Fireworks explode over the Enchanted Storybook Castle during the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai on June 16. (AFP Photo)
Shanghai:
Entertainment giant Disney opened a massive theme park in Shanghai today, hoping to win over communist-ruled China's growing middle class with the ultimate American cultural export.
Thousands waited in long lines in the rain-drenched park, hoping to be among the first to ride attractions such as a futuristic rollercoaster based on the "Tron" science fiction films.
The Shanghai resort is the US company's sixth in the world and the first in mainland China -- there is already one in Hong Kong.
Workers broke ground on the project in 2011 and the Shanghai Disney Resort now sprawls over 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 square miles) on the city's outskirts, with a fairy-tale castle soaring over the horizon.
But the launch of the $5.5-billion resort, representing one of the biggest ever foreign investments in China, comes as growth in the world's second largest economy slumps to its lowest level in a quarter century.
Speaking at an opening ceremony, Disney chairman and chief executive Bob Iger said: "This is one of the most exciting moments in the history of the Walt Disney Company."
The highest-ranking Chinese official to attend the opening, Vice Premier Wang Yang, said the rain was a "symbol of fortune".
He forecast a "golden era" for tourism in China, which would help boost the economy.
"I would like to call this rain a rain of US dollars or Renminbi."
Disney calculates there are 330 million people living within a three-hour journey of Shanghai who are potential customers.
But on its first day, visitors came from all over China.
"We have always wanted to go to a Disney park, but (mainland) China did not have one," said restaurant owner Guan Song, who brought his six-year-old daughter and wife from the eastern province of Shandong.
Long lines at some attractions -- more than two hours for the film "Soaring Over the Horizon" -- dampened the celebratory mood for some.
"It's not worth waiting for two hours," said one man from the central province of Henan, who had his two sons in tow. "I want to look for something faster."
Disney has set the entrance fee at 499 yuan ($76) during peak periods and 370 yuan ($56) for other times, in a country where the average monthly disposable income is just $278.
Disney has also had to fend off accusations of cultural imperialism. Days before Shanghai Disney opened, Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin, who is developing his own entertainment properties, accused the US company of a cultural invasion.
But Disney denies the allegation, saying its philosophy is to integrate local elements throughout, from the Chinese food on the menu to the attractions -- even the Disney castle is topped with a traditional peony flower.
"We didn't just build Disneyland in China, we built China's Disneyland," Iger said.
Thousands waited in long lines in the rain-drenched park, hoping to be among the first to ride attractions such as a futuristic rollercoaster based on the "Tron" science fiction films.
The Shanghai resort is the US company's sixth in the world and the first in mainland China -- there is already one in Hong Kong.
Workers broke ground on the project in 2011 and the Shanghai Disney Resort now sprawls over 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 square miles) on the city's outskirts, with a fairy-tale castle soaring over the horizon.
But the launch of the $5.5-billion resort, representing one of the biggest ever foreign investments in China, comes as growth in the world's second largest economy slumps to its lowest level in a quarter century.
Speaking at an opening ceremony, Disney chairman and chief executive Bob Iger said: "This is one of the most exciting moments in the history of the Walt Disney Company."
The highest-ranking Chinese official to attend the opening, Vice Premier Wang Yang, said the rain was a "symbol of fortune".
He forecast a "golden era" for tourism in China, which would help boost the economy.
"I would like to call this rain a rain of US dollars or Renminbi."
Disney calculates there are 330 million people living within a three-hour journey of Shanghai who are potential customers.
But on its first day, visitors came from all over China.
"We have always wanted to go to a Disney park, but (mainland) China did not have one," said restaurant owner Guan Song, who brought his six-year-old daughter and wife from the eastern province of Shandong.
Long lines at some attractions -- more than two hours for the film "Soaring Over the Horizon" -- dampened the celebratory mood for some.
"It's not worth waiting for two hours," said one man from the central province of Henan, who had his two sons in tow. "I want to look for something faster."
Disney has set the entrance fee at 499 yuan ($76) during peak periods and 370 yuan ($56) for other times, in a country where the average monthly disposable income is just $278.
Disney has also had to fend off accusations of cultural imperialism. Days before Shanghai Disney opened, Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin, who is developing his own entertainment properties, accused the US company of a cultural invasion.
But Disney denies the allegation, saying its philosophy is to integrate local elements throughout, from the Chinese food on the menu to the attractions -- even the Disney castle is topped with a traditional peony flower.
"We didn't just build Disneyland in China, we built China's Disneyland," Iger said.
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