasts, there is good news in store.

Mars Village, China?s first simulated Mars base is expected to be built in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, NW China's Qinghai province, according to China News Service.

The area, located in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, has diverse geography and natural scenery, including mountains, grasslands, dessert, rivers, and lakes.

About 95,000 square kilometers of the area is covered in desert. It is believed that the area has similar geographical features as Mars.

Liu Xiaoqun, director of the General Office of the Lunar and Deep-Space Exploration at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China's Mars Village will boost local tourism and cultural industries.

Since it is the only Mars-themed tourism spot in China, it can play a role in adding value to information about aerospace, astronomy, geography, geology, meteorology, and new energy.

The main part of the attraction will consist of two functional zones. One being "Mars communities" and the other being "Mars camps, according to Xiaoqun.