A Chinese-born British businessman has submitted a bid for a retired British Navy warship and is looking to turn it into a bilingual international school either in Britain or China if successful.
Lin Jianbang, a Zhuhai native who set up his real estate and catering business in Birmingham in 1992, confirmed to the media Tuesday that he had submitted legal papers to participate in the bid for the British army aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, a warship built by the British Navy after the Second World War.
Lin submitted a maximum offer of 40 million yuan ($6 million) while experts estimate it will fetch 20 million yuan at auction, the Shenzhen-based Daily Sunshine reported Wednesday.
Lin said he was thrilled at the news of the auction and "had never thought of buying an aircraft carrier before."
If successful, Lin plans to have the 209-meter-long ship transported to China and turn it into an international navigating school offering top-class teaching to Chinese students in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province where he has invested in a ship factory.
Lin said if the ship was banned from leaving British territory, he would anchor it in Liverpool, the city where the earliest Chinese immigrants settled, and turn it into a bilingual Chinese-English school to help coming generations of ethnic Chinese "keep a Chinese heart."
Sealed bids will be collected and the winner will be announced early February when the Navy completes its examination of bidders' proposals, the Daily Sunshine reported.
Liu Tianjiao contributed to the story
Lin Jianbang, a Zhuhai native who set up his real estate and catering business in Birmingham in 1992, confirmed to the media Tuesday that he had submitted legal papers to participate in the bid for the British army aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, a warship built by the British Navy after the Second World War.
Lin submitted a maximum offer of 40 million yuan ($6 million) while experts estimate it will fetch 20 million yuan at auction, the Shenzhen-based Daily Sunshine reported Wednesday.
Lin said he was thrilled at the news of the auction and "had never thought of buying an aircraft carrier before."
If successful, Lin plans to have the 209-meter-long ship transported to China and turn it into an international navigating school offering top-class teaching to Chinese students in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province where he has invested in a ship factory.
Lin said if the ship was banned from leaving British territory, he would anchor it in Liverpool, the city where the earliest Chinese immigrants settled, and turn it into a bilingual Chinese-English school to help coming generations of ethnic Chinese "keep a Chinese heart."
Sealed bids will be collected and the winner will be announced early February when the Navy completes its examination of bidders' proposals, the Daily Sunshine reported.
Liu Tianjiao contributed to the story
