Shanghai must ensure its long-awaited Disney theme park avoids the 'Hong Kong model' and guarantee that the city gains a larger share of the park's income, a delegate to the municipality's top political advisory body has argued.
In a proposal to the Shanghai People's Political Consultative Conference, which is meeting this week, Tu Haiming said the park - scheduled to be completed by 2015 - should take into account local culture and the needs of the local market.
'It certainly must not be purely American culture,' Tu told the Xinmin Evening News.
Tu said the Hong Kong Disneyland agreement was 'unfair' and favoured the US-based entertainment giant's interests over the government. Despite having footed the bill for 90 per cent of the park's investment, the Hong Kong government had gained little, he said.
'[This] is the biggest lesson Shanghai should learn from Hong Kong, which hardly makes any profit from the Disneyland project so far,' he told the Shanghai Daily.
Tu said he understood that the Hong Kong government was entitled to only a share of ticket sales, and argued that Shanghai should fight for a cut of the park's overall revenue, including merchandising and income from Disney hotels.