UpdateRain can’t stop the fireworks as Shanghai Disneyland opens to public
Well-wishes from Chinese and American leadership as the ‘Mouse’ finally opens house on the mainland
US entertainment giant Walt Disney opened its first theme park on the mainland on Thursday with messages of support from the top leadership of the world’s two most powerful countries.
Thousands of tourists from home and abroad flocked to the highly anticipated Shanghai Disneyland despite the rain, although some patrons expressed frustration over long queues.
Calling the US$5.5 billion project a “successful cooperation” between Shanghai and Disney, President Xi Jinping said he hoped the park would promote a global exchange of culture, according to a letter from the leader that Vice-Premier Wang Yang read at the opening ceremony.
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“The resort captures the promise of our bilateral relationship,” US President Barack Obama said in a letter, which was read by Disney’s chief executive officer Bob Iger.
Other senior officials including Shanghai’s party chief and mayor also attended the opening ceremony.
Noting that China continued to attract significant overseas investment amid the global economic slowdown, Wang promised further opportunities for foreign businesses in sectors such as education, finance, health care and culture.