Update | Rain 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.
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“Disney’s choice to build a theme park in Shanghai suggested foreign businesses were optimistic about the investment environment and future growth in the China market,” Wang said.
The theme park is hoping to lure mainlanders by localising some of its offerings. Patrons can visit the “Garden of the Twelve Friends”, which uses characters such as Tigger from Winnie the Pooh to represent the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, or take in the Broadway-style production of The Lion King, performed in Chinese.
There was no official data on how many visitors the park received, but more than 22,000 people had arrived by the resort subway by 2pm, according to the Disney metro station.
The Shanghai Disney Resort, which includes the park and two themed hotels, has been operating on a trial basis for more than a month, and has received about a million visitors so far.
Rachael Sun, a Shanghai office clerk who visited Disneyland in Hong Kong and Tokyo, said she was prepared for a long wait for popular attractions.
She also visited during the trial run and especially enjoyed the “Tron Lightcycle Power Run”. “The service in the park is good and staff are trying their best,” she said. She said one disadvantage at Hong Kong’s Disney was staff did not speak Putonghua.
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Chen Aiqin was visiting the park with her young daughter and found the lines too long. “We did nothing but queue throughout the day. It’s a waste of time,” she said. When they were waiting outside the park, she saw some people jump the line and said there was little order in the waiting area.
Analysts expect the Shanghai park to eventually attract at least 15 million guests a year.
