China is reaching for the stars with the opening of what it says it the world's tallest Ferris wheel in the country's south.

Tourists queue up for the newly operated ferris wheel in Nanchang, the capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Thursday, May 4, 2006.[AP]

The 525-foot-high Star of Nanchang opened in early May in a riverside park in Jiangxi province, the Xinhua News Agency said.

The wheel is a full 82 feet taller than the London Eye on the banks of the River Thames in London which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the current record-holder.

The ride is lit up with fluorescent red and blue lights. A full rotation of the wheel takes about 30 minutes.

The developer is applying to Guinness World Record officials for certification as the tallest, Xinhua said.