Chinese Theme Parks

[GeneChing]

I stumbled on this article today and figured a thread dedicated to Chinese theme parks might be amusing. Anyone ever been to one? They are a trip for sure.

Click the link below for a haunting gallery

China's abandoned "Wonderland" (http://news.yahoo.com/photos/china-s-abandoned-wonderland--1323898013-slideshow/wonderland-photo-1323897898.html)
Once billed as the largest amusement park in Asia, the unfinished "Wonderland" park now stands derelict, a worrying sign of China's property market.

The entrance to an abandoned building leads into a derelict amusement park called 'Wonderland', on the outskirts of Beijing December 5, 2011. Construction work at the park, which was promoted by developers as 'the largest amusement park in Asia', stopped around 1998 after funds were withdrawn due to disagreements over property prices with the local government and farmers. With local governments often dependent on land sales to fund payments on a staggering 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) of debt, Beijing worries that a collapsing property market will trigger a wave of defaults that in turn will hit the banks. More worrisome, the property market, which contributes about 10 percent of Chinese growth and drives activity in 50 other sectors, could drag the real economy to a hard landing. Picture taken December 5, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION)

Other related theme park threads
Wudang Taiji Theme Park (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62560)
Bruce Lee Memorials (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42950)
Splendid China - Ghost town of an Amusement Park (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57972)
Kingdom of Little People (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56645)
TCM theme park (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57106)
Love Land (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54000)
Taekwondo Park (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49608) (not China, but martial)

[GeneChing]

World Chocolate Wonderland website (Chinese only) (http://www.chocolatewonderland.com.cn/)


Chocolate Theme Park Opens In China, Boasts Edible Terracotta Army (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/12/02/chocolate-theme-park-china-terracotta-army_n_1125018.html)
Huffington Post Alastair Plumb First Posted: 2/12/11 11:35 GMT Updated: 2/12/11 11:42
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/424619/thumbs/r-CHOCOLATE-TERRACOTTA-ARMY-large570.jpg
When the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, decreed his people to make him a terracotta army to protect him in the afterlife, it's a safe bet he wasn't expecting anyone to make chocolate replicas of his troops nearly 2000 years later.

But exactly that has happened, with the "World Chocolate Wonderland" theme park opening in Shanghai, China as part of the Himalaya Art Museum's collections.

Hundreds of different objects - from lifesize BMWs to minature robots - have been made out of chocolate and icing, bringing the world a museum that will no doubt have its visitors salivating as they walk round it.

Despite being a 20,000-square-metre attraction, the park's biggest crowdpleaser is definitely its chocolate army, boasting human-sized models as well as smaller, more intricate versions.

Curious chocoholics will also be able to create their own blend of sugary cocoa at the museum too, though chances are it's not going to end up shaped like ancient Chinese soldiers. Sorry about that.

For more images from the "World Chocolate Wonderland" theme park, check out this gallery below - it's got everything from Transformers to giant $100 bills. Seriously.


China's Chocolate Fashion Looks Good, Tastes Great! (http://inventorspot.com/articles/chinas_chocolate_fashion_looks_good_tastes_great)
by China.new

http://inventorspot.com/files/images/choco_1.img_assist_custom.jpeg
A rather “tasteful” fashion show at World Chocolate Wonderland in Shanghai, China, featured clothing and accessories made from delicately (and deliciously) carved & crafted chocolate.

World Chocolate Wonderland in Shanghai is aid to be China's largest chocolate theme park, which leads one to assume China is awash in chocolate theme parks – not that this is a bad thing (yum!). In any case, being the biggest of anything is no longer good enough to garner headlines these days. Solution? Stage a chocolate fashion show, of course, and on December 15th, 2011 that's exactly what transpired.

http://inventorspot.com/files/images/131309085_41n.img_assist_custom.jpghttp://inventorspot.com/files/images/131309085_31n.img_assist_custom.jpg

Now one might think clothing made from chocolate is impractical to say the least: remember “melts in your mouth, not in your hands”? Not to worry (or anticipate), the featured chocolate duds are supported by fabric bases and although they might not keep the wearer warm, at least they'll sate the appetite between meals.

Five Chinese fashion designers were selected to create the high-calorie clothing and accessories shown at the opening event: Taiwan's Kang Yen-Ling (康延龄), Helen Lee (李鸿雁) of Shanghai, Beijing-born Tan Siyuan (谭思源), and a pair of mainlanders: Hsu Feng-Yu (许凤玉) and Lin Guodong (林国栋). Each designer was charged with fashioning 2 chocolate articles each.

http://inventorspot.com/files/images/131309085_51n.img_assist_custom.jpghttp://inventorspot.com/files/images/131309085_11n.img_assist_custom.jpg

The challenge of creating clothing and accessories using chocolate was no piece of cake, as it were. In fact it took nearly 3 months of close collaboration with World Chocolate Wonderland's organizer to finally arrive at the range of chocolate fashions displayed at the runway show.

By the way, if you missed the December 15th intro showing, no worries: the chocolate-themed articles crafted for the show are on display at World Chocolate Wonderland, along with over 200 chocolate art pieces, from December 16th through February 19th of 2012... that is, unless hungry visitors succumb to sweet temptation first.

[Syn7]

a kung fu theme park would be fresh.

[GeneChing]

I couldn't quite put my finger on the trend that inspired this thread until this article.


December 27, 2011 -- Updated December 27, 2011 11:57 HKT
Theme parks enter a new Golden Age (http://www.livetradingnews.com/theme-parks-enter-a-new-golden-age-60176.htm)

Investment in theme parks and cutting-edge attractions like Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando rose during the recession, suggesting the business is entering a new Golden Age.

“It’s almost like a Theme Park 2.0, or a re-boot,” said Brent Young, co-founder of the Super 78 production studio in Hollywood, California. “We are really coming into a second Golden Age in theme park development,” he said.

The 1st boom, which peaked in the 1970′s, saw extensive construction of theme parks in the United States from the ground up.

Development of Walt Disney World, Six Flags, Busch Gardens and numerous regional parks led to a saturation of the US market by the 1980′s.

The New Era is a Global phenomenon propelled by technological advances and a growing middle-class in Asia and emerging countries. In the US there is a squeeze on the middle-class. But in other parts of the World, there is an expanding middle class.”

China is experiencing a theme park construction boom comparable to what occurred in the United States in the 1970′s.

The coming Disney park in Shanghai triggered an expansion of the Chinese regional theme park company Happy Valley. Disney broke ground in Shanghai in Y 2011, and anticipates a Y 2015 opening.

In the past when Disney has opened in a region of the World, it has encouraged others to enter. With the Shanghai Disney park, one expects a similar increase in construction and development.

The New Golden Age is marked by the additions of highly themed and immersive experiences using state-of-the-art technology.

The huge success of the Harry Potter ride at Universal Orlando, which executives say boosted attendance by 50%, has increased demand.

Since that attraction opened in June 2010, Universal has been breaking its attendance records.

Spending on new attractions in the United States also is up, estimates are that spending rose 30-35% over the past 2 yrs, following 4 yrs of mostly stagnant attendance and deep discounting at parks. Much of the new spending is on redevelopment and additions to existing parks according to an industry source.

Several examples of recent investment in the central Florida tourist hub include; Sea World Orlando’s planned overhaul of its Penguin exhibit to include state-of-the-art interactive ride technology, and the just-completed revamp of the historic Cypress Gardens ski-show park in Winter Haven into a LegoLand.

Ride manufacturers who met in Orlando in November for the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions convention have never been busier, they are almost at capacity for the next couple of years according to reports.

Experts said the end is not in sight, thanks to technological advances that will continue to create demand.

Within the next 10 yrs, the experts expect attractions will enable park guests to feel as if they are sharing space with fully rendered 3-D characters and other nearly unimaginable experiences, it will be like going to the 5th dimension.

Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr

Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr. writes and publishes The Red Roadmaster’s Technical Report on the US Major Market Indices, a weekly, highly-regarded financial market letter, read by opinion makers, business leaders and organizations around the world.

Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr has studied the global financial and stock markets since 1984, following a successful business career that included investment banking, and market and business analysis. He is a specialist in equities/commodities, and an accomplished chart reader who advises technicians with regard to Major Indices Resistance/Support Levels.

[GeneChing]

Here's a 15 photo essay from TIME:

Theme Parks in China (http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1683903,00.html)

In the last few years, the Chinese have opened over dozens of amusement and entertainment complexes in a dizzying array of styles and motifs

Speaking of Windows of the World, wolfen, check this out:

Chinese Theme Park Opens ‘Angry Birds’ Attraction (http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/09/08/chinese-theme-park-opens-angry-birds-attraction/)
By Frances Romero | @Frances_Romero | September 8, 2011

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/rtr2qwcp.jpg?w=600&h=400&crop=1
The Window of the World amusement park in Changsha, China recently opened an Angry Birds attraction as part of its month-long “stress-reducing festival.”

Visitors to the new attraction use giant slingshots to launch plush-toy birds into the air at pig balloons. Although the Angry Birds game was created by Finnish company Rovio, the new playground is located in the Window of the World’s American Zone, near a scaled down version of Mt. Rushmore. Angry Birds has been purchased by millions across the globe, making Rovio’s app one of the most popular ever. The attraction at the Chinese park, however, is not licensed by Rovio, which led to speculation that a lawsuit could be on the horizon.

But PC World reports that rather than threaten a lawsuit, Rovio has started negotiations with the park to possibly set up a long-term partnership. A stress-reducing attraction available year-round? Bring it on.

[R]

I remember being in Ghanzhou in 1986 and wandering into the weirdest theme park I had ever seen... double loop de loop roller coaster, amusement park etc all for workers ''between jobs'' LOL!! Scared the crap out of me going on that one considering the physical state of the place :' S

LFD

[GeneChing]

That place was wonderfully weird. The Buddhist Hell depiction was awesome. There was this statue of King Yama and people would make offerings to it. Mostly, it was cigarettes stuffed in Yama's mouth, but someone had left a huge cow tongue with him when I was there. It added authenticity to the hellishness.

I've published a few photos from that to add color to some of my past articles. I'd have to really dig through the archives to remember which ones, however.

I've been meaning to start a thread devoted to Buddhist Hell up in the Shaolin forum.

[GeneChing]

Best
Theme Park
Ever.

If only they had a rollercoaster. ;)

Beijing hopes to tackle corruption with Clean Politics Park (http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/global-observer/beijing-hopes-to-tackle-corruption-with-clean-politics-park/3623)
By Tom Han**** | January 31, 2012, 7:39 AM PST
http://i.bnet.com/blogs/img_1146-300x225.jpg

BEIJING - As anyone in China will tell you, solving the country’s ongoing problem of political corruption is no walk in the park. Unless you’re walking through Beijing’s “Clean Politics” park, that is.

The 50 acre public park, which opened last June, takes “Clean Politics” as its theme. Built on the bank of the ancient canal that once linked Beijing with Southern China, statues of exemplary government workers from China’s past fill the park. Yu Chenglong, a famously honest eighteenth century civil servant who is the subject of the Chinese opera “The Honest Official,” gets his own statue, as does the first local government official to join the Communist Party.

The park also features some abstract sculpture. One giant effort resembling a broken Rubik’s Cube is plastered with the Chinese character “Qin,” meaning hard work, and there’s also a spherical statue called the Harmony Ball. Even the plants reflect the theme of political honesty. The orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum blossom plants surrounding the statues are known as the “Four Gentlemen” in traditional Chinese art.

The park is part of a wider "Clean Politics" education drive.
http://i.bnet.com/blogs/img_1159-300x225.jpg
One statue shows a government official in front of large bronze mirror, “Government officials can come look in the mirror themselves when they visit the park, and consider if they’re truly honest,” Chen Jie, a local resident visiting the park with her husband, said. Plastic signs made to look like tree trunks stand at intervals throughout the park, containing speakers which broadcast inspirational sounding electronic music, including the theme song from the film “Chariots of Fire.”

Political corruption is widespread in China, which ranked 78 out of 179 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index last year. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called corruption “the biggest threat” to the country’s stability in comments last March. The head of Beijing’s city disciplinary committee, the government body responsible for investigating corruption, was present at the park’s opening ceremony.

China’s government sees investment in “Clean Politics Education,” as one way of reducing corruption, and Beijng’s Clean Politics Park is not the first of its kind in China. The city of Taiyuan advertises itself as having the largest Clean Politics themed park in northern China, which is a “key site for the spreading of clean political education,” according to local media. A similar park in Yulin, Southern China features statues of corrupt government officials as examples to be avoided. In total, at least eight Chinese cities have similar parks.

But on a cold and windswept January morning, visitors to the park downplayed the park’s political implications. “I’m just here for the scenery,” Chen said.


Chinese city boosts tourism with homegrown theme parks (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-01/19/c_131369338.htm)
English.news.cn 2012-01-19 18:51:28

HEFEI, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Most U.S. citizens know the city of Orlando for its cornucopia of amusement parks and other tourist attractions. The city of Wuhu is building a similar reputation in China, with domestically developed theme parks attracting thrillseekers from all over the country.

"I can't imagine a park like this being in China. I think it rivals the theme parks found abroad," said Wu Mei, a tourist from Shanghai, after watching a film at the Fantawild Adventure Theme Park, located in Wuhu in east China's Anhui province.

The park is different from many others in the country in that its high-tech rides and attractions were completely designed and built in China. Fantawild Holdings, based in the city of Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong province, owns two theme parks in Wuhu.

"The company has a research and development team of over 1,000 people, allowing it to update its products with new designs to keep people interested," said Hu Guanghua, marketing director of Fantawild's Anhui branch.

In 2011, the Fantawild Adventure Theme Park received 2.33 million people, up 10 percent year-on-year. More than 10 million people have visited the Fantawild parks in Wuhu over the last four years, making the city a popular tourist destination.

Before the theme parks opened, large tracts of empty land were a common sight in Wuhu. Large hotels, restaurants and retailers were rarely seen, said Kong Lingcai, an official from Wuhu's Communist Party of China (CPC) committee.

But less than two years after the parks were built, more than 100 hotels and restaurants were opened in the city, Kong said.

The city's job market is also booming. Hu said the Fantawild parks in Wuhu employ over 2,000 people, while related industries in the city are employing even more.

The city government plans to build more parks over the next five to 10 years, aiming to create a "theme park complex" in the city.

"We hope to build Wuhu into an 'eastern Orlando'," said Xiong Taixiang, vice director of the Wuhu government's cultural industry development office

The "eastern Orlando," however, will not be a mere copy of the U.S. city, but will include more Chinese content, as can be seen in the decor at the Fantawild parks.

"We are trying to integrate Chinese culture with our high-tech facilities," Hu said.

The construction of a theme park based on China's intangible cultural heritage is expected to start in Wuhu this year.

[GeneChing]

I just wanted to post this because of Napoleonland.

What do Angry Birds, Noah and Napoleon have in common? (http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2012/02/what-do-angry-birds-noah-and-napoleon-have-in-common/631449/1)
By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
Updated 48m ago

http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/dispatches/2012/02/20/birdx-inset-community.jpg
By PATRICK LIN, AFP/Getty Images
They're all destined to become theme park attractions, that's what.

An Angry Birds attraction will debut in the Sarkanniemi theme park in Tampere, Finland in April, Attractions Management reports. The attraction has the blessing of Rovio Entermainment, the Finnish developer of the popular mobile game. (This was not the case in September when a Chinese theme park rolled out its own -- unlicensed -- version of Angry Birds in which competitors used giant bird-loaded slingshots to knock off enemy swine as part of a month-long stress reduction festival.)

Meanwhile in France, a right-leaning former government minister has proposed a Napoleonland theme park as a counterpart to Disneyland Paris, about 40 miles away. The idea reportedly got a thumbs up from French President Nicolas Sarkozy (dubbed "Napoleon in a suit" by one French political commentator).

Not surprisingly, some British commentators have their knickers in a twist over the news.

"Why simply take your children to pose with Mickey Mouse when they could be re-enacting the battle of Trafalgar in a giant aquarium – or dry-skiing past frozen corpses from Napoleon's desperate retreat from Russia?" writes a columnist for the Guardian.

And this from London's Daily Mail: "To British eyes it may seem extraordinary that a French president should associate himself in any way with a man whose actions led to the deaths of millions of people — and whose defeat paved the way for British 19th century supremacy, reducing France to the rank of a second-rate power where, let us be honest, it has remained."

Ouch!

Closer to home, the group behind a giant Noah's Ark-themed attraction in northern Kentucky has purchased the final land parcel for the project – 800 acres in all. But fundraising efforts are slowing its progress, the AP reports.

Answers in Genesis, the group behind the $150 million Ark Encounter, say they've raised about $5 million thus far, but are seeking $24 million in donations.

All of these plans are kind of wild, but if distance weren't an issue, which image would you pay to see? Angry Birds, Napoleon or Noah?

[GeneChing]

I never thought this thread would become such a barometer of China's growth.

Wait, Mrs. Dangerfield? :confused:


EXCLUSIVE - Universal in early talks on China park, joint venture (http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/02/26/universal-china-idINDEE81P08O20120226)
By Ronald Grover
Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:43pm IST

REUTERS - Tianjin, China's sixth-largest city, has held preliminary talks with Comcast Corp's NBC Universal about a joint venture to build a theme park in the port city, according to the head of a Chinese trade delegation visiting Los Angeles.

The Tianjin city government also intends to meet at a later date with other Hollywood studios, angling to become the latest to partner with U.S. media conglomerates and develop entertainment for China's growing consumer base, while fostering a future generation of local filmmakers.

"We are establishing a center for culture and creativity and we want to become partners with the biggest and best companies in this area," Tianjin Vice Mayor Cui Jindu said through an interpreter in a phone interview with Reuters. "They have a lot of experience in this."

It can take years to hammer out theme park agreements in China, as Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) learned with its Shanghai endeavor. Several cities, including Beijing, have reportedly vied in past years for such high-profile investments, eyeing the prestige attached to a major global tourist attraction.

The Chinese official, part of a delegation in Los Angeles on Academy Awards weekend, convened at the home of Joan Dangerfield, the widow of comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

Dangerfield is a partner in the Beverly Hills-based consultant, Opus 73, that links foreign investors with U.S. companies.

Cui did not indicate that a deal with Universal was imminent, but he said Tianjin -- city of about 10 million within easy distance of Beijing -- could partner with the major Hollywood company to build a theme park and perhaps even a studio.

"There are still hurdles to overcome," he said, adding that his city was prepared to provide a financial contribution to any joint venture created. Any partnership would also need regulatory approval.

The Chinese delegation intends to make initial contact with other studios and will talk with other companies in addition to Universal before making a decision.

"We want to talk with Warner Brothers, with Disney and others," he said. "We are at the beginning of this."

Universal declined to comment.

Other Hollywood studios have recently formed alliances with Chinese companies and governmental units.

On February 17, "Kung Fu Panda" creator DreamWorks Animation SKG said it planned to build a production studio in Shanghai in a deal that was announced while Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping was visiting Los Angeles, wrapping up a U.S. trip.

Last April, Disney broke ground on a $4.4 billion resort in Shanghai that will include a theme park and hotels, and be majority-owned by three large state-owned media or construction companies.

In May, Tianjin itself opened a $690 million animation studio to help boost its local animation industry.

The Chinese delegation, which arrived two days before the annual Academy Awards ceremony, had no plans to attend the Oscars event itself, Cui said.

"But we will attend some of the peripheral events," he added.

[GeneChing]

This sounds....dangerous.

High Five wooden roller coaster to debut in China (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/13/news/la-trb-happy-valley-wuhan-dragon-wings-03201208)
(Gravity Group)
March 13, 2012|By Brady MacDonald | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

A racing wooden roller coaster debuting this spring at a Chinese theme park will feature a first-of-its-kind element in which riders in dueling trains reach out toward each other and attempt to exchange high-fives.

Dubbed the High Five by the American ride designers, the wooden coaster opening in April at Happy Valley Wuhan will be officially known as Dragon Wings.

Riders traveling in parallel trains along banked tracks during the unique High Five element will tilt inward 90 degrees, allowing their upward raised hands to almost touch during the near-miss moment.

PHOTOS: Dragon Wings wooden coaster at Happy Valley Wuhan (http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-happy-valley-wuhan-dragon-wings-03201208-pg,0,6859067.photogallery)

Designed by Ohio-based Gravity Group and built by Canada's Martin & Vleminckx, Dragon Wings becomes only the third wooden coaster in China, where theme park visitors approach the rare rides with an unusual mixture of overwrought apprehension and unbridled glee.

Dragon Wings begins with a side-by-side ascent to the top of a 105-foot-tall lift hill. During the first drop, the twin Philadelphia Toboggan trains crisscross before racing into the marquee High Five element at 55 mph. Splitting into opposing banked turns, the trains then speed toward each other for a head-to-head pass. Racing side-by-side again, the trains navigate a weaving quartet of over-under passes before dissipating their remaining energy along a sequence of airtime camelback hills.

Four steel coasters are also planned for the grand opening of Happy Valley Wuhan, including an S&S Worldwide compressed air launch ride known as Extreme Rusher and a pair of Maurer Sohne rides -- a Sky Loop dubbed Flight of Phoenix and an X-Car called Magic Express.

Located about 500 miles west of Shanghai equidistance between Beijing and Hong Kong, Happy Valley Wuhan will become the fifth in a chain of parks by the Overseas Chinese Town group. OCT operates Happy Valley parks in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu with a sixth park expected to open in Tianjin in 2013.

The new Happy Valley Tianjin park will also include an out-and-back woodie created by the Gravity Group/Martin & Vleminckx team. In 2009, the team built China's first wooden coaster on a spit of land surrounded by water at Happy Valley Shanghai.

The new Happy Valley Wuhan park will include 30 rides and attractions set amid eight themed lands:

Dream Street - Shops and restaurants along an entrance promenade similar to Disneyland's Main Street USA.

Happy Hour - A circus-themed land with twin drop towers, a carousel and a wave swinger.

Speed World - An adrenaline-filled land with a launched coaster and a pendulum swing.

River City - A waterfront-based land that's home to the Dragon Wings wooden coaster.

Hurricane Bay - A themed landed based on a small American town with water rides and a 4-D theater.

Paradise - An environmentally-focused land featuring gardens with bird and animal exhibits.

Fishing Island - An island with a 400-foot-tall observation tower overlooking a lake.

Magic Castle - A children's area with a family coaster, a junior drop tower, a carousel and a 4-D theater.

The new park will also include a Mayan-themed water park called Maya Beach with racing slides, speed tubes and circular bowls.


Global Theme Parks Market to Reach US$31.8 Billion by 2017, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebtheme_parks_water_parks/amusement_parks/prweb9282694.htm)
GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Theme Parks markets. World market for Theme Parks is projected to reach US$31.8 billion by the year 2017. Growth will be primarily driven by increased consumer per capita spending on entertainment and leisure platforms, and growing base of middle class households, increasing disposable incomes, urbanization in developing countries, and waxing popularity of mass entertainment.

San Jose, California (PRWEB) March 14, 2012

Follow us on LinkedIn – Theme parks are outdoor locations, which offer specialized amusement along a preconceived theme. Traditional theme parks comprise various themed lands containing rides (roller coasters, etc), games, concerts and themed events originating from specific subjects such as countries, myths, fairy tales and movies, among others. Theme parks are usually planned to serve as a fun outing for the entire family, and they are considered a form of leisure activity as they offer an opportunity for entertainment during an individual's discretionary free time.

North America and Europe represent mature markets for theme parks with growth in visitor attendance stabilizing. Increasing competition from other modes of entertainment, continuing economic woes such as high levels of unemployment, and widening deficits will continue to challenge growth in these markets. Future growth in the world theme parks market will stem from developing countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East. Asia represents one of the fastest growing regional markets worldwide largely as a result of strong economic growth, rising standards of living, income levels, discretionary income, and increased per capita spends on entertainment/leisure. China, which houses few of Asia’s largest theme parks, is witnessing healthy growth.

A key noteworthy trend in the theme parks market is the park within a park concept. Most of the parks are adding second-gate attractions and a number of hotel rooms as part of attempts to restructure parks into integrated resorts, capable of operating throughout the year. Investments in park upgradation such as installation of new rides, creation of new zones in the park, deployment of interactive and wireless technologies including Wii, RFID badges, and kiosks, to make the park more interactive and lively, are all expected to help bolster attendance in the upcoming years. Another key technology trend, is the move towards adoption of simulation technologies, and virtual reality to replicate natural scenarios. High-end visual imagery with sophisticated special effects designed to optimize visitor experience is forecast to result in magnetizing greater crowds to the parks.

World market for theme parks, which witnessed growth sag in the year 2009 as a result of the recession’s downward pressure on consumer spending, staged a recovery in the years 2010 & 2011. In Europe despite the concerns over the debt crisis, international attendance at European theme parks continues to hold up. The depreciation of the Euro amidst the pressures exerted by the eurozone debt drama is positively benefiting tourism in Europe with the number of middle class Asian tourists increasing in the region. In the event of the Greek crisis further pulling down the Euro, luxury goods in Europe is expected to become cheaper. This thereby will result in increased number of travelers from Asia, especially China, for cheaper luxury shopping. The strengthening RMB and a weakening Euro is making travelling to Europe cheaper for the Chinese. This higher influx of outbound tourists into Europe is expected to help theme parks in the region withstand the debt crisis.

As stated by the new market research report on Theme Parks, the United States dominates the world market. Strong growth is however expected to stem from Asia-Pacific, with the region projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.3% over the analysis period. Focused promotion of entertainment and tourism by governments in Asia is expected to improve per capita spending and attendance in theme parks in countries such as China, India, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Major players in the marketplace include Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Islands of Adventure, Lotte World, Magic Kingdom, Samsung Everland Inc., Six Flags Inc., The Adventuredome, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood, Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, among others.

The research report titled “Theme Parks: A Global Strategic Business Report” announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a comprehensive review of market trends, drivers, issues, competitive scenario, strategic corporate developments, and profiles of major/niche global as well as regional market participants. The report provides annual revenue estimates and projections for theme parks for the following geographic markets – US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East/Africa, and Latin America.

For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit –
http://www.strategyr.com/Theme_Parks_Market_Report.asp

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.

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[Syn7]

Yeah I dunno if I'm down for wooden coasters. I'm just sayin'....

And the high five thing. Do they make you sign a release before you ride? I dunno. One retard and you got a multi-million dollar lawsuit on your hands.

Well, maybe not. I dunno much about litigation in China. As far as I know when a complaint is made they will line up honor guardsmen to slap the plaintiff with leather gloves till he takes back his claim.

Seriously though. Two coaster coming at each other. Hey let's let them reach out and touch each other as they fly by in this new high tech wooden coaster!!! WTF???

This just isn't gonna end well.

[GeneChing]

MCM Wins Competition for Design of Outdoor Snoopy Amusement Park (http://archinect.com/firms/release/10932538/mcm-wins-competition-for-design-of-outdoor-snoopy-amusement-park/43726979)

http://cdn.archinect.net/images/615x/2f/2fprm74t1icauy5g.jpg

MCM wins competition for the design of the outdoor Snoopy Amusement Park in Beijing. The park is designed to become an iconic feature of the Qinghe Gongjian Shopping Mall providing children with year-around entertainment.

MCM Group was selected, in part, for its extensive experience in attraction design, and having worked on multiple children’s projects throughout China. MCM has worked on dozens of theme parks and attractions throughout the world. As lead architect Juan Gutierrez notes, "MCM Group is exceedingly cost-conscious in creating, exciting attractions while minimizing expenditures, and delivering in incredibly tight deadlines." The park design from Concept through Construction Documents is due in the spring of this year.

The Outdoor Snoopy Amusement Park will be an open venue with free admission. Composed of ten distinctly unique main areas, the park is themed around Charlie Brown's backyard. Bright colors and bold graphic designs create an atmosphere of great fun with high energy. The entrance of the park is Snoopy's Dog House that opens onto a raised platform with a view of the entire park. Larger than life Snoopy characters welcome visitors and tall flower sculptures embellish a puppet theatre made from a school bus.

Additional activities and structures include a Snoopy train and Peanut characters playing an array of sport activities. Adjacent to the train ride is a garden maze and nearby is a toddler's playground. The center of the park is a large Snoopy themed carousel. MCM works closely with Chinese ride manufacturers to ensure high quality, entertaining attractions that can be delivered on budget and in a timely manner.

More pix on this Transformers park if you follow the link.

Chinese Artist Creates Transformers Theme Park (http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/chinese-artist-creates-transformers-theme-park.html)
By Spooky on March 28th, 2012

http://www.odditycentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mr-Iron-Robot-550x349.jpg
It might look like the set of a new low-budget Transformers movie, but Mr. Iron Robot is actually a newly-inaugurated Transformers-themed park in Jiaxing City, China’s Zhejiang Province.

49-year-old artist Zhu Kefeng and his team have spent the last 10 years building giant metal robots from recycled iron and steel parts. He started out by making a realistic model of a car, then opened his own studio and began creating more intricate sculptures. He soon started doing commission work for people who liked his art, and for large orders he even set up a recycle bin where people could donate discarded metal parts. Zhu started working on Mr. Iron Robot theme park in 2010, with the money he had raised for selling his metal sculptures and his apartment in Shanghai. He and his team of collaborators worked hard and managed to turn an old abandoned factory into a modern attraction featuring over 600 Transformers-inspired sculptures.

Asked why he dedicated so much time to creating a kids’ park, Zhu Kefeng said “I still remember the joy I felt when playing with iron toys during my childhood, and I wanted to share that joy with children so I decided to build a theme park. The joy shared with others is even more enjoyable.” Every one of the Transformer-like sculptures at Mr. Iron Robot theme-park is made from recycled metal parts from used cars and motorcycles, and old machinery. He’s definitely not the first Chinese to build his very own Transformers, but I’m pretty sure he built the most.

[GeneChing]

China loves that game.

May 9, 2012 8:50 am
Angry Birds Maker Rovio Plans for Amusement Parks in China (http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255300/angry_birds_maker_rovio_plans_for_amusement_parks_ in_china.html)
By Michael Kan, IDG News

Mobile game publisher Rovio is planning to build theme parks in China revolving around its hit product Angry Birds, months after a local amusement park in the country sought to cash in on the franchise's popularity with its own real-life version of the Angry Birds game.

Rovio has already established an official Angry Birds theme park on its hometurf of Finland. But the company aims to do the same in China, where Rovio has been actively expanding with official Angry Birds games and merchandise localized for the market.

The company plans to build Angry Birds theme parks, ranging from small to large in size, across various cities including Beijing and Shanghai, said Paul Chen, general manager for Rovio China on Wednesday. The first parks will appear this year, but more will roll out over the next 18 to 24 months, he added.

The Angry Birds game itself has reached more than 100 million downloads in China, according to Chen, who spoke at event part of the Global Mobile Internet Conference being held in Beijing this week. But to expand into China, Rovio has been forced to wrestle with online piracy and intellectual property infringement in the country.

This made news last September, when a Chinese theme park opened a new attraction called "The Real Version of Angry Birds," allowing visitors to catapult bird-shaped balls at targets with a large slingshot. The theme park did not receive permission from Rovio to create the game, Chen said. But Rovio is in talks with the Chinese theme park on possible partnerships, he added.

Rovio's own theme parks in China will be more like the one offered in Finland, which features a combination of rides and large play structures for children. But the company also wants to incorporate some digital elements visitors' experience at the parks, Chen said. This will include exclusive Angry Birds content, such as animations or game levels, beamed to smartphones.

[GeneChing]

Here's Fantawild's website. (http://www.fantawild.com/english/index.aspx) I don't think I know any of those cartoons. :o

Chinese theme park goes global (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-05/22/content_15354029.htm)
Updated: 2012-05-22 09:40
( Xinhua)

BEIJING - A Chinese Disneyland-style amusement park, the Fantawild Theme Park, will be completed and open for business in Esfahan, Iran, by the end of this year.

The park's owner, Shenzhen-based Fantawild Holdings, has also signed export agreements with South Africa and Ukraine. Projects are being prepared in both countries, said Liu Daoqiang, vice president of Fantawild Holdings.

According to Liu, like Disneyland, the Fantawild site will export the whole package of brands, technology, products and management.

The Fantawild Adventure Theme Park, with a large variety of amusement facilities featuring high-end technology such as 4-D animation, was firstly built across an area of 1.25 million square meters in Wuhu, central Anhui province.

In 2011, the six Fantawild theme parks in operation in China, raked in a revenue of 1.26 billion yuan ($199 million).

The Wuhu park has registered 11 million visits since opening in April, 2008. Liu said on Thursday that Fantawild's blueprint is to have 10 to 13 theme parks across China, with annual ticket sales of three billion yuan by the end of 2015.

The park is different from many others in the country in that its high-tech rides and attractions were completely designed and built in China.

Fantawild Holdings, like Disney, is primarily an animation producer, with an animation output of 18,512 minutes last year, the longest in China. "These cartoons were both aired at home and exported to other countries, and the cartoon development capacity also makes innovation in our amusement facilities possible," Liu said.


I didn't know they were into Smurfs in Sichuan

'The Smurfs' theme park planned in SW China (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-09/15/content_13704681.htm)
Updated: 2011-09-15 15:14
(Xinhua)

CHENGDU - Papa Smurf and his merry band of blue-skinned friends will have a new home in China, with the construction of a "Smurf"-themed park scheduled to take place in the city of Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, over the next three to five years.

The amusement park will be built with an investment of 20 billion yuan (about $3.2 billion) by Chengdu Teda Sino-Europe Construction Co., Ltd. in collaboration with IMPS, an international merchandising company based in Belgium, according to a report released by DTZ, a global real estate advisor.

Chengdu Teda said on its website that the agreement with IMPS was actually reached in July 2010, but did not say when the construction will start or where the park will specifically be located.

The park is expected to receive around 10 million visitors a year, making it a tourist destination on par with Chengdu's giant pandas.

The Smurfs, designed by Belgian cartoonist Peyo in 1958, became popular after starring in their own television series in the 1980s. This summer's live-action and animation film "The Smurfs," starring Neil Patrick Harris and pop star Katy Perry, received a warm welcome from Chinese audiences.

In France, a "Smurfs" amusement park struggled to survive during the 1990s. The park is still there, but no longer features a "Smurfs"-related theme.

[Gowgee]

I went to the Sino-centric version of "It's a Small World" in Shenzen.
Here's a link to the place:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297415-d491514-Reviews-China_Folk_Culture_Village-Shenzhen_Guangdong.html

All the local folks were having a great time! Unfortunately I didn't share
any of their cultural knowledge and had nothing to get nostalgic over
with any of the attractions whatsoever. Lesson learned!

[GeneChing]

Well this sounds fun. What a great place to take the kiddies.

Military theme park a big bang for fans (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-06/14/content_15500395.htm)
Updated: 2012-06-14 08:14
By Zheng Xin ( China Daily)

Want to fly a fighter jet? How about plumb the depths in a submarine? Or perhaps you'd like to run about in full army fatigues, shooting at your pals?

Well, you'll soon be able to, at Beijing's newest attraction: Iron Heroes Military Theme Park.

Covering about 20,000 square meters in Olympic Forest Park, the park has military exhibitions, re-created battle zones, high-tech simulators and mock war games.

"Visitors can experience a ride in a J-20 stealth jet, or the navy's proposed 095 nuclear-powered submarine," said Zheng Changjiang, director of Yueshikong, which has set up the park in cooperation with the China Association for Culture-Promoting Industry and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' science communication research center.

Military theme park a big bang for fans

"By recreating battle scenes, military buffs and other visitors will be thrilled by the hyper-reality experience," Zheng said. "In addition, the explanation and interpretation by military experts at the park will add to visitors' knowledge."

Ma Chenxue, a bank clerk in Tianjin, has been a military enthusiast since boyhood. He said he has been looking forward to such a park for too long.

"There are several military parks in China, but they are either museums with square-toed military history or amusement arcades for kids," he said. "This is a pioneering work in that the theme park combines knowledge and fun."

As well as being able to take part in interactive games, visitors can also learn through the trip.

The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution has provided about 100 models of the most advanced weapons and military equipment, including an Apache helicopter, a Humvee and a Type 99 tank.

Wang Guoji, deputy director of the China Association for the Culture-Promoting Industry, said the park will help popularize the science and consciousness of national defense.

"Besides providing firsthand experience for military enthusiasts, the military theme park will get more of the public interested in the field," said Wang.

With an investment of about 20 million yuan ($3.14 million), Zheng, whose father is a soldier and has been interested in war movies since childhood, said the park is also a fulfillment of his own dream.

"I had always longed to be a member of the air force and being in the park makes the dream come true, for a while at least," he said. "Hopefully all the other military fans can feel their dreams come true."

[GeneChing]

KFP theme park? From China, Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Jersey just feels like a fail.

DreamWorks Animation Announces Plans for Meadowlands Amusement Park (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/nyregion/dreamworks-announces-plans-for-meadowlands-amusement-park.html)
By CHARLES V. BAGLI
Published: July 10, 2012

The Hollywood studio DreamWorks Animation has struck a deal to bring Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and other animated movie characters to a planned amusement park as part of a revived entertainment and retail mall in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

It would be the first theme park based on the studio’s animated movies since DreamWorks’s earlier plans for parks in China, Abu Dhabi and Dubai failed to work out. DreamWorks has sought to capitalize on the huge popularity of its films, much as Disney and Universal Studios have in the United States, Europe and Asia. The indoor theme park would include rides, attractions and a glass-enclosed wave pool incorporating characters from the studio’s movies.

The partnership between the developer, Triple Five, and DreamWorks is a rare bit of good news for a site that has sat vacant and unfinished since May 2009, when the previous developers ran out of money after spending $1.9 billion on a five-story complex just west of Manhattan, near MetLife Stadium, called Xanadu.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Animation, confirmed the deal, saying the theme park would involve the studio’s “characters, storytelling and technology in a unique and innovative family entertainment experience.”

Triple Five, the developer of the Mall of America, has renamed the project American Dream and drawn up plans to make it even bigger, with nearly 1.7 million square feet of retail space, an indoor ski hill, indoor sky diving, bowling, an aquarium, a live theater and the 14.7-acre amusement park.

But the project continues to be dogged by delays. In announcing a tentative agreement between the current owners and Triple Five in May 2011, Gov. Chris Christie said he expected the developer to strike a deal with the owners and get financing for the project by the end of 2011 so that American Dream could be open for the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium. But executives working with Triple Five now say that $1.75 billion in financing will not be completed until October and that the complex will not open until September 2014, seven months after the Super Bowl.

Triple Five, which is owned by the Ghermezian family, has built two of the world’s largest and most successful entertainment malls. But the company faces special challenges in the Meadowlands, the least of which are the local blue laws that prohibit retail activity on Sundays.

Many retailers say they are reluctant to get involved with the project because of its troubled history. “There were enough false starts that retailers want to see some substance,” said Ron DeLuca, a partner at R. J. Brunelli & Company, which represents a roster of retailers who had signed leases at Xanadu. “Until American Dream becomes a reality,” he said, “it is difficult to get retailers to make hard commitments.”

The Jets and Giants, which both use MetLife Stadium, filed a lawsuit last month seeking to block construction of the project, saying it threatens to “clog the complex’s already congested transportation networks” on game days, when 80,000 fans converge on the stadium.

The State Transportation Department approved the project, however, and Triple Five moved on Tuesday to dismiss the suit.

The deal with DreamWorks provides the project with some Hollywood cachet and underscores Triple Five’s emphasis on entertainment.

Entertainment conglomerates like DreamWorks say they view theme parks as a way to expand revenues for an industry buffeted by piracy, flagging DVD sales and a drop in network television viewers.

The theme park industry is slow growing in North America, said John Robinett, senior vice president of economics for the Themed Entertainment Association, although the recent creation of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios in Florida and a $1 billion makeover tied to “Cars” characters at Disney’s California Adventure park in Los Angeles have raised attendance substantially.

Triple Five is hoping DreamWorks can do the same in the Meadowlands, where it says it hopes to attract 55 million visitors annually. But that may be easier in Minnesota or West Edmonton, Canada, where Triple Five already operates.

“Not only does northern New Jersey not lack for shopping malls; there are a lot of destination attractions,” said David L. Malmouth, a developer in San Diego and a former Disney executive. “Manhattan is a pretty compelling theme park in its own right.”

[GeneChing]

It's a great barometer of China's growth and I can never predict where it will go.


Chinese Girls Line Up For The Miniskirt Discount At A Theme Park (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-girls-line-up-for-the-miniskirt-discount-at-a-theme-park-2012-7)
ChinaHush | Jul. 24, 2012, 10:06 AM | 1,743 | 4

The promotion launched by a park in Guilin triggered lots of controversy. A theme park in Guilin launched the campaign, “Happy Summer Loves Mini-Skirts”, stipulating that from July to August, females who are over 18 years old, with skirts shorter than 38cm, could enjoy half price admission, which is 55 RMB. And on July 21st and 22nd, qualified females could enjoy 10RMB ticket before 12pm.

But some netizens expressed their objection, deeming it a vulgar publicity stunt without any meaning, and an unhealthy low-class event.

Guilin Merryland said that we had this promotion for five years since 2007, and due to positive feedback, it had been kept. And the park did not agree with netizens on that it was a vulgar act.

Despite its continuous controversy, this campaign reached its peak on July 21st and July 22nd when qualified visitors could enjoy 10 RMB tickets. The amount of total visitors increased instead of declining. Statistics showed that around 12,000 visitors entered the park on July 21st.

In order to participate in this campaign, many female visitors who wore pants changed into a mini-skirt before they bought tickets, and changed back after they went inside. Mrs. Su, a visitor, said it was a bit troublesome, but both the length of skirt and the ticket price were acceptable and such a good deal.

July and August are the peak season for this theme park, and the “mini-skirt festival” not only greatly increased the amount of visitors, but also brought new business opportunities for some merchants. The booth, under the tree which was only 20meters away from the ticket office, offered mini-skirts in various colors and attracted many females. According to the cart owner, their target consumers were visitors from other cities, who did not know this mini-skirt promotion and hence were not prepared for it. The mini-skirts were well received by these visitors because the total price of the skirt (30-40 RMB) and ticket (10 RMB) was still slightly lower than a half price ticket. They sold near 200 skirts in a single morning.

http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/500ea6ae69bedd7a23000012/china-skirt.jpg
http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/500ea6eceab8ea4a7a000003/china-skirt.jpg
http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/500ea70169beddfc2500000a/china-skirt.jpg
http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/500ea752ecad04ab1200000a/china-skirt.jpg
http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/500ea7ad6bb3f7613e000003/china-skirt.jpg

[GeneChing]

Angry Birds: Rovio's theme park plans to land in China (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/7917963.html)
By Xu Ming (Global Times)
11:12, August 21, 2012
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/mediafile/201208/21/F201208211113102736521193.jpg
The first Angry Birds theme park in Finland. (Photo:Global Times/ Courtesy of Lappset Group )

"Life is like Angry Birds. When you fail, there will always be laughter from several pigs," a popular Sina Weibo post states. Widely recirculated, this saying is inspired from Angry Birds, a game where players catapult birds from slingshots to smash pigs.

The game, based on the story of birds taking revenge against pigs for stealing their eggs, was developed by Rovio Entertainment in 2009, gaining international acclaim.

Domestically, the number of downloads for the game has exceeded 140 million, making China the second largest market for the Finish company.

Rovio opened its first overseas office in Shanghai this June, aiming to develop the Chinese market. It also plans to open hundreds of retail stores across China, as reported.

Now, it is considering opening theme parks in China, to gain a slice of the Chinese tourism market. But this is a decision that requires careful execution, much like the Angry Birds game itself.

From virtual to reality

Rovio's co-founder reportedly visited Hainan Province earlier this month to research and find a "nest" to build the theme park, reported Hainan Daily. In June, Peter Vesterbacka, the co-founder of the Angry Birds game, announced in Shanghai that the first Angry Birds theme park will be built in Haining, Zhejiang Province.

Rovio has similar plans in Shanghai, Dalian, Chongqing and other cities.

Paul Chen, Rovio's China general manager, told the Global Times that Rovio is talking to interested parties and local governments in China.

"We plan to build many Angry Birds activity parks in China though we do not have a fixed schedule or number yet," Chen said. "We want to bring the Angry Birds experience to fans all over China and all over the world."

With the popularity of Angry Birds, Rovio has expanded its business beyond games to toys, films, books, clothing and theme parks. It built its first Angry Birds theme park in Tampere, Finland last April.

Tero Ylinenp??, executive vice president of Lappset Group, an official licensing partner of Rovio in designing and supplying Angry Birds parks worldwide, told the Global Times that the success of the first Angry Birds park exceeded their expectations.

Sundown Adventureland in the UK will open its Angry Birds Park on August 29, the first Angry Birds Activity Park in the UK. In addition, an indoor park will be constructed in Vuokatti, Finland, opening before the end of the year.

"It's natural that Angry Birds wants to tap into China's theme parks," said Xie Yifeng, an expert in tourism and real estate. "The market is huge, and local governments are supportive."

Disney derivative?

Vesterbacka once said that Rovio aims to become a leading entertainment brand in China, like Disney. Both Disney and Rovio use games to build popularity and develop derivative products to make a profit. They both understand how valuable the Chinese market is.

After opening a theme park in Hong Kong in 2005, Disney is planning on opening its second theme park in China in Shanghai around 2015.

But if Angry Birds moves fast, it might be the first exported theme park in the Chinese mainland.

Vesterbacka revealed in February that a theme park focusing on games would be built in Shanghai by the end of the year.

"Visitors will not play passively in the park… People will move as if in a game. It is different from Disney."

Vesterbacka's philosophy is to tailor parks to the neighborhood, in manner of a school, grocery store or library.

"Angry Birds theme parks [encourage] exercise. There will be traditional rides and roller coasters available, but the core idea of an Angry Birds parks is to activate people to move and go through extreme experiences instead of standing in queue," wrote Ylinenp?? in an e-mail.

Domestic parks

Rovio pushed forward a special edition of the Angry Birds game before China's Mid-Autumn Day last September, with ancient Chinese buildings in the background.

In an interview with Xinhua, Vesterbacka said the company hopes to incorporate traditional Chinese fairy tales into future theme parks.

Chen is confident in the uniqueness of Angry Birds theme parks. "We don't feel that we are competing with local and foreign brands, as our parks will provide a different and unique interactive experience."

Some experts say Rovio has a long way to go.

Xie Yifeng said, "Though it [Angry Birds] has certain influence as a brand now, it is not comparable to Disney yet," he said, "It needs more development."

Many theme parks in China have not done well. The first theme park emerged in 1989 when Splendid China was opened in Shenzhen.

There are reportedly an estimated 2,500 theme parks across the country, but only a tenth make a profit.

Bao Jigang, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said that most parks in China have similar themes and expensive tickets.

There are at least 500 parks with the Journey to the West theme and dozens of folk culture villages across the country.

"Angry Birds has its own brand and is developing its chain products," Xie Yifeng told the Global Times.

Ylinenp?? is optimistic. "China is an engine in the world's economy. The same is happening ... with theme parks."

Xie recommends Rovio and its partners conduct thorough research about the theme park market in China.

"Design and function should integrate the special features of China," he said. Xie said local governments should do research before embarking on foreign projects.

"Local governments are eager to drive the economy and scramble for theme park projects while China is a market not to be neglected."
At least 500 parks with the Journey to the West theme? :eek:

[GeneChing]

But for some nagging reason, I feel I should have predicted this one.


China Pushes Tibet Tourism in Theme Park Project (http://www.voanews.com/content/china-pushes-tibet-tourism-in-theme-park-project/1498114.html)
http://gdb.voanews.eu/E194BB13-E60C-4DBB-8CD1-BEC1F9CDA84D_w640_r1_s_cx0_cy8_cw0.jpg
Pilgrims and tourists visit Potala Palace in Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region, July 5, 2006. Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama's traditional home, is more than 1,300 years old.
Aida Akl
August 29, 2012

Just outside Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, the Chinese government is building a $4.7 billion theme park that critics describe as a fairy tale universe that trivializes Tibetan culture and glosses over the nation’s troubles.

The construction gets into high gear as Tibetans continue to demonstrate and set themselves on fire to protests Chinese policies in the nation Beijing invaded 63 years ago. The 50th such self-immolation took place this week.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington refuses to comment on the theme park project, or the self-immolations. But Beijing’s official news agency, Xinhua, quoted the deputy mayor of Lhasa, Ma Xingming, as saying the project “is designed to improve Tibet’s tourism credentials and be a landmark of the cultural industry.”

Xinhua said the park, scheduled for completion in three to five years, will be centered on the theme of a Chinese princess who marries a Tibetan king. It said the park will include displays of Tibetan handicrafts, medicine and folklore.

http://gdb.voanews.eu/3D0BB480-2108-482B-9FC6-8B7450D7FCB6_w268_r1.png
Map of Tibetan Self-Immolations, Updated August 27, 2012

​​​Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet in New York, is not impressed, noting that the project comes as Tibetan activists continue to protest Chinese dominance of their homeland.

“They are spending these billions of dollars in building a theme park in Tibet at a time when Tibetans are setting themselves on fire for freedom,” Tenzin said. “And this is China’s way of not addressing the problem, not addressing any grievances.”

Tenzin also accused Beijing of trying to distort Tibetan history by highlighting its own version of the nation’s past.

Stephanie Brigden, director of the London-based Free Tibet campaign, is another critic of the Chinese project.

“When you look at the proposed scale of the theme park, it’s vast and it’s … a strategy of ‘Disneyfication’ of Tibet,” Brigden said. “It’s not one of sharing and celebrating Tibetan culture.”

http://gdb.voanews.eu/BDF41849-07AB-4537-92A8-B5B21A0A3DA8_w268.jpg
In this photo taken October 1, 2011, Chinese paramilitary police march during a flag raising ceremony near Potala Palace in Lhasa in northwestern China's Tibet province.

​​She said the park’s theme, intended to showcase harmony between China and Tibet, is insulting when so many Tibetans “have felt that their only recourse is to set themselves on fire, underlying that it’s far from a harmonious situation.”

But at least one Chinese commentator said it is about time for Tibet and its culture to catch up with the times.

“Over the past decades, breaking economic isolation and stagnancy has served as a basic prerequisite for cultural growth,” said Chen Chenchen, opinion editor of China’s Global Times newspaper, a part of the Communist Party’s People’s Daily group. “It’s increasingly impossible that a bulwark can be erected to ‘protect’ the Tibetan culture from external impact.”

"Younger generations of Tibetans are already making changes in their traditions,” Chenchen said, adding that ordinary Tibetans do not want to live in a backwater museum to be exhibited to foreign visitors...”

Brigden said Beijing apparently believes the theme park project will create enough jobs that it “will reduce Tibetan demands for freedom.” But she said previous Chinese projects “have not brought any economic benefit to ordinary Tibetans, whether that be in terms of employment opportunities or … money filtering down to ordinary people.”

Tom Grunfeld, professor of Central and East Asian Studies at the State University of New York, acknowledged that the project probably would create jobs for Tibetans, but that it was still self-serving.

“Most of the Tibetan economy is funded by the … central government of China,” he said, “So anything that can boost the economy is going to help the central government.”

The goal, Grunfeld added, is to boost tourism - the largest part of Tibet’s economy.

http://gdb.voanews.eu/A225B7F2-74E7-47C1-AA21-1BE10DF98AF1_w268.jpg
A Tibetan Buddhist monk stands between tourists and a giant thangka, a religious silk embroidery or painting unique to Tibet, during the Shoton Festival at Drepung Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, August 29, 2011.

​​Chinese figures put the number of tourists visiting Tibet in 2011 at 8.5 million, and estimate that the first six months of this year brought in revenues of $381 million. And the Tibetan administration hopes to raise that figure to 15 million visitors annually by 2015, according to Xinhua.

But Grunfeld warned that a massive influx of tourists to a city like Lhasa is a double-edged sword that could produce ethnic hostility as well as make money.

“You’re flooding your 500,000 to 600,000 population – half that population is not permanent; half that population is probably Han [Chinese] who leave for several months a year during the coldest months when there’s no tourism,” he said. “So you’re flooding this with six to eight million people. It’s a tremendous strain on this city."

“And, it increases ethnic tension. The ethnic tension in a city like Lhasa is enormous,” he concluded, adding that so far Tibetans are afraid to speak out against the theme park project for fear of reprisal.

“They don’t feel secure enough to really speak their minds because of the polarization,” Grunfeld said, “so the chance of real Tibetan input into this theme park is zero.”

Exiles, like Tenzin in New York, do feel free to speak out. He is calling for worldwide campaign to block the project.

“This is going to destroy our history,” he said, “and this will not benefit the Tibetan people in the long-run.”

[poshmissy]

Wow, Chinese Theme park is a great idea! I'm not a Chinese but I know that Chinese culture is very abundant in nature. I believe that putting up a theme park is a great way to attract tourists who love to explore new adventures, like me.

[Syn7]

Oh wow. The one in Lhasa is freekin shameful.

I just watched a mini doc on Bama, a small village in a souther Chinese valley. They live a long time there. It is believed that the local farming, fresh air, work ethic, clear minds and completely uncontaminated lifestyle is the secret to their longevity.

So naturally they are building hotels and piping in infrastructure in order to encourage tourists to come learn the secrets of longevity. :rolleyes:

Are people really this stupid or is it a sinister effort all around and the victims just can't stop it or even speak on it because of some fear? They don't come across as very stupid, some appear quite intelligent. So wtf is going on here? Is the youth selling their heritage for profit? What?

[GeneChing]

The bubble may be beginning to burst.

Time to rethink tourist city construction craze (http://http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-09/28/content_15791063.htm)
Updated: 2012-09-28 15:05 ( Xinhua)

BEIJING -- An ambitious plan to build a huge, 2.7 billion yuan ($426 million) theme park based on a legendary love story in a small county in East China's Anhui province has stirred heated debate recently.

Huaining, a county with a population of 700,000, is home to the tombs of Jiao Zhongqin and Liu Lanzhi, a tragic couple who -- the story goes -- broke up under pressure from their parents but reunited after committing suicide together.

Many people are wondering if the massive investment program based on a celebrated 1,000-year-old poem can really attract the tourist numbers the government expects and create enough economic returns.

The park has also reminded many of a failed Chinese tourist town in Henan province's Runan county, branded the hometown of the "butterfly lovers," China's answer to Romeo and Juliet.

The town is desolate today as its supposed fame has failed to bring in tourists and investment. Eager to dig up cultural gold, the project has instead ground to an embarrassing standstill.

Many Chinese cities are nevertheless following suit, in the hope that past glories can bring prosperity in the present. Yet it is time to put a brake on this city construction extravaganza.

These projects were mostly carried out without consulting the public, an oversight which risks harming the interests of the masses and brewing mistrust between citizens and local governments.

The culture industry promises to drive domestic consumption, but spending billions to throw up a new "ancient" town on the basis of a fairytale or an ancient poem is a sheer abuse of public money.

The funding of the projects relies heavily on banks and real estate developers, which has caused great concern for their viability.

The local businessman investor behind Runan county's "butterfly lovers" project withdrew due to cash flow problems in his company, leaving unfinished roads and withered trees on the vast patch of land leased from villagers.

Yet an equally important force at play in Runan's cautionary tale is that potential punters may simply be unwilling to pay for a trip on a bumpy country road to see nothing but two tombs.

The construction craze may also pose a great financial risk to the government. As some projects struggle to woo private investors, many governments pin their hopes on the banks.

The reality is that it's very hard to recoup the investment solely through tourism in the way the government has anticipated.

The huge debts will be passed on to the next government and the public will suffer in the end.

And in many cases, the projects will lead to the relocation of thousands of local residents.

Experiences in some Chinese cities have shown that brand-new ancient towns have not necessarily brought more tourists, as they failed to replicate the essence of the former civilization. Besides, many genuine heritage sites were already destroyed years ago in the construction spree that came with China's modernization rush.

For the government, the desire to dismantle a city and reshape it is very intriguing as investment in construction drives up GDP growth. But for the sake of the people, local governments should cool down the investment craze.

[GeneChing]

See our related thread: Stephan Chow's Chinese Odyssey (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61200)


Theme park pact for Chow, ChinaVision (http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/theme-park-pact-for-chow-chinavision)
By Patrick Frater
Mon, 15 October 2012, 09:30 AM (HKT)

ChinaVision Media Group Ltd 文化中國傳播集團, the Hong Kong-listed Chinese film group, is to move into the movie-related theme park business.

The company has struck a deal with Hong Kong comedian and director Stephen CHOW 周星馳 to establish a joint venture company, Film Art Centre, that will create tourist attractions based on the movie properties they jointly develop.

Film Art Centre, which will operate from an as yet undecided location in mainland China, will be 75% owned by ChinaVision.

Its first themed area will be based on Journey to the West 除魔傳奇, the big budget fantasy that is now in post-production. Journey is a joint effort involving Chow's Bingo Group Holdings Ltd 比高集團有限公司, Edko Films Ltd 安樂影片有限公司, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Asia and ChinaVision.

As previously reported, Chinavision has "an option to invest in the production of 5 motion pictures in which [Chow] would play a significant role as filmmaker, producer, director, script writer, protagonist or other leading role within seven years from the date of the agreement."

Film related theme parks have been mooted at several locations in China by multiple developers. Construction began last year on the Disneyland park near Shanghai before the central government appeared to ban development of further attractions in in an attempt to dampen speculative building projects. Shanghai Oriental DreamWorks Film & Television Technology 上海合資組建東方夢工廠公司 recently unveiled plans for a theme park near Shanghai, while Huayi Brothers Media Corporation 華誼兄弟傳媒股份有限公司 has announced plans for a park at Suzhou.

Three years ago Chinese cultural industries conglomerate Zhonghong Group and the US's Thinkwell company announced plans for a $1.5 billion theme park franchise at Huairou, near Beijing, that would be based on Journey to the West's central character, Monkey King. In 2009 the Shanghai municipal government announced plans for a theme park franchise based on Journey to the West which it would then roll out to other cities around China.

[Sima Rong]

I figure Monkey King theme parks are about right, since they are popular with the kids, and with the 20-30s crowd who can recite key passages about love from the Chinese Odyssey movies. 爱你一万年...etc

Surprised there isn't a 喜羊羊 Xi yangyang theme park. :) There are Xi Yangyang logoed roast meat restaurants, wool clothing stores and noodle houses in China.

[GeneChing]

I couldn't find an official site, but here's a website with a lot of photos from the one in Guangzhou.
The Journey to the West attraction in Guangzhou (http://www.bartlett-sloan.net/Journey.htm)

[GeneChing]

You must follow the link below for an extensive photo gallery. I only cut&pasted a few.


Japan Invades China! ... Year-Round, at This Theme Park in Shanxi (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/japan-invades-china-year-round-at-this-theme-park-in-shanxi/264180/)
By Brian Fung
Oct 29 2012, 1:20 PM ET 9

It's not unlike Six Flags, only with guns (and real flags).

What would you get if you were able to mix Red Dawn with both a Civil War battle reenactment and Disneyland, and then translated the whole thing into Chinese? At the Eighth Route Army Culture Park in Shanxi province, named after the Communist military unit that fought behind Japanese lines in the 1940s, visitors can dress up as either Chinese or Japanese troops and pretend to blast away at each other with toy guns.

Complete with staffers who play out scenes of Japanese oppression for the patriotic benefit of Chinese onlookers, the theme park is also equipped with a shooting-gallery attraction that takes would-be soldiers through a model village populated with fake targets, as well as trenches where tourists do battle in live-action role-playing games. The park cost the local government about $80 million to put together. At a time when anti-Japanese sentiment is running high in China over the two countries' island dispute in the East China Sea, the theme park seems to have hit on a timely business opportunity.

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/international/RTR39FC6-615.jpg
Pictures of Japanese military soldiers are displayed as targets. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/international/RTR39F7L-615.jpg
An actor dressed as a Japanese military officer pretends to kill a man dressed as a plainclothes Eighth Route Army soldier. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/international/RTR39F8O-615.jpg
Actors dressed in Japanese gear pretend to shoot a man during a live-action performance. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/international/RTR39F94-615.jpg
A woman dressed in Japanese gear pretends to fire her toy gun at Chinese soldiers. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

[GeneChing]

China transforms Nobel Prize winner's hometown into a theme park (http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/1025/China-transforms-Nobel-Prize-winner-s-hometown-into-a-theme-park)
The area will be known as the Mo Yan Culture and Experience Zone, but author Mo Yan remains ambivalent about the new attraction.
By Husna Haq / October 25, 2012
http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/10-25moyan/14130959-1-eng-US/10-25moyan_full_380.jpg
Chinese writer Mo Yan recently won the Nobel Prize for Literature.


Step aside ****ens World, Popeye Village Fun Park, and Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

If you’re looking for literary fun of the contrived, manufactured, theme park variety, there’s a new game in town.

Following the Nobel Prize win of its native son, Mo Yan, China is planning to transform the Nobel winner’s hometown, the sleepy, rural village of Ping’an (population: 800), into a $110-million Mo Yan Culture and Experience Zone.

The national, and perhaps international, attraction will center on Mo Yan’s childhood home, a modest mud structure with newspaper-covered walls.

Also in the works is a Red Sorghum Culture and Experience Zone and a Red Sorghum Film and Television Exhibition Area based on the author’s 1987 work, “Red Sorghum.” By government mandate, that attraction would have real peasants cultivating 1,600 acres of real sorghum. (Never mind that the undesirable, unprofitable crop hasn’t been cultivated in decades.)

As we reported after his Nobel win, Mo Yan is known for his depiction of rural Chinese life, particularly its women, which populate many of his novels, short stories, and essays. His novel “Red Sorghum,” about the life of a young woman working in a distillery, was made into a film directed by Zhang Yimou which became one of the most internationally acclaimed Chinese films.

Chinese authorities, it seems, have appropriated Mo Yan’s house, literary success, and indeed, Mo Yan himself, for the theme park project.

“Your son is no longer your son, and the house is no longer your house,” Fan Hui, a local official told Mo Yan’s 90-year old father, according to the Beijing News, explaining that he was now China’s son. “It does not really matter if you agree or not.”

Even a few weeks ago, no one could have imagined this poor, rural outpost would become a dazzling $110 million national attraction.

“Until last week, the county of Gaomi in the eastern province of Shandong was a poor farming community,” writes the Vancouver Sun. “”It was here that Mo ate tree bark and searched for wild vegetables to survive a tough childhood.”

Oddly enough, these days visitors are digging up his family’s cultivated vegetables as a souvenir.

“One visitor dug up a radish [from Mo’s vegetable patch],” reported the Beijing News. “He slipped it into his coat and showed it to villagers afterward, saying: ‘Mo’s radish! Mo’s radish!’”

“A visiting mother picked some yams and told her daughter: ‘I’ll boil them, so you can eat them and win the Nobel Prize, too!’”

If visitors’ zest for Mo’s family garden patch is any indication, the Mo Yan Culture and Experience Zone will be a hit.

As for Mo and his family’s thoughts on the attraction, they appear ambivalent.

Asked by China Central Television whether he was happy about the plans, Mo responded, “I do not know.”

His brother Guan was less generous. “He [Mo Yan] will oppose any renovations even though he has won the award,” he said. “It is too public, people should be low key.” (Incidentally, Mo Yan is a pen name meaning “don’t speak.”)

Not, of course, that their opinion really matters.

As the Atlantic Wire said, “Sounds like government-mandated fun for the whole family!”

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.Wasn't Red Sorghum all about sorghum liquor? I wonder if they will have a rollercoaster...

[GeneChing]

I kind of want to go now...:o

War zone holidays a booming business (http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-11/20/content_15946244.htm)
Updated: 2012-11-20 22:50
By Zheng Xin (China Daily)

History's darkest days inspire an unusual theme park in Shanxi.

War. What is it good for? Well, tourism, according to a county famous for its revolutionary past.

A theme park based around the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in North China's Shanxi province has so far proved a big hit with fans of "red" tourism.

For just 90 yuan ($15), visitors can don the uniform of China's legendary Eighth Route Army for mock battles with Japanese, as well as enjoy a live-action recreation of a famous victory.

"The counterstrike-style feature is one of the most popular features," said Shi Yongbing, spokesman for the Wuxiang county government, which runs the park.

Visitors can experience 10 guerrilla methods applied by the Eighth Route Army — the larger of the Communist Party of China's two forces during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression — in a realistic setting created by professional performers with high-tech sound and lighting effects.

"Wuxiang is not a traditional tourism county," Shi said. "However, in tourism development we need to fully take advantage of its position as the former headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and tap its potential as a ‘red tourism' site."

Red tourism, a combination of patriotic education and recreation, has boomed in recent years, thanks largely to government support.

No holiday for some

Not everyone is in support of such attractions, though, and some people have accused the park of being offensive to other nations, particularly Japan.

In the guerrilla experience, for example, visitors use fake weapons to shoot pictures of Japanese soldiers, which critics say is distasteful.

"Now the war is over, I don't see why former enemies should bear grudges or harbor bitter resentment against each other," said student Wang Yueyue at Peking University. "Why dig up the past if you can move on?"

Shi disagreed with the criticism, and said: "The theme park is meant to re-create history so the present generation doesn't forget. There is no political factor.

"Everything we re-create happened, we're not making anything up," he added.

However, Zhang Hui, a professor of tourism at Beijing Jiaotong University, said he feels that attractions catering to the 'red' market sometimes tend to veer toward the vulgar.

"For historic monuments and sites, tourism development should be solemn and serious, it should not try to please the public with claptrap," he said. "It's not respectful for history nor for the soldiers."

The fact an increasing number of Chinese tourists are visiting former revolutionary bases and landmarks is a good thing, he said, explaining that they are of great educational significance and greatly promote socioeconomic development in areas that are typically rural and poorer than other parts of the country.

However, Zhang said too much "amusement" may diminish the significance in the eyes of the next generation.

"It's necessary that historic sites respect the history that occurred on the land before and pass it on in a solemn way," he added.

Benefits to locals

Wuxiang received more than 2.1 million visitors between January to October, a year-on-year increase of 44 percent, generating an income of more than 1.6 billion yuan, according to government records.

"The theme park has created more than 300 employment opportunities in 10 months, and some 200 households have turned their homes into rural guesthouses, providing food and accommodation," Shi said. "It has also created jobs for residents in nine nearby villages."

He said Taihang Mountain, a musical extravaganza that re-creates a historic air strike by the Japanese army and includes some folk performers, has provided extra income for about 600 farmers.

Ren Chengtang, who lives nearby, said he had earned 40,000 yuan by playing a shepherd and providing his own sheep for the show over the summer. The show is closed in winter and will re-open in the spring.

"Each actor is paid 30 yuan per performance, along with a 5 yuan transport allowance," Shi said. "A subsidy of 90 yuan also goes to the owner of the 40 sheep that appear in the show."

The county has just started to promote red tourism, which is still in a period of development, he said. However, there are plans to build a cultural industry and promote the culture and history of the Eighth Route Army.

"Although the province has always relied heavily on coal, it's tapping into other potential areas to develop its economy and will look for multiple sources of revenue in the future," Shi added.

Sun Ruisheng in Taiyuan contributed to this story.

[GeneChing]

Also worthy of note here: Shaolin Temple OZ (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64712)

China theme park for Oz (http://travel.iafrica.com/bulletinboard/830723.html)
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 3:32 PM

A China theme park in Australia featuring a full-size replica of gates to the Forbidden City and a nine-storey temple could rival the Sydney Opera House as a tourist drawcard, officials said on Monday.

The planned A$500-million attraction moved a step closer after Wyong Shire Council in New South Wales signed a deal on Sunday to sell 15.7 hectares of land to the company behind the proposal. Construction of the seven-sectioned theme park 80 kilometres north of Sydney is set to begin in 2015 and be finished by 2020.

On completion it is expected to employ more than 1000 people.

"What this proposal will do is turn the Wyong Shire into a tourist mecca and bring millions of dollars worth of tourism into the area - which will have a flow on effect to the entire region's economy," Mayor Doug Eaton said.

"Outside the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, this has the potential to be among the biggest tourist attractions in the state."

The first stage of the theme park to be built is likely to be the replica of an entrance to the Forbidden City, Beijing's Imperial Palace, complete with red walls and golden roof.

There will also be a section constructed in the architectural style of the Tang and Song dynasties, with small courtyards typical of a Chinese neighbourhood, and another in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Other areas will include the temple, a theatre, a royal villa, and a children's section devoted to pandas, though not including any live animals.

"It is going to be a unique $500-million tourist attraction, employing more than a thousand people and bringing economic prosperity to Wyong Shire," said Bruce Zhong, chairman of Australian Chinese Theme Park, the private company behind the project.

The park will tap in to the growing number of tourists from China visiting Australia.

China is Australia's fastest growing and most valuable international tourism market, worth more than A$3.8-billion in 2011, with more than 400 000 Chinese visitors coming to New South Wales state each year.

[GeneChing]

This is slightly OT as its not in China...

New thrill ride to open at Dreamworld (http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2012/12/07/443234_gold-coast-news.html)
Tanya Westthorp | 12:01am December 7, 2012

DREAMWORLD will launch a new big thrill ride and a Kung Fu Panda-themed land before Christmas in the latest battle between the Gold Coast's five theme parks.

The Coomera-based theme park will open its third DreamWorks Animation precinct -- Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness -- featuring the latest thrill ride Pandamonium along with a new Big Red Boat ride in Wiggle's World.

It will cap off a massive 18 months of multimillion-dollar investment by park owner Ardent Leisure, which has stepped up the competition against Village Roadshow -- the owner of Movie World, Sea World and Wet 'n' Wild.

Dreamworld marketing and sales general manager Kathryn Valk said the 31-year-old theme park had undergone a major facelift in the past year and a half which included opening three huge rides, revitalising the main street, adding new shows, becoming home to the Big Brother house again and partnering with DreamWorks Animation to build three film-inspired lands.

"We are proud of our heritage, we are part of Australia's DNA as the country's biggest theme park," she said.

"But we are always looking for something new and to embrace everything that is really unique to Dreamworld.

"We have a focus to keep revitalising and refreshing to remain relevant."

The Kung Fu Panda land will join the already opened Madagascar Madness and Shreks Faire Faire Away lands in the new DreamWorks Experience precinct.

The new land will be themed around an ancient Chinese village and will be home to the Skadoosh bumper cars, Kung Fu Academy and the brand new Pandamonium thrill ride.

The new ride offers two speeds, allowing those after a calmer ride to be spun around and swung side to side in a Rickshaw car.

Thrillseekers who queue in the other line will be strapped in for a crazy 2.5-minute cycle that sends them soaring 8m high, round and round, side to side and upside down at up to 3.8 G-forces.

"Who doesn't love a new thrill ride?" said Ms Valk.

"We are the home of thrill rides and this is quite a unique ride -- there isn't one of this kind in Australia."

She said the new lands had refreshed the park.

"It has given us the lift we needed," said Ms Valk.

"It is all about entertainment, escapism and magic and to remain true to the films we need to ensure guests are fully immersed in the lands.

"I think Kung Fu Panda land is going to be my favourite -- it is truly spectacular."

The new land and ride will open on December 21.

[GeneChing]

This reminds me of the Splendid China theme park (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57972) that used to be in Florida.

12 Dec 2012
Visions of China theme park developers sign deal with Rotherham council (http://www.attractionsmanagement.com/detail1.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&codeID=303758&site=AM&dom=N)
BY Jessica Tasman-Jones

http://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/080811visionschina.jpg

The Visions of China theme park, planned for a former opencast coal mine in the Rother Valley Country Park, is one step closer to development with a lease agreement signed between the local council and developers.

The proposed 120-acre attraction is projected to cost more than £100m and would showcase Chinese architecture, garden design and culture and customs.

A Rotherham Borough Council spokesperson confirmed the authority has entered agreements for the leasing of 153-acres of land, meaning developer Mid City Developments (MCD) and leisure operator China Vision Ltd can move ahead with plans for the project.

Rotherham Borough Council picked Visions of China as the preferred development for the former Pithouse West colliery site in August last year, stating the attraction would increase visitor numbers to Yorkshire.

China Vision expects 1.5 million people will visit the park each year where they will see Oriental lakes and gardens, a Chinatown retail street, a Shaolin temple, theatre, children's "fantasy land", restaurants, and an Oriental-themed spa and hotel.

The project is expected to create 200 jobs during its two-year construction and 380 permanent jobs once in operation.

MCD chief executive Peter Moore has said they will work closely with Chinese architects and landscape to ensure the authenticity of the project.

[GeneChing]

Case and point: 'More than 100 new theme parks have been built nationwide this year alone...'


Time to abandon obsession with theme parks (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/8070755.html)
(People's Daily Online)
08:46, December 26, 2012

Chongqing's Hechuan district plans to invest 3.5 billion yuan building a 500-hectare theme park based on Chinese cartoon Xiha Youji. Hyped as the “Disneyland of China,” it is expected to open in 2016. Back in August, the city’s Nan’an district announced plans to invest 10 billion yuan to build the largest theme park in western China based on various Chinese cartoons. Compared with the 500-hectare theme park in Hechuan district, the Disneyland being built in Shanghai only covers more than 113 hectares.

Chongqing is not the only Chinese city to be obsessed with theme parks, and there has long been a “theme park fever” in China. More than 100 new theme parks have been built nationwide this year alone, and over 20 theme parks have been marketed as the “Disneyland of China” in recent years. Surprisingly, many theme parks are located in second- and third-tier cities with a relatively small number of tourists and inconvenient transportation.

As a matter of fact, there are around one fourth of theme parks making profits nationwide, whereas all of the remaining theme parks are money-losing, and even descend to burdens of local governments and investors. Even if the genuine “Disney” – Hong Kong Disneyland - makes profits after it had struggled for seven years, during which period it had lost hundreds of millions of yuan. In this case, it is evident that how far the mimic “Disney” could go.

As the name suggests, a theme park shall first have a “theme”. The success of Disney theme park is resulted from the enduring effect of Disney’s animated films in eight decades to a great extent. Its endless animated films and well-known animated characters not only attract generations of audiences to enjoy themselves in front of screens, but also make theme parks derived from the animation industry popular.

Compared with the animation industry abroad, China’s animation industry is still in its infancy. In this summer vacation, four Chinese animated films were shown one after another, but brought box-office receipts that were merely half of an imported animated film. Moreover, as theme parks are derivative products that would become popular only after the animation industry gets mature, they would stumble during the future development in such a context that the animation industry has not been high recognized. I wonder how many tourists will visit a “theme park” without theme.

In fact, another reason for the enthusiasm in building theme parks from place to place is that local governments intend to develop tourist properties under the name of theme parks. Though they know that theme parks are hard to make profits, they still stick with them because they could earn profit in other ways. In recent years, many theme parks have worked with property projects for support. As theme parks are developed as cultural projects, developers are easier to obtain commercial lands on that ground. Furthermore, many developers of theme parks that have been recently built have the background of commercial properties themselves.

However, theme parks that have been developed in haste not only occupy a lot of lands, but also add make China’s staggering animation industry to lose more due to these theme parks. Worse still, as various parks are only backed up by a few number of nameless animation products, they would be reduced to common amusement parks, fall into a vicious circle of ****genization, and become difficult to sustain them.

As a result, it is high time for the current fever of theme parks to cool down.

Source:Worker's Daily, author: Zhao Ang.

[David Jamieson]

On reddit.

Unlicensed Wow themepark.
http://imgur.com/a/fUZhL

[GeneChing]

This got picked up by Forbes even.


Games | 1/14/2013 @ 4:33PM
Check Out China's Amazing Unlicensed 'World Of Warcraft' Theme Park (http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/01/14/check-out-chinas-amazing-unlicensed-world-of-warcraft-theme-park/)

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2013/01/World-of-Warcraft-Chinese-Theme-Park-1-e1358198547968.jpg
It may not be strictly legal, but this World of Warcraft themed Chinese theme park looks absolutely amazing.

I must admit, a World of Warcraft theme park with truly massive statues and some pretty neat looking rides sounds like way more fun than Disney Land.

That being said, this particular theme park was built without the blessing of World of Warcraft developer/publisher Blizzard so it’s basically one of the most daunting violations of intellectual property I’ve ever heard of—an IP violation that cost some $48 million to build.

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2013/01/World-of-Warcraft-Chinese-Theme-Park-2-e1358198628832.jpg

These photos are from redditor FrancescaO_O who has a bunch more posted here. According to her, the theme park is actually pretty amazing. “A lot of the rides used 4-D and special effects,” she says, “which I hand’t experienced much of before. There was a good roller coaster with loops, where you are lying horizontally, face forward, like you are flying. That was my favourite ride. The water log ride (‘splash of monster blood’) was pretty good too.”

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2013/01/World-of-Warcraft-Chinese-Theme-Park-e1358198862115.jpg

It may be a blatant copyright violation, but then again, would we have ever seen a World of Warcraft theme park without countries like China willing to not simply bend the rules, but shred them into oblivion?

Either way, I want to go. I want to go see if the people who visit Changzhou, China, where the park is located, go as cosplayers. I bet they do. Now we just need two things: First, an unlicensed Chinese Star Wars theme park, and second, for the Minecraft community to replicate this park block by block.
This park looks super awesome, and I'm not even into WoW at all.

[David Jamieson]

Look at the truck nuts on this centaur!

http://i.imgur.com/XfQyCh.jpg

:p

[GeneChing]

It serves as a reminder of why this thread exists.

China's Theme Park Boom (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/arabic/article.cfm?articleid=2918&language_id=1)
Published February 05, 2013 in Arabic Knowledge@Wharton

In April 2011 in Shanghai, Disney Resorts made its official arrival in the city. The multinational entertainment company broke ground on a new resort site on the outskirts of Shanghai, marking the occasion with a celebration that included a choir singing in both English and Mandarin and Mickey Mouse dancing onstage in a traditional Chinese costume.

"This is a defining moment in our company's history," said Disney CEO Robert Iger to a crowd. The new park, he promised, would be "both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese."

Disney's arrival is the most high-profile example of a theme-park boom taking place in China. The government officials and Disney officers that grabbed shovels on that afternoon were at the center of a trend that has new parks opening in cities all over China and, according to analysts, attracted a total of over 100 million attendees in 2011.

"There has been amazing growth in the Chinese theme park market," says John Gerner, the founder of a U.S.-based consulting firm called Leisure Business. "The government is encouraging domestic consumption -- and when [consumers] spend more internally, one of the things they spend on is leisure."

Theme park development, says Gerner, tends to follow the growth of the middle class. With more disposable income, people have become more interested in spending on leisure and entertainment. The rule, he says, applies to growth in the middle class not only nationally but regionally within a given country. "If a market can support a theme park, then you can be sure that it has a pretty good middle class," he says.

Gerner'shypothesis is supported by climbing park attendance numbers in China. The country's middle class has expanded rapidly in the last two decades, and in 2011 alone, six major theme parks opened across the country, many in smaller, second-tier cities. These included two water parks, two sea-life parks and theme parks in the cities of Qingdao and Changzhou, a neighbor to Shanghai. By the year 2020, analysts expect theme park attendance will double to more than 200 million each year.

The rush to build new theme parks and capitalize on this new market, however, is no measure of the quality of parks that are opening. Many parks are still not turning a profit and many are aging quickly, without any reinvestment from park runners. As Disney and other international parks arrive, however, analysts expect that China's theme parks will have to improve to compete. When Disney opens in 2015, a new and improved theme park boom is expected.

The Township Model

China's first theme park opened in the early 1990s, added to residential developments as a bonus -- an extra attraction for the city's new residents. "[Developers] had the idea of building a town, and decided to include a number of theme parks to anchor the development," says Chris Yoshii, the global director of the consulting group AECOM. "That township model has caught on. It has been replicated in China and to some extent in South East Asia."

The attraction of combining a residential and commercial development with a theme park, Yoshii says, has to do with the intensive capital requirements that come along with theme parks. Parks are attractive to local governments because they can attract tourism and encourage locals to spend their disposable income within the city. A successful park, however, requires infrastructure and a large initial investment. "A lot of the cities themselves don't have money to invest themselves, but they do have land," says Yoshii. To get their theme parks, cities will offer land to developers willing to include a theme park in their plan. This way, Yoshii says, "The city gets what they want without putting out much money. All they have to do is issue land approvals."

In turn, a developer can include residential and commercial units in their theme park "township." These aspects of the development offer a quicker return on investment. "They can use the residential element to pay for some of the infrastructure costs," says Yoshii. "And at the end, you have a park that is generating a good return while some of the capital has already been paid back."

While the majority of theme parks in China are built this way, the formula does not always produce stellar results. In some cases, developers have not delivered on their promise to develop a theme park and have focused instead on residential and commercial real estate alone. In others, the theme park is an afterthought --poorly put together, poorly maintained and poorly run.

"Surveys show that the majority of theme parks [in China] have been loss making," points out Michel Brekelmans, the co-head of L.E.K. Consulting's China operationsbased in Shanghai. Local governments will often offer land at a steep discount to developers who include a theme park in their plan. "Not surprisingly, many of these parks have ben unsuccessful and leave visitors with a disappointing experience," Brekelmans says.

China's earliest parks were intended to present China to foreign tourists. These include the parks Splendid China and China Folk Cultural Village. Soon after, a park called Window of the World opened in Shenzhen, offering visitors a look at theworld-the pyramids, the Eiffel Tower-on a small scale. China's largest theme park chain, Happy Valley, opened its first park in the 1990s, offering a more Western-style format, introducing its own characters and dividing the park into different themed areas.

While Happy Valley has been successful and expanded, the majority of parks opening in China are either animal themed or loose adaptations of existing theme parks. According to Brekelmans, the majority of new parks will present visitors with an amalgamation of thrill rides, roller coasters and Ferris wheels. "More recently local operators are realizing that theming … is a key factor in marketing the park and creating the overall experience," he says. "We're seeing more attempts to come up with original concepts."

Although Brekelmans believes the majority of new parks opening in China are still poorly planned and unlikely, in the long run, to succeed, he also sees changes in the market. With the arrival of Disney and other multinational projects, he says, more expertise and dedication is being shown across the board. "A wave of [joint ventures] with foreign players is entering the market, bringing with them the skills and concepts to succeed in China," he says. "Slowly local players are learning lessons, and many smaller upstarts have exited the market."

continued next post

[GeneChing]

International Arrivals

Disney is not the only multinational theme park company to arrive in China. DreamWorks recently announced they would be investing more than $3 billion in a dining, shopping and entertaining district that will include theme park attractions based on some of the animation studio's popular movies. Both companies are entering the market in joint-venture structures, partnering with the Chinese state-owned enterprise Shanghai Shendi, in Disney's case, and China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd., in DreamWorks' project.

While the presence of international players may drive some domestic theme parks out of business, Yoshii says in the past, the arrival of Disney Resorts in international markets hasactually boosted the theme park market overall. "When parks like Universal or Disney open, they raise the standards of what people in that market consider a good theme park environment," he says. At the same time, the arrival of a Disney park helps familiarize people with what a theme park experience entails.

"Americans are very familiar with theme parks," points out Leisure Business's Gerner. "Walt Disney was very smart when he worked out a deal with the ABC TV network to do a show." The Disney show helped promote the theme park to its audience, educating them on what to expect from the Disney experience. "Outside the U.S., a lot of people don't really know what theme parks are, and it takes quite a bit to educate them," he notes. "This is not in any way a formal education, but by hearing commercials and news stories people get a better understanding."

This education process happens faster when there is a major resort entering a market. For these reasons, Gerner says, the arrival of Disney typically leads to an increase in the number of theme parks in a market. In Japan, for example, the opening of Tokyo Disney led to a wave of new theme parks, many of which are still very successful.Disney's high ticket-prices also have a tendency to buoy the rest of the market, says Yoshii. "Disney is going to come in at the highest price, and that has a bit of an umbrella effect," he notes. "They can raise their pricing a little bit and still be under Disney. Overall, it's a positive impact."

Shanghai Disney is expected to anchor an entertainment district that will fit the pattern of other Chinese theme parks. The Disney resort will include a theme park, an entertainment district, a shopping district and restaurants. Shanghai Shendi, says Yoshii, will be responsible for the residential and other development around the Disney resort.

Chinese-style Attractions

As more multinationals arrive, adapting to the Chinese market has been a priority. Disney has emphasized the fact that their park will incorporate Chinese cultural elements to the traditional Disney fare. Modifications to the design of the park have been announced in public, including the elimination of "Main Street," a central feature in all other Disney resorts, and the inclusion of the largest storybook castle in the world.

Chinese audiences, says Yoshii, do demonstrate different preferences from their Western counterparts. "It's less about the thrill roller coaster in China," he says. "There's a very strong preference for shows. Chinese audiences tend to like music and dancing and animal shows. These are more passive attractions."

While multinational operators are trying to adapt to Chinese consumer habits, Brekelmans believes that China's theme park developers are slowly becoming more creative and savvy about the market, adding their own cultural flavor to home-grown parks. "We are seeing attempts to come up with original concepts based on Chinese culture and history such as Ming dynasty parks or The Monkey God," he says. "These could be hugely successful if executed to high operational standards, as they would enhance the overall experience and customer satisfaction which would drive return visits and merchandising sales."

Part of the learning curve, he adds, is the realization that smart marketing and well-placed reinvestment provide an important boost to theme park revenue. Spending on retail and concessions make up an important part of park profits. "Besides ticket revenue, themeparks also need to drive value by getting people to open their wallet for drinks, food and merchandising," says Brekelmans. "Creating a strong themed experience is critical in this respect."

Globally, the most successful parks also continuously invest in new attractions, opening a new ride or a new show on a regular schedule. "For theme parks to be successful on their own, it's critical to drive repeat visits," Brekelmans says. This means re-investment, offering new attractions that can bring visitors back for their second, third and fourth visits. "In China, this does not necessarily mean coming up with a new attraction every two years, as these can be highly risky and capital intensive investments," Brekelmans says. "China has a great tradition in staged acrobatic performances, for instance, and these could be a great draw for people if done well and to a high standard."

While many of the parks opening today are buoyed by growth in the market overall, Brekelmans believes the operators who understand these dynamics have a better chance at survival in the long-term. And, while many of today's new parks will close, China's theme park boom isn't expected to slow down any time soon.

"There will likely be another wave of development after Disney's arrival," says Gerner. "That wave may include more foreign brands, but it will continue to boost the domestic brands as well." Actually, you really don't have to read this whole article to know why this thread exists. You can just look at DJ's post above to get the picture. ;)

[GeneChing]

It's Russia...but it's also Kung Fu Panda (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60650)


DreamWorks Animation licenses ‘Shrek,’ ‘Madagascar,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda’ for Russian theme parks (http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/dreamworks-animation-licenses-shrek-madagascar-kung-fu-panda-for-russian-theme-parks/2013/02/15/a6030e7e-779b-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html)
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, February 15, 10:15 AM

GLENDALE, Calif. — DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. says it is licensing its characters to a developer of theme parks in Russia.

The Regions Group of Companies plans to open parks in St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in 2015.

DreamWorks said Friday that the parks will be Europe’s largest year-round indoor entertainment zones. The zones will be part of larger entertainment complexes, each featuring a mixed-use movie and concert hall, a movie theater, a hotel and a retail center.

Some franchises that are to be featured at the parks include “Shrek,” ‘’Madagascar,” ‘’How to Train Your Dragon” and “Kung Fu Panda,” as well as upcoming films such as “Turbo,” a movie set to debut in July about a snail that gets super speedy powers.

DreamWorks shares were up 54 cents, or 3.2 percent, at $17.48 in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday.

[GeneChing]

See our Stephan Chow's Journey to the West thread here (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61200).


Stephen Chow Signs Deal for 'Journey to the West' Theme Park (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stephen-chow-building-theme-park-423438)
3:31 AM PST 2/22/2013 by Clarence Tsui

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2013/01/chow.jpg
The actor-director will have a 25 percent stake in the 173-acre amusement park, set to open in 2015 in the Chinese city of Wuzhen, 90 minutes from Shanghai.

HONG KONG -- Stephen Chow Sing-chi has been traveling the lengths and breadths of China for the past few weeks promoting his CGI-blockbuster Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. But his trip to Wuzhen -- a city with a population of 60,000 (tiny by Chinese standards) -- is of as much significance to him as any other stop in his nationwide tour: He was visiting the town, which is a 90-minute car ride from Shanghai, to help cement his cinematic legacy in the form of a new theme park based on his latest film.

Appearing with Dong Ping, the chairman of Hong Kong-listed China Vision Media, Chow inked a deal that will give him a 25 percent stake in a project tentatively titled "Journey to the West Film City," with its central theme revolving around not just Chow’s current film, but also installments from the A Chinese Odyssey franchise, his 1990s adaptations of the titular classic Chinese novel.

According to a report in the Beijing Times newspaper, the company’s vice-president, Wang Jing, said the complex would boast “high-tech entertainment”, elements of cultural tourism, hotels, exhibition and commercial facilities. The site will take up an area of about 700,000 square meters (about 173 acres).

Construction is slated to begin in the second half of 2013, with the first parts of the complex opening to the public in 2015, the company said. The Beijing Times report said Chow and a China Vision Media subsidiary signed an undisclosed agreement last October with a view towards collaborating on film-themed entertainment complexes and theme parks.

By Thursday, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons has taken in 853 million yuan ($136 million) since it opened on Feb. 10, and is now set to challenge the 1.2 billion yuan ($192 million) domestic-film box-office record set by Xu Zheng’s comedy Lost in Thailand last month.

The Journey to the West theme park is just the latest in a line of Chinese property development projects spinning off from hit blockbusters. Last July, filmmaker Feng Xiaogang (Back to 1942) teamed up with his long-time backers, the Huayi Brothers studio, and Mission Hills Group to build a theme park based on his work.

Provincial governments, film studios and media companies are also investing in similar projects, with Changchun Film Group -- formerly a state enterprise -- reportedly investing nearly 44 billion yuan ($7.06 billion) in the construction of a theme park in the southeastern island province of Hainan.

[GeneChing]

And I was hoping they'd get an area dedicated to Star Wars (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64710).

February 27, 2013, 4:59 PM
Hong Kong’s Disneyland to Get Marvel Superheroes
(http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/02/27/hong-kongs-disneyland-to-get-marvel-superheroes/)
http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-WM654_0227HK_G_20130227032257.jpg
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Superheroes like Captain America and Captain Marvel are coming to Disneyland in Hong Kong soon.

Famed Marvel Comics superheroes like Spider-Man, X-Men and the Fantastic Four will soon call a part of Hong Kong Disneyland home, when the theme park opens an area dedicated to the comic-book stars.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang said the theme park, which is 52%-owned by the city’s government, will add an area featuring “Marvel heroes” as part of the resort’s expansion program.

Hong Kong Disneyland, the smallest of Walt Disney Co. DIS +1.20%’s parks worldwide, last week reported its first annual profit since its 2005 opening. The park has struggled over the years to boost attendance from its key target demographic—tourists from mainland China—many who aren’t enamored enough of Disney characters to make a special trip to the park. The park has also been competing with Ocean Park, a Sea World-type marine park in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Disneyland has added several new themed “lands” over the last few years to boost its size and attractiveness.

The addition of Marvel in Hong Kong will be the first of its kind of any Disney resort, and could be a big draw for mainland Chinese tourists after the success of several Hollywood smash-hits that featured Marvel characters. Marvel superheroes could also attract older and more affluent visitors, as opposed to the younger audiences that the traditional Disney characters target.

The Marvel addition is the latest move by Disney aimed at reaping the benefits of its $4 billion acquisition in 2009 of Marvel Entertainment. In May, “The Avengers”, the first Marvel film to be released by Disney since its Marvel purchase, shattered box-office records.

Earlier, Disney said it would prioritize plans to introduce theme-park rides based on Marvel superheroes.

– Jeffrey Ng

[GeneChing]

Oh man, one of us has got to do this. Dang it, our man in Kunming is back home already (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1245603#post1245603). :(

Sunday, August 25, 2013
Kung Fu? no big deal (http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/kung-fu-no-big-deal/)
www.odditycentral.com

http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bk01472.jpg
Remember those awesome action sequences from the movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, where kung fu masters would float through the air, skim on water and do battle through tall bamboo trees? A Chinese resort is now giving martial arts enthusiast the chance to perform these impossible feats themselves with the help of special effects equipment used on the big screen.

A martial arts theme-park in Kunming, China, has invested around $800,000 in high-tech special effects equipment that gives kung fu fans the chance to perform the impossible stunts of their favorite movie icons. From skywalking to skimming on water, anything is possible at the Wild Duck Lake Resort, thanks to a computer-controlled wire system almost identical to the ones used in blockbuster films. This is apparently the first time people outside the movie business get the chance to live their dreams of becoming legendary kung fu masters, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

According to a theme-park spokesman, the computer controls how fast and how far visitors travel on the water and through the air, once they are connected to the wires. So all they have to do is strike a nice pose as their friends and family take photos. Fees for the realistic martial arts experience start as low as $15, so if you’ve always fantasized about starring in your own kung fu flick, this is one chance you don’t want to miss.

[ShaolinDan]

Oh man, one of us has got to do this. Dang it, our man in Kunming is back home already (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1245603#post1245603). :(

Nuts!! As if missing Kingdom of the Little People wasn't bad enough! I also missed my chance for a "realistic martial arts experience." :mad::p

[GeneChing]

Or we could go to a Monkey King-themed park in Beijing, China


Theme Park Insider interview with Dave Cobb, on Chinese theme parks and overcoming the knock-off culture (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201308/3614/)
Written by Robert Niles
Published: August 21, 2013 at 2:24 PM

This week on the Theme Park Insider Podcast, we talked with Dave Cobb, senior creative director at Thinkwell, an independent theme park design firm in Burbank, California. Thinkwell's the team behind The Making of Harry Potter at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in the United Kingdom, as well as the Special Effects Stage show at Universal Studios Hollywood, among many other projects around the world. Before joining Thinkwell, Dave worked at Universal Creative, where he was the creative director for Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Studios Florida, then he moved onto the Paramount Parks chain, where we oversaw themed attractions such as the Italian Job Stunt Coaster and Tomb Raider, before that chain was sold to Cedar Fair.

Dave Cobb. Photo courtesy Thinkwell GroupIn our conversation, we talked about one of Thinkwell's current big projects, a Monkey King-themed park in Beijing, China. From there, we got into a broader discussion about how parks copy one another, and how, too often, they miss the crucial distinction between form and function that leads fans to fall in love with great theme park attractions.

Dave: Money King, yeah, we just wrapped up schematic on that, maybe a little further. All of our projects are broken up into phases. In most of the theme park world, it's usually blue sky phase, concept development and refinement, schematic, which is where you figure out space and size and cost, design/development, which is where you actually figure out engineering and architecture, and then production, which is when you put stuff in the ground. Usually, you end up putting stuff in the ground sometime in D/D, hopefully.

Unlike an operator, a Disney or a Universal, we don't have the luxury of saying from the get-go, we're absolutely for sure going to build something. A lot of the time we're hired by clients in phases. Monkey King is a perfect example of that. We did the concept back in late 2009, early 2010, and that was with a developer in China who does a lot of real estate. They had us develop a concept package which then went to the Chinese government for approvals and blessings and everyone said hey, this looks great. Then we did a concept refinement, and we finished schematic a couple months back. It's this huge package. What's funny is that we brought them the final package and it was like three feet tall, and they said you didn't need to bring so many copies, and we said, no that's just one -- it's the schematic. It's literally hundreds of sheets per attraction.

The Monkey King project really represented a milestone for us in our projects dealing with China. It was the furthest got in terms of design/development with a project there. Also, culturally. Those are stories [Monkey King] that are in the DNA of more than a billion people. You can't screw it up. And that was a concern, but we have a lot of designers who either are Chinese or have worked on projects in China before. We actually had a couple of Beijingers (where the park is going) working on the project here [in Burbank] and we really tried to imbue the whole team not just with a sense of cultural responsibility -- of course that's there, that's assumed -- we wanted them to really celebrate it and get their heads into why these stories are so cool.

It's easy to look at them [the Monkey King stories] and think, oh, they're fairy tales. But they're really more than that. They're national consciousness in a lot of ways. They're superheroes. They're a trickster character who lives by his guile and thumbs his nose at the authorities. So there really are some fun themes to play with there. Half of the challenge was to find unique ways to show off what we do, which is spectacle and Western entertainment and dark rides -- all the stuff they're hiring us for. But [we have to] make sure it still stays true to why people like those stories.

I had a standard question I would ask all the clients: "What's your favorite Monkey King story, and why?" Journey to the West is the name of the book, and there are 100 or so chapters. And everybody had a different answer. Now, there was a constant on a couple of them. There were two or three that were always in everyone's top [answers], and those became some of our bigger attractions. (Laughs)

The gratifying part of this was, after pitching to cultural consultants and people there, we pitched to this guy who is head of one of the film boards in China. He approves which films from outside of China get played in China. He's that guy. I pitched one of the rides that all of us worked so hard on, and at the end he stood up at the desk and he applauded. I was so tickled. One of our guys was actually recording that moment, so we showed it to the team when we got back.

It's a challenging place to work for a lot of reasons, but the culture is so incredibly cool and different from ours, yet [it's] the same and different. People ask me, how different is a theme park there? Well, at the end of the day they're hiring us for spectacles and dark rides. They want that. But how do we address that to a Chinese sensibility and culture? That's an ongoing collaboration.

Robert: The stereotype of Chinese theme parks is, thanks to Tumblrs on the Internet, cheap knock-offs of Western theme parks. The Bizarro Disneyland.

Dave: [Laughs] And I've been to all those.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Robert: Obviously, there's been a demand for that, but now we're at a point where they're contracting out and building the real thing. There's going to be a real Disneyland in Shanghai. Chinese are contracting with companies such as Thinkwell, who know how to build a real Western theme park. How do you see this trend playing out?

Dave: I think the demand for a real, quality, Disney-style theme park is no different that the burgeoning demand there for luxury goods: the real Prada bag and not the fake Prada bag. Knock-off culture is what it is there. It's the elephant in the middle of the room in a lot of ways. But that's changing because you have two or three generations of people who have been educated overseas. They're understand why those extra steps in creating technology, or entertainment, or goods, or services, make for a better product and will make your audience fall in love with it.

Like you said, the Tumblr blogs show us these scary Small World clones. I've ridden them, and they are creepy as hell. But that's because they copied just what the saw and not necessarily what they felt. At least that's my own B.S., psychological evaluation of that. I went on one of those Small World rides. It was trying to be Small World. It had all the blocky graphics, sort of like Mary Blair, or I always like to switch the first letter of someone's name when it's the knock-off, so it's Barry Mlair.

At the end of the ride, I look up in the sky above all the singing dolls and there's this sort-of starburst pattern on a little logo and I squint and look at it said "Mattel" on it. And I went, why is there a Mattel logo? Then I realized it's because Mattel used to sponsor the one here [at Disneyland in Anaheim]. So they had just taken a picture of the set and copied everything, not knowing what the context of that meant.

This is just cultural misappropriation, misunderstanding. They're trying really hard to get the same feeling, when the feeling of that ride isn't just the way it looks. It's many other things, too. That's an education for them, as it's an education for us to learn how to adapt to Chinese culture and audience.

Another one I saw was a park in Beijing where they'd obviously went to Islands of Adventure. There was one area of the park where right next to each other was the facade for The Cat in the Hat dark ride, the giant arm from the collapsed Poseidon statue, and a row of sets from Port of Entry. I mean, I was working there [at Islands of Adventure] at the time when all of that was being built, so I saw it come out of the ground. I have a photographic memory of that park. So I walked in and I went, "Wow, this is deja vu." They literally took a picture and said "We want that." But the seams of where they went together were not there. And that's the kind of thing that we can help them with.

Hong Kong Disneyland had an impact there, but there's a bit of dissonance when we deal with mainland China clients. They see [Hong Kong] as a different audience. That's changing, but I think a lot of our clients reacted that way because [Hong Kong Disneyland] initially was seen not as a success. But we all know that Disney's just going to turn on the money hose until it works. So now it's working, and very well. Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Manor are two of the best things they've done in the world in a long time. That Mystic Manor ride, I can't wait.

Robert: And what's interesting about Mystic Manor, that final, climatic scene...

Dave: ...It's Monkey King!

The thing people need to know is that Monkey King isn't some licensed character. It started as oral tradition, told between families, and then it was written down and now it's what they call one of the five greatest books in Chinese literature. Then it turned into operas, and stage plays, and animated series, and comic books, and toys. There's a version for it with a very famous Chinese actor that was made for television in the 70s, and that's the one that the current generation of adults, like our age, know and absolutely love. We got it on DVD when we were over there and watched it and it's so charmingly funny. The Gen Xers will know what I'm talking about -- it looked like a Sid and Marty Krofft show, with slightly cheesy costumes and goofy special effects. It was like Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, or Wonderbug, or any of those things. Seeing that really helped me understand that this isn't some creaky old novel. This is something that every generation reinvented.

There was that great HD video of Mystic Manor that hit the day after the ride opened… by the way Internet, I love you. Theme park nerds out there, first know that we're one of you, and we love all of you. We travel a lot for work, but I can't get out there and see everything. But when something opens, all I have to do is go to Google. The day after it opened, there was this gorgeous first-person video that showed everything. So thank you for that, whoever you were.

Then it got to that last scene, and I'm like, "Holy crap, it's the Monkey King!" He's being used as a cultural touchstone. If the story of this ride is that all of statuary and objects come to life and reveal their magical properties, well, he's a trickster. Of course, he's going to screw things up at the end. It's a brilliant little get for them. And it's a perfect example of why you can't necessarily do the Haunted Mansion in a Chinese park. Ghosts are not the same. In most Asian cultures, ghosts are different, but in China ghosts are very, very different. It's usually about magic, and whether or not that magic is good or bad. It's more about demons and elemental spirits than it is about the ghosts of dead people.

So you go through Haunted Mansion [as a Chinese visitor] and it doesn't quite read. People don't understand the idea of your friends and family, or strangers, people in the graveyard singing at you. We have an affinity for that because we've been told that old New England-style houses and graveyards are creepy places. That has no cultural relevance at all [in China]. It doesn't push any buttons.

I thought that ride in particular was a brilliant retelling of the tenets of the Haunted Mansion but as something entirely different. And also, it starts with a monkey, too. The whole mischievous monkey idea, it's great. Monkeys are celebrated as tricksters in the culture, and sort of adored as cute things.

Robert: As you were talking about all these knock-off parks that copied the form, but totally missed the function. Here's something that got the function of the Haunted Mansion [as a spirit-driven magic show], but it's in a completely different form.

Dave: Now [clients in China] see that Disney's going to make this work, they're going to adapt to the audience, not the other way around. Shanghai is a perfect example of that. From what little I've seen, it has only the most tenuous connection to the physic design of Magic Kingdoms we know. It shares a lot of the philosophies, but it's expressing them in a completely different way.

For more of our interview with Dave Cobb, including the challenges of designing for a multi-generational audience, the damage of the Coaster Wars, and the power of letting your audience be part of the show, download Episode 4 of Theme Park Insider podcast on iTunes. This could almost go on our Chinese counterfeits thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57980) instead.

[GeneChing]

I've been on a few sketchy Chinese amusement rides already.

3 Fall from Amusement Park's High Speed Windmill in Xi'an (http://english.cri.cn/11354/2013/09/16/2982s787803.htm)
2013-09-16 10:55:37 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Yangyang

http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2013/09/16/bd348605aaf742a0bc4c716f171be769.jpg
The amusement park ride is shut down after an accident that severely injured three people in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shannxi province on Sunday, Sep 15, 2013. [Photo: CFP]

Qinling Amusement Park has been temporarily shut down after three people were thrown from a high-speed, windmill-like ride on Sunday in Xi'an, northwest China's Shannxi Province. The injured are currently undergoing emergency treatment, reports the Beijing Times.

Wang Hang witnessed the tragic accident, recalling how he sat helplessly as the three were flung from the ride. "It was horrible. The three people were on the same line of seats as I was. I saw them fall, but couldn't do anything," said Wang Hang.

One victim, who the reports identifies only as Wei, is currently undergoing emergency live-saving treatment after the ride accident left her with bone fractures from head to toe. Another victim, a 14 year old boy, is being treated for severe injuries, while the third is in stable condition after being treated for multiple fractures to the face and mouth.

A preliminary investigation ruled that a mechanical failure caused the tragic accident. Qinling Park documents show that the ride that severely injured three people passed a safety inspection conducted just last month.

A park-goer sitting with Wang Hang said that the ride's staff failed to check their safety harnesses before the ride started. When the people she was sitting with tried to get the staff's attention about the situation, the ride already started. "Before we could question the staff, the ride started to go. Then the most horrible thing happened. We shouted 'help,' but they didn't hear us down on the ground," said the tourist, who was not identified by name in the report.

Operations at Qinling Amusement Park have been suspended indefinitely.

[GeneChing]

I posted the original Malaysian article on the JC charity thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1248969#post1248969).

Beijing Will Get a Jackie Chan Theme Park (http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/09/17/beijing-is-getting-a-jackie-chan-theme-park/)

The Hong Kong-born action star plans to showcase jewelry and special furniture from his personal collection there
By Courtney Subramanian @cmsubSept. 17, 20131 Comment

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/nf_jackiechan_0103.jpg?w=360&h=240&crop=1
Jackie Chan
Kiyoshi Ota / Getty Images
Jackie Chan waves as he attends the Tokyo International Film Festival Opening Ceremony at Roppongi Hills on October 22, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan.

Beloved action star and stunt man Jackie Chan has a new thrill in mind for Beijing, and it involves the likes of roller coasters, martial arts-themed memorabilia and amusement park kitsch. No, it’s not an action flick about his adventures at Six Flags Great America. It’s a real theme park, called JC World, set to open in Yizhuang, Beijing.

The Malaysian Times reports that the park will consist of five sections, each distinguished by a different theme, and will exhibit items from the actor’s personal collection including special furniture, antique houses and jewelry. “I want to exhibit all my stuff. They may not all be worth a lot of money, but they may have a story behind them,” Chan told the paper. There’s no word on when the park is slated to open, but admission will be free with some attractions priced individually.

While it’s not entirely clear what will draw his fans to the three-quarter square mile park, Chan also plans to donate some of his 10 restored, historic Chinese sandalwood houses, which he bought in Anhui province during the 1990s. The Kung fu star already donated part of his collection to Singapore University of Technology and Design, sparking criticism from Chinese netizens who felt the relics belonged to China.

While the them park’s launch is up in the air, the comedian and action star has been keeping busy. He’s currently working on the third installment of the action flick series, The Expendables, and is slated to film a new movie with Chinese director Zhang Yimou next year. Woah, Time Mag - Jackie ain't expendable (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1244074#post1244074). :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

I would love to go on the Disney HK Haunted Mansion ride.

I would also still love to see the Chinese cut of Iron Man 3 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63555).



To Lift Hong Kong Park, Disney Deploys Iron Man (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/business/international/to-lift-hong-kong-park-disney-deploys-iron-man.html?_r=0)

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Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images
The Mystic Point ride is a twist on the famed Haunted Mansion and now operates at Hong Kong Disneyland.
By BROOKS BARNES and KEITH BRADSHER
Published: October 8, 2013

HONG KONG — Iron Man has proved his might at the Chinese box office. Now Disney is betting that the Marvel superhero has enough muscle to complete a turnaround at its underperforming theme park here — a task of crucial importance as the company hurtles toward the opening of a mega-resort in Shanghai.

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Disney/Marvel
A rendering of the planned Iron Man Experience at Hong Kong Disneyland, with a shopping area, which is due to open in 2016.

An Iron Man-themed thrill ride, photo pavilion and shopping area will open at Hong Kong Disneyland in late 2016, said Thomas O. Staggs, Disney’s theme park chairman. The Iron Man Experience, which analysts say will cost at least $100 million, will be Disney’s first ride based on Marvel. Disney bought the comic book company for about $4 billion in 2009.

At its core, the expansion is about shoring up a resort that Disney is counting on to act as an engine in Southeast China for its broader portfolio of merchandise and movies. Hong Kong Disneyland, criticized for its small size and locked in heated competition with nearby Ocean Park, has lost hundreds of millions of dollars since opening in 2005 because of smaller-than-expected attendance.

Hong Kong Disneyland reported its first profit — a slim $14 million — for its last fiscal year, a signal that turnaround efforts, including a torrent of new rides and retooled marketing campaigns, are working. But the park remains a work in progress, and Disney needs to prove, to itself and others, that it can find the right success formula for Hong Kong Disneyland as a prelude to the much bigger undertaking in Shanghai.

An exclusive Iron Man offering could greatly increase Hong Kong Disneyland’s momentum. “Iron Man 3” took in $121.2 million in China this year. The related “Avengers” movie took in $84.1 million.

“It’s important for us to have a story for our Hong Kong guests, a little bit of bragging rights that they have something that nobody else has,” said Bill Ernest, the president of Disney’s theme parks in Asia.

The decision to deploy one of its mightiest assets at Hong Kong Disneyland reflects the delicate balancing act that Disney faces as it prepares to open the Shanghai resort in 2015. To achieve its growth goals in China, Disney needs both beachheads to thrive. Disney must also fend off competition in the booming Chinese theme park market, including an $8.2 billion movie-themed resort and real estate development announced late last month for the seaside city of Qingdao.

Disney insists that its two Chinese parks will draw from different population bases, much like its resorts in Florida and California do. “We are confident that Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland will complement and reinforce each other,” Mr. Staggs said in an e-mail.

Some economists here agree. But Disney at the very least faces a very local challenge: Hong Kong leaders, already feeling a bit insecure about the ascension of Shanghai as a financial capital, do not want their Disneyland to be viewed as less than successful and are counting on it to help fuel tourism growth to the city. The Hong Kong government owns 52.44 percent of Hong Kong Disneyland, with Disney controlling the balance.

Disney has 11 major parks worldwide that recorded 126.5 million visitors last year and delivered profit of $1.9 billion.

Disney gave few details about the planned Iron Man ride, saying only that it will allow guests to take flight with the superhero as he fights alien invaders across the streets and skyline of Hong Kong — a tease that will surely make Marvel’s rabid fan base salivate. Even without specifics, the announcement will also help to end what has long been Hong Kong Disneyland’s biggest question: Is it big enough?

After building a theme park complex outside Paris in the early 1990s that was much bigger than demand ultimately warranted (and is still causing the company headaches), Disney pursued the opposite strategy with Hong Kong, where plans called for growth in phases. “We wanted to get our bearings when it came to our Asian consumers,” Mr. Ernest said, noting that Chinese children have not traditionally grown up with Mickey Mouse and his cartoon friends.

But the park’s small size annoyed many local guests, who wanted more rides to go with the extravagant landscaping.

Opening-year attendance missed projections, and the number of visitors dropped by more than 20 percent the following year, to about four million people. (To compare, the older Disneyland Paris now attracts 11.2 million visitors annually.) The Hong Kong park did not offer enough attractions to draw the expected interest from China’s adjacent Guangdong province in particular, economists say. About 106 million people live in Guangdong.

In terms of attendance, “we could easily triple it or quadruple it,” said Nicholas Kwan, the research director at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, an advisory group originally created by the government that now works closely with local chambers of commerce.

When Disney has a will, it generally finds a way. Since 2011, the company has spent about $465 million on an aggressive expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland. New areas include Grizzly Gulch, a gold rush town that features a roller coaster that runs backward; Mystic Point, where a twist on the famed Haunted Mansion now operates; and Toy Story Land, a lavishly themed collection of rides and shops.

“We think we are successful, and a lot of that success is balanced around new product,” including parades and seasonal events, Mr. Ernest said, stopping short of trumpeting a formal turnaround. He declined to discuss continuing talks with the government to build new hotels at the resort — it currently has two — and add a Downtown Disney shopping district.

The new areas that are already open, which have increased the park’s size by about 25 percent, contributed to an 14 percent increase in attendance last year, to about 6.7 million, according to the Themed Entertainment Association. Disney says that 45 percent of Hong Kong Disneyland’s customers now come from mainland China, compared with 34 percent in 2006. The company, feeling confident about increased demand, raised ticket prices by 12.8 percent in March; general admission now costs about $58.

“The new attractions are much more fun than the old ones,” said Kevin Lau, a Hong Kong hotel manager. “Before we always found it small.”

Still, Mr. Lau said that the less expensive Ocean Park, which was visited by 7.4 million people last year, retains his loyalty, in part because of his own childhood memories there. Despite its progress, Hong Kong Disneyland still has areas that need improvement, he said.

“The food in the park could be more attractive with better quality,” Mr. Lau said. “We always give up eating inside the park and go back to town for dinner.”

Disney is proud of its food offerings, which now includes halal-certified cuisine for Muslim visitors. But new food could presumably accompany Iron Man’s arrival at the park. As any Marvel fan knows, he is a huge aficionado of the American cheeseburger.

[GeneChing]

In upstate NY? wth?


Mysterious plans to build upstate NY ‘China City of America’ (http://nypost.com/2013/12/04/mysterious-plans-to-build-upstate-ny-china-city-of-america/)
By Geoff Earle
December 4, 2013 | 7:16pm

http://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/china-city.jpg?w=720&h=480&crop=1
Long Island businesswoman Sherry Li (inset) is the mastermind behind the plan to build a 'China City of America' in upstate New York.
Photo: Photo Courtesy Midhudsonnews.com

A Long Island businesswoman wants to build a massive “Chinese Disneyland” in the Catskills — which would include an amusement park, huge mansions and a “Forbidden City” laid out according to the principles of Feng Shui.

The China City of America scheme could bring thousands of wealthy Chinese immigrants to the tiny Sullivan County town of Thompson, under a federal program that lets foreigners get visas by investing $500,000 in the US.

The mastermind behind the plan, Sherry Li, says the development would eventually draw $6 billion in foreign investment.

“We can kind of view it as a Chinese concept of Disney — so it’s going to have lot of attractions for families,” she said.

The designs for China City include a college, 1,000 residences, a Chinese-themed retail center and possibly a casino.

The place would feel like a trip to China just 90 miles outside New York city, as one area would mark parts of the Chinese Zodiac while another would have 16 buildings representing the major Chinese dynasties.

“Each dynasty will have its building and will have rides go with it,” Li said at a town council meeting in May where she pitched the original plan.

China City’s website features golden dragons, and projects an initial investment of $325 million — with $10 million going to a “Temple of Heaven,” $24 million on a hotel and entertainment complex, and $20 million to construct a “Forbidden City.”

It also projects a $65 million infusion from the U.S. government – without naming what agency would make the contribution.

“It’s multiple phases. No project is going to happen in one day. It’s going to be step-by-step,” Li told the Post, saying the amusement park component would get built in a later phase.

The plan is now under consideration by the leaders of Thompson, population 15,000.

It’s already getting a lot of opposition.

“It actually seems surreal but unfortunately it is real,” said Paula Medley, an activist who heads a local environmental group.

“This is kind of a combination of pie-in-the-sky and ethnic solidarity and showmanship and a federal program that sort of facilitates this sort of thing. It’s really an odd mix,” said David North, who authored a new report picking apart China City’s proposal for the D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies.

Others questioned its link to the federal visa program, known as EB-5.

“It sounds like an EB-5 scam,” said Laura Corruzi, a New York City attorney who vacations in the area. “The financials don’t really support the $6 billion project.”

The Thompson town council has had at least five meetings on the project, with the latest Tuesday night.

Li wouldn’t reveal the number of investors she has lined up, but she said most were Chinese nationals.

“Whoever is interested [will] invest with us. At this point we don’t have [Chinese] government investors at all,” she said, describing her own background only as being in the “financial industry.”

“It’s in the thousands of apartments, houses — it’s huge,” said Thompson town supervisor Tony Cellini. He said the total population of Chinese coming in eventually could equal the town’s if the developers “fulfill” all their wishes.

“We’re not certain we have the infrastructure to handle all that at this point,” he added.

“I believe China City is very serious but they’ve got a long road ahead of them to get all their approvals.”

[GeneChing]

8006Related to an earlier post here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks&p=1149649#post1149649).


Photos: World Chocolate Wonderland now open in Chongqing (http://shanghaiist.com/2013/12/31/photos_wold_chocolate_wonderland_no.php)
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The World Chocolate Wonderland that exhibiting chocolate terracotta warriors, Buddha statues, pandas and more was made open to the public yesterday in Chongqing.

The chocolate-themed exhibition has visited Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung since its start in 2010.

Yummy.

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[Syn7]

A lot of the stuff I see in this thread makes me just roll my eyes and move on, but that last one was pretty cool. I like the chocolate warriors. I would love to go see the real thing one day. Anyone seen the terracotta warriors up close?

[ShaolinDan]

A lot of the stuff I see in this thread makes me just roll my eyes and move on, but that last one was pretty cool. I like the chocolate warriors. I would love to go see the real thing one day. Anyone seen the terracotta warriors up close?

Yep. Cool artifacts, lousy presentation. http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64408-In-Kunming/page3

[GeneChing]

It's an amazing site - you just don't get the magnitude of it until you stand before it. It's also an active archeological dig, so they built this huge protective structure over it, which as SD says, doesn't offer the best of views.

I mentioned it in passing in my first ezine blog - see Wu-Tang Enters Wudang (7 of 7) Track 12: Deadly Melody (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=11).

[GeneChing]

That'll make a great ride.


Titanic museum, shipwreck simulator to anchor Chinese theme park (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/13/us-china-titanic-idUSBREA0C06S20140113)
By Venus Wu and Joyce Woo
HONG KONG Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:24am EST

http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20140113&t=2&i=828995087&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=378&r=CBREA0C0DD700
1 of 4. Bernard Hill (3rd R), actor of captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Titanic movie, poses with Su Shaojun (2nd R), CEO of Seven-Star Energy Investment Group (SSEG), during a news conference in Hong Kong January 12, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Tyrone Siu

(Reuters) - A life-sized replica of the Titanic will become the centerpiece of a landlocked theme park in China, featuring a museum and a shipwreck simulation to give visitors a harrowing sense of the 1912 disaster.

The Chinese version of "the unsinkable ship", with a price tag of 1 billion yuan ($165 million) and an expected opening date in 2016, will be built at least 1,500 km (930 miles) from the nearest ocean in the central province of Sichuan.

Su Shaojun, chief executive of the Seven Star Energy Investment Group that funded the project, said Asia needs its own Titanic museum.

"We think it's worth spreading the spirit of the Titanic. The universal love and sense of responsibility shown during the Titanic shipwreck represent the spiritual richness of human civilization," he told a media conference on Sunday.

The project aims to be more than a museum that replicates the original ship and the 1997 movie that became a global hit. The simulation will allow several hundred people at a time to feel what the shipwreck was like.

"When the ship hits the iceberg, it will shake, it will tumble," Su said. "We will let people experience water coming in by using sound and light effects ... They will think, 'The water will drown me, I must escape with my life'."

The massive and luxurious Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from the English port of Southampton to New York, taking more than 1,500 lives with it.

The 1997 movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is the second highest-grossing film on record after Avatar, bringing in nearly $2.2 billion worldwide.

Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in the movie and flew to Hong Kong to show his support for the Chinese replica, dismissed suggestions that building a theme park based on a tragedy was inappropriate.

"It's been approached in a very delicate and a very sensitive way and they're very aware of the extent of the disaster in 1912," he said.

"I don't think it will belittle that disaster."

Hill said his flight and hotel were paid for but he did not get any extra money for taking part in the media conference.

Construction of the Titanic copy is due to begin early this year. The Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort will also feature a man-made beach, a "6D" movie theatre and replicas of a Venetian church and European castles.

(Editing by John O'Callaghan and Paul Tait)

[Syn7]

I'm starting to love these parks just for the audacity of it all. Weird phenomenon.

[GeneChing]

Universal Studios to Build $2 Billion Hollywood-Themed Resort in Beijing (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/universal-studios-build-2-billion-686156)
8:23 PM PST 3/4/2014 by Clifford Coonan, Alex Ben Block

Located in a suburb of China's capital city, Universal Studios Beijing will be the company’s third facility in Asia after Singapore and Tokyo.

Universal Studios is planning to open a Hollywood movie theme park, Universal Studios Beijing, in the suburbs of the Chinese capital in collaboration with a local state tourism company.

The news was released on the website Sina's property pages, and spread quickly online, with much excited chatter on China's Twitter, Weibo.

The facility will cover a 51-acre site and the total budget will be 12 billion yuan ($1.95 billion). Construction is due to start in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the local media report.

A report in Shanghai Securities News, cited by the Shanghai Landscape Architecture Design Institute website, said officials from the National Development and Reform Commission had filed an application to begin construction, and the demolition of existing buildings was ongoing, with the aim of opening the park in January 2018.

The Universal Creative division of Universal Parks and Resorts has also been advertising for Mandarin Chinese-speaking staff.

When contacted by The Hollywood Reporter, Universal declined to comment on the various reports.

The Chinese partners, Beijing Tourism Group, which is part of the capital's municipal government, will provide the land and an unspecified part of the investment, while Universal Studios will be responsible for branding, intellectual property, technology and management of the park, Sina reported.

In a separate report, the Global Times daily reported that municipal authorities are planning to build a monorail in Beijing, with the terminus in the new Universal Studios in the southeastern suburb of Tongzhou.

The Beijing resort will bring the number of Universal Studios that the company operates in Asia to three, with Universal Studios in Singapore and Osaka. Both facilities are massively popular with Mainland Chinese tourists, as is the Los Angeles Universal Studios.

There is considerable amount of activity in the theme park area in China right now. The Walt Disney Company has Hong Kong Disneyland and is building a $4.4 billion Disneyland Shanghai project that is due to open at the end of 2015, as mainland China's first Disney resort.

DreamWorks Animation's China unit, Oriental DreamWorks, is developing a $3.1 billion cultural and "entertainment destination" in Shanghai with a trio of Chinese partners -- China Media Capital (CMC), the Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment.

The Chinese real estate group, Dalian Wanda, which owns AMC, is building a theme park project called Wuxi Wanda City, while Chinese production company Huayi Brothers has been building a resort on the holiday island of Hainan, which takes the films of top director Feng Xiaogang as the theme.
I doubt I'd go all the way to China to see a Universal park. A Wanda or a Huayi park would be interesting however.

[GeneChing]

Chow Yun Fat will have to make the opening. Embarrassingly, I still haven't seen PotC2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?34491-Chow-Yun-Fat-in-Pirates-of-Carribean-2). :o

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN COMING TO SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND (http://en.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/en/press/press-pirates-of-the-caribbean/)
March 19, 2014
Shanghai Disneyland to feature first Pirates-themed land in a Disney park

March 19, 2014, Shanghai – Shanghai Disney Resort today announced that the first of its Magic-Kingdom theme park's six themed lands will be dedicated to characters and stories inspired by the blockbuster movie franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean. This first-ever Pirates-themed land in a Disney park, to be named Treasure Cove, will be unique to Shanghai Disneyland and include a major attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure, an all-new high-technology boat ride attraction. Today's announcement coincides with the completion of key structural work on the Pirates attraction, and marks another exciting milestone in the resort development.

Seamlessly blending Disney's storytelling and state-of-the-art technologies, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure will be the first attraction built since the release of the Pirates films, and the first to heavily feature the characters and scenes derived directly from the movies. Employing many never-before-seen effects and technologies, Guests will be enlisted to go with Captain Jack Sparrow on an epic journey to find Captain Davy Jones' treasure. The ride will take Guests down to the ocean depths, through the bellies of pirate ships, and straight into the heart of a ferocious naval battle, all the while braving the nautical twists, spins and turns of a pirate adventure.

"We are excited to celebrate this new milestone in Shanghai Disney Resort's development," said Bill Ernest, President and Managing Director, Asia, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "And we're thrilled to announce that the resort's theme park will be home to a first new themed land and attraction, inspired by the phenomenal Pirates of the Caribbean movies that were originally inspired by a Disney attraction. It is truly unique to Shanghai Disney Resort!"

"We are excited to see the Disney Imagineering team continue to bring the most advanced technologies and construction techniques to China, working collaboratively with local talents, in building this modern and innovative park," said Fan Xiping, Chairman of Disney's Chinese joint venture partner in Shanghai Disney Resort, Shanghai Shendi Group.

"We are committed to creating experiences which honor both Disney heritage and appeal to our Chinese Guests," said Mike Crawford, General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort. "With a combination of new cutting-edge technology and innovation, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure will take our Guests at Shanghai Disney Resort on a first-of-its-kind pirate adventure you will never experience anywhere else in the world."

Progress continues with construction at the Shanghai Disney Resort's build site in Pudong Shanghai and the resort remains on target to open at the end of 2015.

# # #

About Shanghai Disney Resort

Shanghai Disney Resort, the first Disney resort in Mainland China, will be a place where friends and family can escape together to a whole new world of fantasy, imagination, creativity and adventure. The resort will include a park designed in the rich tradition of Disneyland theme parks around the world with the uniqueness and beauty of China, two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue and an array of recreation facilities.

The resort will be located in Pudong, Shanghai and is targeted to open at the end of 2015.

The resort is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group comprised of two owner companies (Shanghai International Theme Park Company Limited and Shanghai International Theme Park Associated Facilities Company Limited) and a management company (Shanghai International Theme Park and Resort Management Company Limited). Shanghai Shendi Group holds 57% of the shares and Disney holds the remaining 43% of shares of the owner companies. Disney has a 70% stake and Shanghai Shendi Group has a 30% stake in the joint venture management company. The management company is responsible for creating, developing and operating the resort on behalf of the owner companies.

[GeneChing]

We know Wanda (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising&p=1208511#post1208511).


Ground broken on Chinese park (http://www.interpark.co.uk/news/Ground-broken-on-Chinese-park/3640-19-&cb=0)
The Chinese Wanda Group recently held a ground-breaking celebration for the impressive Wanda City Hefei project.

At the event, Jora Vision's CEO Jan Maarten de Raad was invited to speak to the guests about the theme park the Dutch company is designing.

Wanda Group is planning on opening Wanda City Hefei in 2016 - one of the many Wanda Cultural Tourism City projects it is developing.

Jora Vision has been actively working on the design of the first Wanda theme park in Hefei, a city located in the Chinese province of Anhui, since last year.

"We are honoured to be part of this project, to work with Wanda to develop this park," de Raad said during the opening.

"While taking on this challenge we were determined to design a world where Anhui's heritage and stories don't make visitors feel like they are in a museum.

Our goal is to design an environment where culture and heritage come to life through strong story lines and fantasy."

The theme park of almost 38ha is based on local culture and traditions. It is divided into six specific areas and is planned to have over 30 attractions.

For each of these areas, Jora Vision came up with a specific storyline where fairytales, art, history and legends meet, translating the Anhui Province's heritage into a full leisure experience.

Sister company Jora Entertainment is involved in the design of the audio and special effects for the park.
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Adrian Lennox

[GeneChing]

This is why this topic fascinates me. It's a unique barometer of China's growth.



China is building way more theme parks than it needs (http://qz.com/226561/china-is-building-way-more-theme-parks-than-it-needs/)
By Lily Kuo @lilkuo June 26, 2014

http://img.qz.com/2014/06/china-wonderland-web.jpg?w=880
A not so magical kingdom. Reuters/Stringer

Six Flags Corp announced plans this week to build some of its iconic amusement parks in China. But the company and other entrants into China’s increasingly crowded parks and leisure industry may be in for a roller coaster ride caused by a rapidly inflating theme-park bubble in the country.

China’s quirky amusement parks have long been famous. Developers built a park in Bruce Lee’s ancestral home, a “Kingdom of Little People” in Kunming, which hires only performers shorter than 4 feet 3inches tall, as well the “Window to the World” park in Shenzhen, which consists of imitations of the world’s most famous tourist sites. One amusement park in Sichuan province is reportedly preparing a reenactment of the Titanic’s fatal collision with an iceberg.

In all there are already more than 2,000 theme parks (link in Chinese) in China already, according to estimates by Chinese tourism experts, compared to just over 400 in the United States, with another 64 due to launch in the next six years. It’s no wonder global entertainment firms from Six Flags to Disney, which is building a Disneyland in Shanghai, are clamoring to enter the Chinese market: More than 108 million people visited theme parks in China last year, up 6% from 2012, and Chinese theme park groups like Oct Parks China, Fantawild Group, and Haichang Group, have entered global rankings (pdf, p. 9) in terms of attendance.

http://img.qz.com/2014/06/china-sphinx-park-web1.jpg
Part of a theme park in Hebei province scheduled to open in October.Reuters/Petar Kujundzic

But whether this growth will continue is another matter. Investors are already worried that a slower-growing economy will weigh on families’ propensity to shell out for a day of amusement. In March, Chinese theme park developer Haichang Holdings saw its share price sink 16% on the day of its IPO in Hong Kong.

Industry observers claim that less than 10% of the country’s existing theme parks are profitable, and the prospects for new developments are dubious. “They can’t all really develop, some of them won’t happen,” Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in the US, told the China Daily.

Others worry that theme parks are just the latest way for real estate developers to buy up land. A tourism expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Liu Simin, said that a “park plus real estate” model, in which real estate developers buy land from local governments cheaply and use it to build apartments as well as a park, is becoming increasingly common. (Because parks and recreation facilities are seen as in the public interest, land for these purposes is generally cheaper.)

Moreover, starting last year, Beijing began allowing revenue-starved local governments the authority to approve theme park projects under 5 billion yuan ($800 million) in investment. The theme park boom is likely to continue ascending steadily upwards like one of Six Flags’ signature rides, but look out for the first big drop—it could be a doozy.

Cathy Sizhao Yi contributed additional reporting.



59 theme parks to be built in China by 2020 (http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140622000001&cid=1102)

Staff Reporter
2014-06-22
09:04 (GMT+8)

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/newsphoto/2014-06-22/450/C501X0383H_2014%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99%E7%85%A7%E7%89%8 7_N71_copy1.JPG
A child plays with a cartoon character at a movie-themed park in Changchun in Jilin, May 1. (Photo/Xinhua)

China is slated to build 59 theme parks and five water parks by 2020 with total investments of US$23.8 billion, expected to attract 166.3 million people, a scale far exceeding the United States and Japan, Chinese-language Beijing Business Today reports, citing global engineering firm AECOM.

The market is relatively immature, however, compared to the US and Japan, and most of the nation's theme park developers focus more on the value of the enclosed land for the parks.

From 2012-2013, 14 theme parks opened offices in China, AECOM said.

According to the firm's statistics the US has fewer than 40 theme parks, Japan has more than 30, while China has 40 times the amount of the two countries combined.

Most of the construction focuses on the model of "parks plus properties," aiming partially to develop the property market.

Chinese theme parks received 180 million of tourists in 2013, up 6% from 2012.

By 2025, the nation's theme parks could receive 320 million tourists, surpassing the US, according to statistics from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).

According to an unnamed executive of a property and hotel management company in Hainan, the 1990s was the peak of China's theme park development, with more than 2,500 theme parks being completed from 1990-1994, but over the past 10 years, 80% of the theme parks closed down, resulting in economic losses of 300 billion yuan (US$48 billion). Currently, only 10% of the surviving theme parks are profitable, 20% are breaking even, while 70% of them are losing money.

Tourism industry insider Xu Fan said less than 10% of China's theme parks are profitable.

It costs lots of money and requires a long period of investment before any returns to develop a theme park. China typically sets a profit return period of two to three years for a theme park, faster than the six to eight years taken internationally. Theme parks, therefore, ignore the importance of regular transformation, which creates a vicious cycle of theme park development.

References:

Xu Fan 徐汎

[Syn7]

This isn't going to end well for the average guy.

[GeneChing]

Polar theme park to be built in city (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/metro/entertainment-and-culture/Polar-theme-park-to-be-built-in-city/shdaily.shtml)
By Hu Min | September 23, 2014, Tuesday | Print Edition

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/newsimage/2014/09/23/020140923013254.jpg
An artist’s rendition of the new polar theme park.

MORE than 500 species of polar animals and 20,000 types of fish will be the stars of the show at a new theme park to be constructed in the Pudong New Area.

Construction of the Shanghai Polar Ocean World will start before the end of the year in Lingang New City, near Dishui Lake, local authorities said.

They did not say when it will open to the public.

The tourist attraction, which claims it will be the biggest of its kind in the world, will have 13 “pavilions,” four performance areas, four cinemas and other facilities, such as hotels and shops.

The wildlife — including polar bears, emperor penguins, dolphins and beluga whales — will do their thing at the polar animal and ocean world zones, while killer whales will perform tricks for the crowds in a large water pool. Other pavilions will be home to sharks, penguins and coral.

The Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, under the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, is soliciting opinion on the theme park’s environmental impact.
 This has no appeal to me. While I certainly hope we keep our polar icecaps, it's not a theme park theme I find enticing.

[GeneChing]

Santa theme park to open in China (http://www.traveldailymedia.com/212189/santa-theme-park-to-open-in-china/)
Indoor SantaPark to be based on original concept in Finnish Lapland

http://www.traveldailymedia.com/assets/2014/09/Panda_and_Santa_Claus-800-2-300x229.jpg
The icons of Chengdu and Lapland sign the deal to bring SantaLand to China

A new Christmas-themed attraction is being developed in the Chinese city of Chengdu.

SantaPark Ltd, which operates what is marketed as the “official home of Santa Claus” in Lapland, has teamed up with Finnish attraction specialist Lappset Group and a local Chinese developer to create a Christmas-themed attraction in the capital of Sichuan province.

According to the terms of the agreement, the new Chinese SantaPark will be a 10,000m² indoor attraction based on the original SantaPark in northern Finland. It is expected to open June 2016 as part of Floraland Chengdu theme park.

“There has been a lot of interest in the authentic Christmas theme park from different parts of the world, especially in Asia,” revealed SantaPark Ltd’s CEO, Ilkka Lankinen.

“By combining our well-proven SantaPark concept together with Lappset’s solid experience of design and manufacturing of themed attractions, we have made an exceptional concept and a completely new way of thinking of the themed activity solutions.

“Establishing a Santa’s theme park in Chengdu is an extension of our well-proven concept to the Chinese market. We will continue running our SantaPark as the official home of Santa in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, and hope to attract even more Chinese tourists to visit the Arctic Circle,” Lankinen added.

And the Chengdu launch could be just the start of SantaPark’s growth in China. Tero Ylinenpaa, CEO of Lappset, said that he expects to open “another five or six Christmas-themed attractions in the future in China”.

Launched in 1997, the original SantaPark in Finnish Lapland is a full Christmas village, complete with elf’s workshop, Santa’s office, a post office and sleigh rides.


When I was growing up, there was Santa's Village in Scott's Valley (http://www.santasvillage.net/santas.village.scotts.valley.html). According to the article I linked that to, it was a major national franchise back in the day. It was a weird park and I remember riding this stupid peddle rail car that fell over and off the track when riding it. That's all I really remember from it - sitting in that car sideways, waiting for the attendant to put me back on track. I guess I'm still waiting.

The exit still bears the name Santa's Village Road.

[GeneChing]

This is a Japanese theme park - one that I would love to visit someday.



Travel back in time to the Sengoku Era at Sekigahara War Land (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/10/07/travel-back-in-time-to-the-sengoku-era-at-sekigahara-war-land/)
Hayashi 'Fang' Hougi 4 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/0.jpg?w=580&h=437

On October 21, 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu won the famous Battle of Sekigahara which secured his way to rule the shogunate of Japan.

Today, the battlefield where more than 200,000 people perished is but a remnant of ancient history. It is an ordinary town, and only the most maniacal of history buffs would show up to trace the roots of Sekigahara. However, in the center of that town, there is actually a ‘theme park’ where you can learn about history and the famous battle right where it took place, known as the somewhat awkwardly named “Learn! Play! The Immersive War Museum – Sekigahara War Land”.

The battle scene recreated

More then 200 statues of warriors are erected over a spacious area to recreate the atmosphere of the battle scene, each shown fighting with swords, bows and arrows. Even though the statues are far from life-like, the overwhelming reality of the fact that this is a real historical battle site will send chills down your spine. Special scenes such as Ootani Yo****sugu’s seppuku suicide and the final victory of Ieyasu are also recreated. For anyone who loves history or wants to learn history in a fun away, this is definitely the place to be. At the very least, you can take a selfie with Tokugawa Ieyasu!

Don’t forget the gift shop!

In contrast to the quiet and nearly deserted Sekigahara War Land, the gift shop next door is extremely popular and draws in throngs of tourists, so you’re sure to find something there to remember your visit by. Next time you’re in town, why not stop by Sekigahara War Land and spend a day living a part of Japanese history while being surrounded by nature at this hidden gem?

Sekigahara War Land
Address: 1710-6 Ooaza Sekigahara, Sekigahara City, Fuwagun, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
Entrance Fee: 500 yen for adults (US$4.60)

Report: Kuuron Kurosawa
Photos © RocketNews24

▼ All the statues are life-size

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/62.jpg?w=580&h=870

▼ There is also an indoor museum

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/12.jpg?w=580&h=870

▼ You can walk with the soldiers

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/9.jpg?w=580&h=386

▼ For some reason the famous daimyo Takeda Shingen also appears!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/14.jpg?w=580&h=386

▼ Charge!!!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/81.jpg?w=580&h=386

▼ Ootani Yo****sugu commits suicide

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/10.jpg?w=580&h=386

▼ Victory shall be ours

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/111.jpg?w=580&h=870

▼ Real armor on display

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/42.jpg?w=580&h=870

[GeneChing]

The Nanfang / Blog
Charles Liu charlesliu@thenanfang.com
Disney Unveils Plans for Massive Shanghai Theme Park (http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/disney-unveils-plans-for-massive-shanghai-theme-park/)
Posted: 11/17/2014 1:00 pm

http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/shanghai-disneyworld-03.jpg

Set to open next year, Shanghai Disney Resort has unveiled its plans for an enormous entertainment complex next to a manmade lake, reported Xinhua.

Details released at the 2014 China International Tourism Trade Fair, indicated that the theme park will have two main hotels, one of which will feature a “Toy Story” theme.

http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/shanghai-disneyworld-05.jpg

Shanghai’s Disney Resort will be the sixth in the world, and will include the largest castle to date. Of the six entertainment sectors, one will have a “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme, while another will have Chinese characteristics and be called the “12 Friends Park”.

In other Disney developments, Hong Kong Disney World recently announced admission prices will increase from HKD $450 to $499.

More concept photos of the new Shanghai Disney Resort are shown below:

http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/shanghai-disneyworld-06.jpg
http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/shanghai-disneyworld-07.jpg
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http://www.thenanfang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/shanghai-disneyworld-04.jpg
Photos: Xinhua, Hexun

Was hoping for that Star Wars theme...:(

[GeneChing]

It's not a cat, you know...


Hello Kitty Park” in China is set to open on New Year’s Day! (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/11/27/hello-kitty-park-in-china-is-set-to-open-on-new-years-day/)
Krista Rogers 5 days ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/fi6.jpg?w=580&h=293

The various Disney-operated theme parks scattered throughout the world have brought joy to children (and grown-ups!) for decades. Disney’s major character contribution is none other than Mickey Mouse, who has grown to become one of the most recognizable cultural icons on the world scene. But how about a famous cultural export from Japan? Why, that would be Hello Kitty, of course!

Sanrio’s darling may be celebrating her 40th birthday this month, but she’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, her birthday celebration comes along with a recent announcement that a new “Hello Kitty Park” will open in China early next year! Along with plans for the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland, China sure seems to be on a roll these days making children’s dreams come true. More details about the park after the jump.

A Chinese Hello Kitty theme park was first rumored to be in the works back in 2009, but after a series of misreported information, many crestfallen people put the park out of their minds completely. However, a recent press release stated that Sanrio was actually able to seal the deal with China in 2011, meaning that those rumors are no longer mere speculation. It’s not just a hoax this time around, people–China’s “Hello Kitty Park” really is supposed to open for business on January 1, 2015!

When the park opens its doors on New Year’s Day, it will become the largest Hello Kitty Park in all of Asia, trumping even Japan’s own Sanrio Puroland. Just check out some of the awesome conceptual designs:

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/149.jpg?w=580&h=334
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/424.jpg?w=580&h=294

▼This promotional video gives the park’s opening as July 2014, but those plans have obviously changed.

Hopefully, there won’t be any more embarrassing mix-ups rendering Hello Kitty’s name in English from Chinese characters.

According to the park’s official website, the grounds will be divided into six different zones, which boast over 10 types of attractions and other forms of entertainment for visitors to enjoy. Each of the six zones will feature a famous Sanrio character “host,” including Hello Kitty (Hello Kitty’s Home/凯蒂猫小院), My Melody (Melody Village/音之村), Keroppi (Happy Harbor/欢乐港湾), Badtz-Maru (Steam Kingdom/蒸汽王国), and Monkichi (Spirit Forest/精灵森林). The sixth zone will be a comprehensive Friendship Plaza (友谊广场) where, presumably, several of the characters mingle together. You can get a sneak peak at each of the areas here.

▼Artwork for the layout of Melody Village, hosted by My Melody
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/327.jpg?w=580&h=351

3Things just keep getting better and better, because the park isn’t the only highlight to look forward to–the official hotel on the premises seems to be just as, if not more, exciting! Featuring a variety of character-themed rooms, hallways, and other common areas packed with Sanrio goods, the hotel promises to immerse you even further into the world of Hello Kitty.

▼The hotel of dreams for diehard Hello Kitty fans. That’s a whole lotta pink…

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/515.jpg?w=580&h=293
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/614.jpg?w=580&h=292

Perhaps the only drawback of the park is its relatively off-the-beaten path location in Anji County of Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. While the area is well-known for its scenic beauty and for being home to over 40 species of bamboo, it takes approximately three hours by car from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to get to the park.

Visitors using public transportation are possibly in for an even more arduous trek. The official site says that a shuttle bus will run from the Anji County Bus Terminal to the park, but even getting to the bus terminal is problematic in itself. To get there, you must first take a bus for an hour or so from Huzhou Station, the closest high-speed railway stop, or from a station in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province. In other words, those travelers who are flying in from other parts of Asia are probably looking at a minimum two-night stay in China due to logistics alone.

▼Anji County’s relative location within China

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/78.jpg?w=580&h=415

Ticket prices on the website are listed as follows: adult weekday tickets are 260 yuan (US$42.35) and adult holiday tickets are 320 yuan ($52.13). Children’s tickets are 200 yuan ($32.58) and 260 yuan ($42.35) on weekdays and holidays respectively.

It will be interesting to see if the Hello Kitty Park will become rivals in business with Shanghai’s Disneyland. While the Hello Kitty Park has the advantage of opening its doors earlier, Shanghai Disneyland will be much easier to get to, located only 30 minutes by car from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

On a final note, even if you can’t read Chinese be sure to check out the links below, which are loaded with additional gorgeous conceptual art. Happy browsing!
The Youku vid wouldn't embed. :(

[GeneChing]

Wait...what's in there exactly? Is it rides or just a big fat movie theater?


China’s Wanda Opens First Movie Theme Park in Wuhan (http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/chinas-wanda-opens-first-movie-theme-park-in-wuhan-1201384159/)

http://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/iif_1101-res.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1
Wanda Han Show Theatre in Wuhan
Patrick Frater
December 19, 2014 | 07:30PM PT
Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

WUHAN – Dalian Wanda group, the Chinese conglomerate that controls the AMC cinema chain in North America, Saturday gave official openings to its latest entertainment industry extravaganzas.

In the central Chinese city of Wuhan, chairman Wang Jianlin headed a ceremony to open the Wanda Movie Park, which it claims is the world’s first indoor theme park, and the specially built Han Show Theatre. Wang said that the two sites had cost a combined RMB7 billion ($1.14 billion).

Giving a measure of the influence of the giant Chinese group, at least four foreign ambassadors to China were present Saturday morning. So too was former Ambassador Gary Locke; former AMPAS chief Hawk Koch, who is now a consultant to Wanda’s studio development in Qingdao; and leading Chinese film and events director Zhang Yimou.

The company has plans to compete with Disney, DreamWorks and Universal, which all have theme park ambitions in China. Wanda will open a string of theme parks across the country, making use of its extensive property industry developments, political connections and local know-how.

The company has already become China’s largest private sector cinema chain and has become a major distributor and film financier.

[GeneChing]

Loveland (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?54000-Love-Land)'s sloppy seconds

Taiwan invites lovers to new ‘sex-themed’ park (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11371394/Taiwan-invites-lovers-to-new-sex-themed-park.html)
Officials in Taiwan are planning to open an erotic theme park in a bid to attract more tourists to the country

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03177/jejuloveland_3177607b.jpg
Taiwan's "Romantic Boulevard" will be modelled after the Jeju Loveland park in South Korea (pictured) Photo: Getty Images

By Soo Kim
12:39PM GMT 27 Jan 2015

Spread across a 60km coastal stretch on the southern part of the island, the “Romantic Boulevard” will feature various love-themed structures and spaces including a glass church, heart-shaped arches and a “kinky” outdoor park displaying erotic sculptures of people or animals in “various lovemaking positions”, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The 10,000 square metre park will be modelled on South Korea’s Jeju Loveland park, a place where “art and eroticism meet”, where visitors can “appreciate the natural beauty of sexuality” and where “the imagination can run wild”. South Korea’s outdoor park has 140 sculptures, including figures of naked women in erotic poses, some of which visitors like to stage 'hillarious' posed photographs with.

Although still in its planning stages, “Romantic Boulevard” already has a scenic area set up for wedding portraits. Officials are also hoping to open a hotel next to the park for lovers who might want to “turn their feelings into action" said Shih Chao-hui, the deputy director of Taiwan's Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Office, which promotes tourism for the counties of Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan.

“We want people to fall in love with Taiwan as well as fall in love while in Taiwan. We hope to appeal to visitors in all stages of love. So we even plan to have a ‘Lost Paradise’ for those who are broken-hearted,” he added.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03177/jeju-loveland-scul_3177910e.jpg
A sculpture at Jeju Loveland, South Korea (Getty Images)


News of the proposed theme park has been met with mixed interest, with one commentator on the local tourism office's website regarding it as “leading-edge and refreshing”, while others, including the central government's own tourism bureau - fear the park could give the wrong impression of the country to foreign visitors.

The bureau, however, has not entirely ruled out the idea of building the erotic theme park and has asked the Southwest Coastal National Scenic Area Offiice to supply more details about the proposed plans.

“Taiwan is a romantic place and we are always looking for creative ways to promote it,” said Chi Yi-lin, a spokesperson for the bureau.

Mr Shih believes the new park will help boost tourism and generate interest in the area, claiming he has already received several email inquiries about its opening.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03177/jeju-sculpture-1_3177913c.jpg
Sculptures at Jeju Loveland, South Korea (Getty Images)

“Look, we are in the business of tourism, not education or religion, so the question should be, will the park generate business opportunities and we believe the answer is yes,” he said.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03177/jeju-loveland-stat_3177915c.jpg
Jeju Loveland, South Korea (Getty Images)

More unusual Chinese theme parks

Hello Kitty amusement park

The first Hello Kitty theme park outside Japan opened to tourists this month in the Anji county of the Zhejang province of east China. The park cost $325m to build and is China's first large-scale amusement park.

Kingdom of the Little People

The rather controversial theme park, found near Kunming, China, requires all employees to be shorter than 4 ft 3 inches and has been criticised for treating dwarfism as a humorous condition. Staff sing and dance for visitors, acting out fairy tales and ballets.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03177/theme-park-dwarfs__3177614c.jpg

Shijingshan Amusement Park

The theme park hit the headlines in 2007 for making unauthorised use of Japanese and American cartoon characters. It features a castle that bears uncanny similarities to the trademark Disney one, and a building that looks like Epcot's Spaceship Earth. Its slogan even translates as: "Disney is too far to go, please come to Shijingshan".

A simulated death game park

The Samadhi – 4D Experience of Death uses dramatic special effects to simulate a feeling of dying, with players made to compete in a series of challenges to avoid "death". Those who are not successful are laid down on a fake crematorium conveyor belt which uses hot air and light projections to create an “authentic experience of burning”.

Eternity Passage

China's first "hi-tech amusement park" will be made of 15 individually-themed and uniquely-designed gaming and interactive zones that showcase the country's culture, history and heritage. The 76,000 square metre-park in Beijing will feature both indoor and outdoor areas, including walkways, bridges as well as 5D and 6D interactive theatres. The park is set about 35km from the city centre and will form part of the Beijing Outlets World complex which includes a shopping mall, a resort and conference centre.

Jackie Chan theme park

In 2013, a new theme park dedicated to the actor Jackie Chan was reported to be under way in Beijing, according to state media. Plans for the opening of the Jackie Chan World Park were confirmed by the Hollywood star on his official account of the Chinese micro-blogging website Weibo. Based in the Beijing suburb of Yizhuang, a former hunting ground for Chinese royalty, the park complex will feature five major themed areas and different cultural exhibition centres showcasing a variety of personal items collected by Chan over the years.

Chinese-themed park in Australia

Plans for a £330m Chinese-themed amusement park to be built 50 miles north of Sydney were announced in 2012. The sprawling 15-hectare park in Wyong Shire, which is said to be completed by 2020, will feature a full-sized replica of the gates to Beijing's Forbidden City, a nine-story temple housing a giant Buddha and a mini-city modelled on Chinese water towns. The park will also include a 1000-seat theatre, restaurants and function halls, a royal villa, and a children's section devoted to pandas (which will not have any live pandas).

Can't wait for the Jackie Chan park (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks&p=1248970).

[GeneChing]

It just occurred to me that Mickey Mouse probably sounds really annoying in Chinese.

Shanghai Disneyland will be 'basically' finished this year (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/01/30/shanghai-disneyland-basically-finished-this-year.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/disney-construction.jpg

It looks like the folks behind Shanghai Disneyland are feeling a little less confident about that previously projected 2015 finish date. Construction of the theme park will be "basically" finished this year, Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong said yesterday, adding that the Shanghai Disney Resort's opening is still being discussed.

Frankly, we were a bit surprised that the 2015 completion date for the Magic Kingdom-style theme park was still being pushed, considering the rather bleak state of things over at the Pudong site as of recent. But then again, this is the Middle Kingdom, where entire cities seemingly pop up overnight.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/disney-construction3.jpg

Basically.

A source familiar with the resort told China Daily earlier in January that there 'might be some difficulty with a 2015 opening'.

Shanghai Construction Group Co. Ltd., one of the major contractors behind the resort, said at the beginning of December that the first phase of of the theme park would be completed by the end of January, or yesterday. Mayor Yang's remarks seem to express a bit less certainty.

The latest milestone in the resort's development as of December 5 was the theme park's landmark "mountain", the second highest structure at Shanghai Disney Resort, getting topped-out (below).

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/disney-construction2.jpg

Upon its eventual completion, the resort will become the sixth theme park of The Walt Disney Co., joining the likes of those in LA, Orlando, Florida, the US, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong.

[Images via iFeng]

[Jimbo]

Taiwan used to have the Chinese Culture and Movie Center, which was basically a Chinese period town that was used as the settings for countless Taiwan-made kung fu movies of the 1970s and 80s; for only a few commonly-known examples: Shaolin vs. Lama, The 7 Grand Masters, The Chinese Stuntman, Mystery of Chess Boxing, Along Comes the Tiger, The Ming Patriots, Kung Fu Zombie, Fearless Hyena, Thundering Mantis, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, The Invincible Armour, Secret Rivals 2, etc. It was in the Shilin district of Taipei, not far from the National Palace Museum. It was also a tourist attraction, and visitors could freely walk the 'town' unless there was filming going on.

I visited twice back in the mid-80s, when I lived over there. I really should have gone more and taken more pictures than I did. But I only took minimal photos, as back then I was more into experiencing than photographing or documenting. It was cool walking the paths, courtyards, etc., and going upstairs in the "inn/restaurants" and the big city gate/wall seen in so many old KF films. Unfortunately, I hear it closed around 7 years ago.

[GeneChing]

...shoot, I think we even ran an article on that somewhere but I can't remember where that was or how to search for it. :o

Meanwhile, here's another news story on another Chinese theme park.


Construction of Universal Studios in Beijing expected to start this year (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/02/02/construction-universal-studios-beijing.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/uni-studio-beijing.jpg

Beijing will start the construction of a Universal Studios theme park this year, it was recently announced. Approved by the authority in September 2014, the theme park is expected to be finished and open to the public in 2019.

The newly-updated construction plan for the park in Beijing covers a construction area of 2.02 million square meters and a total investment of 50 billion RMB (7.98 billion US dollars). Located in Tongzhou, a Beijing suburb, it will be the sixth Universal Studios theme park in the world and the third in Asia.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/uni-studios-concept.jpg

Alongside with the theme park, Tongzhou also announced that it will develop resorts and other entertainment facilities that match with the need of potential tourists. The park is expected to boost local tourism and help promote its international image.

According to a Tongzhou official, the design of the new theme park will contain Chinese cultural elements as a highlight to attract foreign tourists. The chief executive of Universal Resorts, Tom Williams, has also expressed his wish to “build relationships with the Chinese people on a direct and personal level” through the park. As China Daily reported, the park in Beijing will be the first one that allows visitors to experience an action-packed entertainment and watch a behind-the-scene process of film producing.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/uni-studios-concept2.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/uni-studios-concept3.jpg

Aside from the Universal Studios in Beijing, China is also expecting a Disneyland Park and DreamWorks ‘Dream Center’ in Shanghai, due to be finished in 2015 and 2017 respectively. (Although Disneyland seems to be facing a little delay in its construction.)


By Shirley Zhang

[GeneChing]

Childhoods ruined in China as Hello Kitty Park leaves visitors disappointed (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/02/11/childhoods-ruined-in-china-as-hello-kitty-park-leaves-visitors-disappointed/)
evie lund 11 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/a15-e1423555165284.jpg?w=580&h=353

Hopes were high when Hello Kitty Park officially opened its doors on February 4 in Zhejiang Province, China. The largest Hello Kitty theme park in the world, Hello Kitty Park was backed by Kitty-chan’s creators Sanrio and The Hettema Group, a California-based theme park design company. Unfortunately for Kitty fans, however, the park has been widely blasted online during its initial opening period for its underwhelming attractions, small size, and rumours of fake Kitty goods.

Hype for the park was extremely high, and a lavish inauguration ceremony was held on November 28 last year to celebrate the completion of construction, which you can see a short video of below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcxABhD45_o

However, once the park actually opened its doors, Chinese sites were awash with negative reports lambasting the overall experience. Among the complaints were:

“Most of the attractions weren’t even working, and it only took around 10 minutes to check out everything the park has to offer.”

“It looked like a construction site, and the stink of fresh paint was everywhere!”

“I flew here specially from Xi’an, but it’s such a crudely made theme park that I was left disappointed.”

“None of the attractions looked fun. And there were huge queues for the boring attractions. It just wasn’t any fun at all.”

“There were only a few restaurants and they were in total chaos. The price for food and drinks was ludicrous.”

“There were fake Sanrio goods being sold near the gates.”

“The cheapest room at the hotel was 900 yuan per night (17,000 yen/US$143), which is even more expensive than Hong Kong Disneyland.”

“The shuttle bus came so rarely that in the end we had to take an unlicensed taxi.”

“In a word, it was shoddy.”

Unfortunately, Kitty herself was not able to provide comment owing to the fact that she does not possess a mouth. But Japan’s ever-vocal net users had plenty to say about it!

“Are we sure this is even actually an official theme park?”

“Why did they choose to make it in China, though?”

“What kind of official theme park sells fake goods?”

“[In response to the above comment] If fake goods were being sold near the entrance, it was probably just opportunistic locals trying to make a quick buck, no?”

“This isn’t going to do much for the Hello Kitty brand’s image. They shouldn’t have bothered.”

Hopefully the owners of Hello Kitty Park will take the visitors’ comments to heart and get the park up to scratch before too long – otherwise we foresee a lot more disappointed kids and out-of-pocket parents in the future…

Source: Livedoor News, Hachima Kikou
Image: Screenshot via YouTube



Fortunately this one wasn't high on my 'Chinese theme parks to visit' list. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

The Philippines, not China, but so awesome.


Resort in Philippines has literally giant Gundam rip-off, plus Disney and Marvel knockoffs galore (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/02/17/resort-in-philippines-has-literally-giant-gundam-rip-off-plus-disney-and-marvel-knockoffs-galore/)
Casey Baseel 25 minutes ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-30.png?w=580&h=300

Although the Philippines have plenty of seaside travel destinations, Jed’s Island Resort isn’t one of them. Being located in the landlocked municipality of Calumpit means that while Jed’s isn’t far from Manila Bay, it doesn’t have any coastline to call its own.

That’s OK, though, because you can still relax in one of the resort’s nine advertised swimming pools. And while you may not be able to enjoy listening to the sound of the waves, you will be able to look up at Jed’s gigantic Gundam statue that’s as tall as the one in Tokyo yet far, far skinnier. Not into anime? Not a problem! Jed’s is also home to beloved characters from Disney, Marvel, and DC…or at least their disturbingly off-model, knockoff doppelgangers.


The facility’s grounds used to be a private estate, but were opened to guests as Jed’s Island Resort in 1995. The resort’s website boasts that “During its five summers of existence, Jed’s has welcomed actors and actresses, singers, and band members from showbiz as its guest.” Ordinarily, we’d write the use of “guest” off as a typo, but considering that the reference to Jed’s five summers of existence is on a web page updated in 2014, nearly 20 years after the resort’s opening, it’s possible the management simply isn’t very good at math.

But hey, who needs statistical accuracy when you’ve got the most iconic giant robot in the history of Japanese animation, the RX-78-2 Gundam!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-1.png?w=580

Wow…looks like Gundam needs a sandwich. Or, seeing as how he’s in the Philippines, maybe a plate of lechon, the local variety of suckling pig. The robot is looking so skinny that we’re surprised it can still stand, and also so anemic that there’s no way it could survive an attack by the bellicose Zeon forces.

Gundam is so gaunt that at first glance it seems like the photo is the product of a weird camera lens, but the proportions of the woman standing between his feet aren’t warped at all.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-25.png?w=580&h=264

As further proof, here’s the anorexic mobile suit from a different angle that reveals more of its narrow dimensions.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-20.png?w=580&h=435

Still, this is a pretty gutsy move by Jed’s designers. Non-official wonky physique and large letter J on its crotch, that’s clearly and literally a huge Gundam rip-off. We’re sure executives at Bandai, the company which holds the licensing rights to all things Gundam, aren’t happy about it. If it’s any consolation, though, Bandai’s lawyers should bear in mind that Jed’s Island Resort isn’t just ripping off Gundam, they’re ripping off everybody!

Well, maybe not everybody, but that only seems to be because there’s not enough space for a project of that magnitude. Still, Jed’s has done an impressive job of filling its property with as many unlicensed likenesses as it can hold. The resort isn’t shy about this, either, at least in the case of these two photos from its Facebook page, which are excitedly touted as “New attraction-One Piece at Jed’s! and Big Hero Robot Baymax!”

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-2.png?w=580&h=381

Among Frozen’s many crowd-pleasing aspects, some fans were thrilled to see a Disney movie with two princesses. But apparently the special Jed’s edition of the film features no less than three royal ladies.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-4.png?w=580

Elsewhere, Jed’s gets the number of siblings just right. Can’t say the same about their facial features, though.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-22.png?w=580&h=436

▼ Elsa must be hitting the gym regularly to have added that much muscle definition to her shoulders. She’s apparently become so addicted to the pump from lifting weights that she’s curling half a head of cabbage.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-23.png?w=580&h=381

Going from Disney’s newest hit characters to their oldest, here’s Mickey and pals Goofy, Donald, and Mickey Clones 1 through 3, plus rival Bugs Bunny, all posing in front of a brachiosaur.

▼ Because really, wouldn’t you want a shot of that?

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-17.png?w=580&h=326
continued next post

[GeneChing]

We’re guessing some older, hand-drawn cartoon characters must look down on their nouveau rich CG counterparts. How else could you explain why the heroes of Avatar were left out of the Disney/Warner Bros. group photo?

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-13.png?w=580&h=326

Of course, not all classic animated characters are so set in their ways. For example, Snow White has expanded her social circle beyond her seven stout housemates, and is seen here in the company of 1977 anime mecha Voltes V.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-12.png?w=580&h=326

▼ Can he still wake her from her sleep with a kiss if he doesn’t have lips?

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-11.png?w=580

As a matter of fact, Jed’s Island Resort seems to be all about crossovers, like this snapshot of the Sesame Street gang hanging out with Mother Goose.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-6.png?w=580&h=435

▼ Big Bird looks both remarkably skinny and decidedly militant in this photo.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-7.png?w=580&h=435

▼ Hey, did you steal the slice of pizza Big Bird was planning to eat for lunch, weirdly tall Elmo?

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-8.png?w=580&h=435

Awesome as it is to see Superman and Captain America in the same place, it’d still be cooler if they were fighting.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-14.png?w=580&h=326

▼ Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Wonder Woman seem to have climbed all the way to the top of the water slide tower before losing their nerve to actually go down it.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-10.png?w=580&h=326

Legalities aside, we can at least see why the management of Jed’s Island Resort would want to decorate their pools with these instantly recognizable and hugely popular characters. They may have been a little too zealous in their efforts to copy as much as possible, though. For example, can you imagine any travelers picking where to stay according to which resort has the cast of free mobile game Clash of Clans?

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-18.png?w=580&h=267

But even then, Jed’s “creative” team wasn’t done scraping the bottom of the barrel, because you haven’t exhausted every option until you’ve made a knock-off based on the cover 1980’s flight disaster satire Airplane!

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pg-21.png?w=580&h=399

If that doesn’t have kids begging their parents to come, we don’t know what will.

Related: Jed’s Island Resort
Source: Gogo Tsushin
Top image: Jed’s Island Resort (1, 2, 3) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Jed’s Island Resort Facebook (1, 2, 3, 4), Wikipedia/Before My Ken (edited by RocketNews24)
Chinese theme parks really gotta step up their game after this...

[GeneChing]

When I launched this thread in 2011, I could see this trend coming. If only I had figured out how to invest in it. :o



Theme park operators rush to join boom in China (http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1721211/theme-park-operators-rush-join-boom-china)
Backers of Zhejiang theme park see bright future despite poor results at similar ventures in China
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 22 February, 2015, 8:44pm
UPDATED : Monday, 23 February, 2015, 12:26pm
Celine Sun in Beijing celine.sun@scmp.com

http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486x302/public/2015/02/22/9b700117389105772d70b4310f77ffce.jpg?itok=lkgt9jcD
The Hello Kitty Park in Anji county, Zhejiang province, opened on January 1. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Billed as the cutest place on Earth, the newly opened Hello Kitty Park is the latest addition to an increasingly crowded market for amusement parks on the mainland.

Since its soft launch last month, the park in Anji county, Zhejiang province, has been drawing swarms of tourists to a pastel wonderland, set on 60 hectares, that houses a grand castle, a themed theatre, an aqua amusement zone and a dozen rides including a skyscraping Ferris wheel.

While the centre's shops are ringing up brisk sales of Hello Kitty dolls, along with the restaurants serving up Hello Kitty-shaped cakes, the park's backers are out to defy a number that is far from pretty: of the roughly 3,000 theme parks on the mainland, only 30 per cent are profitable, according to Yang Yanfeng, a researcher at the China Tourism Academy.

Sanrio, the patent owner of Hello Kitty, is banking on a "bright future" for the mainland's theme park market. But a reminder of the competitive pressure is just three hours' drive away in Shanghai's Pudong district, where the first Disneyland on the mainland is under construction and is due to open at the end of the year.

In Beijing, US media group Comcast Corp gained government approval last year to build one of the company's Hollywood-themed Universal Studios parks in the east of the capital.

Dalian Wanda Group, controlled by one of the country's richest men, Wang Jianlin, has been making headlines for an ambitious expansion of its entertainment empire. Wanda last month opened The Han Show and Wanda Movie Park in Wuhan, Hubei province, as the mainland's largest commercial property developer shifted its focus to entertainment, culture and tourism.

"China's theme parks market absolutely has a bright future, given the fast economic growth and robust consumer demand. This is especially true when e-commerce takes a bigger influence in China's economy, which will make 'real experience consumption', such as theme parks, more popular than ever," said Yoshifumi Kawai, the chairman of Sanrio (Shanghai) International Trading.

Sanrio founded a joint venture with a local real estate developer to invest 1.5 billion yuan (HK$1.9 billion) to build and run the park, with first-year expectations of a million visitors. The park carries the cartoon cat's image everywhere and indulges fans with photo opportunities with costumed characters on parade floats. Many of the rides are yet to open.

Also seeking to provide escapism for hundreds of millions of newly affluent mainland families is South Korea's Lotte Group, which operates what is billed as the world's largest indoor theme park as part of an integrated resort in Seoul. It plans to replicate the indoor complex in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Meanwhile, US media conglomerate 21st Century Fox is hunting for a site on the mainland for a park featuring themes from hits from the film and television world such as Ice Age, Alien and The Simpsons.

"These foreign brands are bringing not only world-level amusement facilities but also different business patterns and ideas," Yang said.

He said the development of theme parks on the mainland had long followed a pattern. In many cases, park developers used the idea of building a theme park to secure a block of land from local governments at a relatively low price. The opening of the theme park and the upgrading of public facilities nearby will then boost property values in the neighbourhoods and enhance profits for the developers. "As for the future of the theme park, they don't care that much," Yang said.

The mainland's first theme park appeared in 1989 when Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town Holding teamed up with China Travel Service (Hong Kong) to launch Splendid China, which features scaled-down replicas of the country's historical buildings and renowned natural scenes.

The park's success spawned hundreds of imitators, but most closed down within years due to poor locations and a lack of innovation.

"At one time, there were dozens of parks on the mainland, all themed with China's ancient classics like A Dream of Red Mansions or Journey to the West," Yang said. "You can guess what their fate was in the end."

After the turn of the century, theme parks again became a favoured play for real estate developers with their bets on leveraging the projects to boost property values nearby. But the parks often struggled to make a profit, given the huge outlays in construction and maintenance.

The most successful ventures are Guangdong's Chimelong Paradise and Shenzhen's Happy Valley. Park developers' reliance on property revenue might change soon with the increasing involvement of top foreign park operators.

"The real business opportunities for theme parks actually lie in retailing, dining and entertainment services," said Amy Meng, an associate director of real estate consulting firm DTZ and a consultant for the planning of Beijing's Universal Studios.

She said the company's Beijing project would have a City Walk business zone outside the main entrance. The complex would be filled with shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and nightclubs in a concept established at the company's other properties, including Osaka and Singapore.

"It's estimated that around 70 per cent of visitors, after leaving the park, still want to find somewhere to buy souvenirs, have dinner or watch a film. It would be a big market and an important source of revenue for the park," Meng added.

https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/2015/02/22/376bdaf2f3c00c2ab5bc8a79a4600e12.jpg?itok=lhJdhiBG
The Ferris wheel at the Hello Kitty Park in Anji county, Zhejiang province. Photo: SCMP Pictures

This business model is evident at Disney's theme parks, where about 50 per cent of revenue typically comes from admission tickets, with about 30 per cent generated by visitor spending on shopping and dining.

"But in most mainland parks, you can hardly find a decent place to eat or shop. That's not a smart way to do business," Meng said.

In the Hello Kitty Park in Anji, the shops selling the namesake dolls and themed cakes are packed most of the time.

"We describe our park as the cutest place on Earth. There's no doubt that our shops and restaurants are an important part of it that no one would want to miss out on. They are just as popular as all the other attractions at our place," said a marketing manager at the park.

[fimed]

I also find this kind of themes in Singapore and many other places of the world..

[GeneChing]

March 23, 2015 7:23 am
Citic and Village Roadshow ink $500m Asia theme park deal (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b99a04c-d120-11e4-98a4-00144feab7de.html#axzz3WZHM0TCt)
Jamie Smyth in Sydney and Charles Clover in Beijing

http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/384ee04e-1159-421f-86a0-db4a6970d629.img
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 12: Patrons swim in the wave pool at the opening of Sydney theme park, Wet'n'Wild on December 12, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. The new water park, featuring 42 slides and attractions, replaces Wonderland which closed in 2004. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)©Getty

Village Roadshow, the company that operates Wet’n’Wild theme parks and Warner Bros Movie World in Australia, is teaming up with Chinese conglomerate Citic Group to create a US$500m fund management business to invest in Asian theme parks.

Village Roadshow said on Monday that both companies would spend $25m each over the next two to three years investing in theme parks, entertainment facilities and related real estate developments.

Potential developments have been identified in China, Malaysia and South Korea. The fund management company will be 51 per cent owned by Citic Trust — a subsidiary of Citic group — and 49 per cent owned by a subsidiary of Village Roadshow, it said.

Robert Kirby, Village Roadshow co-chief executive and co-chairman, said the deal placed the group “in a position to progress our expansion plans . . . aided by access to impressive development sites and the experience that Citic brings to the partnership”.

The deal appears to be driven partly by China’s love affair with the world film industry. While global film revenues inched up only 1 per cent between 2013 and 2014, China’s box office takings increased 34 per to $4.8bn over that period, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. In 2013 alone, the Chinese mainland added more movie screens than the total operated in France.

Selling western films, or the trappings thereof such as theme parks, has driven a spate of recent deals.

US film company Universal Studios in October outlined plans to build a $3.3bn theme park in Beijing. The park, covering 120 hectares in the district of Tongzhou, southeast of the capital, is expected to open in 2019.

Village Roadshow was founded in 1954 as the operator of one of Australia’s first drive-in cinemas in Melbourne, and has grown to become one of the country’s biggest cinema chains.

It is also a 47 per cent shareholder in the Los Angeles-based Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of which backed the hugely popular Lego Movie .

Shares in Village Roadshow initially jumped by almost 5 per cent to A$5.72 on Monday following the joint venture announcement, but later fell back to close roughly unchanged at A$5.48.

Investments in theme and amusement parks across the Chinese mainland have grown over the past five years to meet greater consumer spending on leisure activities. Domestic industry revenues are expected to hit $2.9bn this year, up 9.6 per cent from last year, according to data from IbisWorld, the market research group.

Most of the recent China-US entertainment deals involved outbound flow from China, with investors seeking to buy properties, rights, or stakes abroad.

Last week, Huayi Brothers Media, China’s largest privately run film production company, said it had reached a deal to finance, co-produce, and release 18 feature films by 2017 with an unnamed US partner. News reports subsequently identified the US partner as Burbank-based STX Entertainment. I'll be curious to see what kind of theme parks come out of this deal.

[GeneChing]

I worry about this with any traveling carnival or Chinese theme park.


SCARY: 19 injured as 'flying saucer' ride dismantles mid-flight at Henan fair (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/04/07/19-injured-flying-saucer-ride-dismantles.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/04/saucer-ride.jpg

We all have that one friend with a profound fear of amusement park rides, and we will never, ever scoff at them again after seeing what happened to this ride in Xinxiang city, Henan province yesterday. All 19 people on board were thrown off the "Flying Saucer" attraction at a street fair at Tongta Temple when the saucer actually flew off of the machine.

Fortunately, no one was killed and everyone remained fastened in their seat belt, although one of the visitors broke a bone during the crash landing.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/04/saucer-ride2.jpg

The machine was running when the spinning rod broke, according to Sina News. While it all looks terrifying and is pretty much any theme park-goer's nightmare come alive, it could've been way worse—imagine the carnage that would've ensued had this been one of those flying chair rides.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/04/saucer-ride3.jpg

If it puts anyone at ease, the owner of the ride has been detained by cops, so it doesn't look like he'll be operating his Saucer of Doom ride at a fun-fair any time soon. We hope.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/04/saucer-ride4.jpg

Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Katie Nelson in News on Apr 7, 2015 1:00 PM

[GeneChing]

Looks like a bloody scene, even with the digital blurring


2 dead, 3 injured after tourists thrown from Zhejiang amusement park ride (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/05/01/2-dead-3-injured-tourists-thrown-from-zhejiang-amusement-park-ride.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/wenzhou%20amusement%20park%20accident.jpg

Two people were killed and three injured after a horrific accident of Final Destination proportions occurred at an amusement park in Pingyang county, Zhejiang province, according to a Weibo Post released by the press office of the local government.

Five tourists from Aojiang Town and Shanmen Town in Wenzhou fell victim to the incident when at least three of them were thrown off a machine called the "Crazy Scream", located at the Longshan Amusement Park in Wenzhou, at around 12:05 p.m. today.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/Slide1.JPG

Two of the tourists, one surnamed Chen and the other Zhou, were pronounced dead at the ICU of the Pingyang No. 1 People’s hospital, while two of the wounded, identified as Li and Chen, required medical treatment. A villager identified as Xu sustained only minor injuries and has since left the hospital, according to reports on Weibo.

According to local media, three people were seen falling from the ride as it was mid-air, while the other two were suspected to have been hit by falling objects.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/Slide2.JPG

Witnesses claim that the machine had been switched on before all the tourists on board had buckled their seat belts, leading to "multiple" tourists falling off the ride from three meters above the ground.

According to a statement from the emergency management office of the Pingyang county, some "problems" had been spotted at the park, which received security inspection by six government officials on April 22.

"Authorities should be summoned to implement plans and security precautions before the park opens. The problems that have been presented by the coordination board should be corrected," officials had said in a statement.

The park has been cordoned off and the owner is under police custody. Further investigation is underway.

Just last month, 19 people were injured when a "Flying Saucer" ride dismantled at a fair in Henan province.

by Lily Lin

[GeneChing]

There's some pix but they are copy-resistant and I don't have the time to do a work-around right now. The pix aren't that interesting, but you can just follow the link if you want to see them.


Death simulator' attraction to open in China (http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/10/travel/china-death-experience/)
By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN
Updated 1954 GMT (0254 HKT) August 13, 2014

Story highlights
"Samadhi -- 4D Experience of Death" uses special effects to recreate an imagined experience of death
The death-themed game was created to provoke people into considering the meaning of life
"Samadhi" creator: "China made me rich, but it didn't teach me how to live a rich life"

We've all wondered what it's like to die.

Now there's a game that claims it can fulfill our curiosity, without actually killing us.

"Samadhi -- 4D Experience of Death," is a morbid "escape room" game that uses dramatic special effects to bring players close to what its creators imagine is an experience of death.

When it opens in Shanghai in September 2014, it will invite participants to compete in a series of challenges to avoid "dying."

Losers get cremated -- or are at least made to lie on a conveyor belt that transports them through a fake funeral home incinerator to simulate death rites.

The faux cremator will use hot air and light projections to create what the organizers call "an authentic experience of burning."

After "cremation," participants are transferred to a soft, round, womb-like capsule, signifying their "rebirth."

And the winner?

"He'll also have to die of course," says the game's fatalistic co-founder Ding Rui.

As in life, he explains, "everyone will die eventually, no matter what they've survived."

Life and death

Ding and his partner Huang Wei-ping went to great lengths researching their game, investigating the cremation process that typically awaits 50% of Chinese people after death.

The pair visited a real crematorium and asked to be sent through the furnace with the flames turned off.

"Ding went in the crematory first and it was stressful for me to observe from the outside," says Huang.

"The controller of the crematory was also very nervous; he usually just focuses on sending bodies in, but not on bringing them back out."

When it came to Huang's turn, he found it unbearable.

"It was getting really hot. I couldn't breathe and I thought my life was over," he said.

The pair say realism is essential to provoke participants into thinking about life and death.

They'll operate the game while also running Hand in Hand, an organization that specializes in providing hospice support to dying patients in an oncology hospital.

Soul searching

Huang says his interest in death emerged during a period of soul searching after a lucrative but spiritually unrewarding career as a trader.

"China made me rich, but it didn't teach me how to live a rich life. I was lost," he says.

He went on to study psychology and volunteered to help in the aftermath of a 2008 earthquake in China's western Sichuan province, launching Hand in Hand shortly after.

"It opened a new door for me -- I went there to help but I was also saved."

Ding, meanwhile, had undertaken his own search for a meaning to life by organizing seminars with experts on the subject.

"I invited 'life masters' from different religions and other fields to come and talk about what life is," he says.

"I did that for two years before realizing that, instead of sitting here and listening passively, I could also do something."

That was when the two hooked up to create the "4D Experience of Death."

Morbid curiosity

The pair were initially unsure of the appetite for their morbid concept, even though similar ventures have already opened in South Korea and Taiwan.

Voluntary work in a hospice showed them that few people wanted to confront the idea of death, even when it was at hand.

"The saddest part of the job wasn't seeing the patients passing away but how the families refused to face death -- the final days with their loved ones consisted of kind but shallow lies," says Ding.

"We lack understanding of death and the fear can become so overwhelming."

To sound out the idea, Huang and Ding first started a fundraising campaign on jue.so, the Chinese version of Kickstarter.

"We received more than RMB 410,000 ($67,000) in three months, surpassing our target," says Huang. "It turns out many people in China are curious about death."

Ding says they hope the experience will promote "life education" -- prompting people to ask questions about what they are doing with their lives and guiding them to face death in a personal way.

"There aren't any model answers in life and death education, unlike those courses that teach you to be rich and successful," says Huang. "It is more important for people to experience it personally."

"I was in a car crash once and the only thought in my mind then was 'why didn't I buy insurance?'" says Huang. "It wasn't what I had imagined for the final moments of my life. That romantic idea of having a flashback of one's entire life in the last moments before death -- that did not happen."

Samadhi -- 4D Experience of Death will be completed at the end of August and is scheduled to open in September. Sessions will be conducted in Chinese. Tickets RMB249 ($40). 101-104, Building 2, Gongyi Xintiandi, 105 West PuYu Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

[Syn7]

So weird! I don't get it.:confused:

[GeneChing]

I'm really only posting this because I wanted to post something here today to bring attention to my Yangren Street Theme Park toilet post (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65867-Chinese-toilets&p=1283870#post1283870).

But this is pretty amusing too. ;)

There are more pix if you follow the link.


Replica of razed Chinese palace opens, but some prefer ruins (http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Replica-of-razed-Chinese-palace-opens-but-some-6257625.php)
By LOUISE WATT, Associated Press
Updated 7:49 am, Tuesday, May 12, 2015

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/36/30/47/7965131/3/628x471.jpg
This photo taken Saturday May 9, 2015, shows an aerial view of the New Yuanmingyuan, a newly-built replica of Beijing's Old Summer Palace which was looted and destroyed by French and British forces in 1860, in Hengdian township of Dongyang city in east China's Zhejiang province. Hengdian Studios built the 30 billion yuan ($5 billion) film set of what it says the 3.5 square kilometer (1.35 sq. mile) palace grounds in Beijing looked like before they were razed and left in ruins by foreign forces more than 150 years ago.(Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT Photo: AP

BEIJING (AP) — China already has its own copies of London's Tower Bridge and the Eiffel Tower. Now a life-sized model by a film studio of one of the country's own historical attractions — the Old Summer Palace — has ruffled the bosses of the original garden of emperors.

Hengdian Studios in Zhejiang province is building a 30 billion yuan ($5 billion) film set of the 3.5-square-kilometer (1.35-square-mile) palace grounds in Beijing before they were razed and left in ruins by foreign forces more than 150 years ago.

While the overseers of the original site have belittled the new one as a sell-out to tourism, it has won praise from some historians for preserving China's heritage.

Part theme park, part film set, the still-under-construction attraction opened to the public on Sunday with an entrance fee of 280 yuan ($46). It is slated to be finished next year by Hengdian, one of the world's largest film studios, which already has replicas of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Gate.

Performers in dynastic costumes carrying a gong marched underneath a traditional Chinese gate that opened on to a walkway with red buildings as visitors looked on. One employee was dressed as an emperor. Elsewhere, people rested and chatted in pavilions by the water. From a higher vantage point, they took photos in front of a view of buildings standing in rows with gray roofs with flying eaves, white walls and red pillars.

The attraction joins the ranks of other famous landmarks that have appeared in China. The eastern city of Suzhou has built bridges to look like the Tower Bridge and Sydney Harbour Bridge, among others. In nearby Hangzhou city, there are replicas of Paris's Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees. Last year, a copy of the Great Sphinx of Giza in Hebei province built by a film company raised the ire of the Egyptian government.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported last month that the Old Summer Palace's administrative office said the cultural heritage site was unique and could not be replicated, and that the site was prepared to take legal action if its intellectual property rights were violated. It wasn't clear what rights it was referring to, and the office declined to comment.

Xu Xinming, chief lawyer at the China Intellectual Property Lawyers association, which offers legal advice, said China's intellectual property law only covers 50 years from when a work has been completed, but in any case "the original Old Summer Palace has been destroyed and the replica has nothing to do with intellectual property rights."

The palace replica has raised a debate within China about the merits of the project, with Xinhua saying that many have accused it of "*******izing a site associated with patriotism."

French and British troops burned down the Old Summer Palace in 1860. China's Communist Party-led government considers its ruins a remembrance of historical humiliation at the hands of foreign forces, and a sign of how the country has moved on under the party's rule.

The man running the replica project, Xu Wenrong, the retired chairman of Hengdian Group, dismissed the criticisms at a news conference Saturday.

The Chinese government has never agreed to rebuild the site because its destruction is a "national shame," said Xu. "But generations of people have all heard about the garden, they haven't been there and they expect it to be rebuilt."

He said it was natural to charge an entrance fee to an attraction but they had built the replica "for the benefit of the people and future generations" rather than to make money.

He said the construction was based on the original design plans for the Old Summer Palace, which was built beginning in the 18th century and given as a gift by Emperor Kangxi to his son. Subsequent emperors also used and expanded the imperial gardens and the site became China's second political center after the Forbidden City.

A press officer from Beijing's cultural relics bureau said the new site had been built for the purposes of filmmaking and tourism. "It's fully commercial and can hardly be regarded as a decent replica because it's not situated within the Old Summer Palace, either," said the press officer, who would only give his surname, Yin.

Wang Daocheng, a former professor at Renmin University's Qing History Institute, said he had no problem with Hengdian building a replica, and that the two sites could be complementary.

"The Old Summer Palace represents the essence of Chinese traditional culture. Why can't we rebuild it?" he said. "There is nothing left in the Old Summer Palace apart from ruins, and if people can't see anything about the glorious architecture and gardens, then how can you educate the public?"

On a warm day last week, tourists thronged the paths in the original site in north Beijing, filled with lakes framed by thick rows of bright flowers and overhanging trees. In the eastern part of the park, they paid 15 yuan ($2.50) extra to visit the most visible ruins, consisting of big pieces of light gray rubble and a handful of Roman columns.

Businessman Liu Yaming, 37, using a selfie stick to take a photo of himself among the ruins, said rebuilding the site showed "a kind of ignorance of our national humiliation."

"Some things just can't be rebuilt once they are gone," he said. "As a historical site, we'd better give it the respect it deserves."

[GeneChing]

Why, it's just like L.A. but even more so...:confused:


Fri, June 5, 2015
First Disneytown Tenants Announced for Shanghai Disney Resort (https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/en/press-room/press-release-first-disneytown-tenants-announced-for-shanghai-disney-resort/)
Disneytown Offers Unique Dining, Shopping and World-Class Entertainment

While construction continues on Shanghai Disney Resort, the resort today announced the names of the first tenants for its exciting shopping, dining and entertainment district, Disneytown. The tenants include well-known and trusted local and international brands including renowned restaurants Shanghai Min, Crystal Jade, and The Cheesecake Factory operated by Hong Kong Maxim’s Group, as well as various retail options including stores under I.T group, i.t and BAPE STORE®, and a LEGO Brand Retail store. Other exciting high-profile brands including Food Republic, Coconut Paradise, The Dining Room, Hatsune, blue frog, Xin Wang Restaurant, BreadTalk, Toast Box, and Chow Tai Fook will also be the first of several dozen tenants that will work closely with Shanghai Disney Resort to offer world-class shopping and dining options.

Shopping, dining and entertainment areas are key features of Disney resorts around the world, helping guests enjoy an integrated resort experience alongside world-class theme parks and hotels. Shanghai Disney Resort’s Disneytown will initially be comprised of a 46,000 square meter pedestrian-access area and will be located next door to Shanghai Disneyland, and within walking distance from both Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel. When the resort celebrates its grand opening in spring of 2016, Disneytown will feature nearly 50 tenants including a high-quality, diverse mix of retailers – premium, affordable luxury and fast fashion options – and exciting restaurants for families and convention guests alike. While located next to the theme park, there will be no charge for admission to this unique area.

“Shanghai Disney Resort has worked closely with Chinese and international partners to develop new, fresh and exciting versions of these brands for guests visiting Disneytown,” said Philippe Gas, general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort. “This area will offer a distinctive Disney experience, treating guests by both day and night to great dining, shopping and entertainment amid beautiful open-air promenades and lakeshore charm.”

With Chinese guests in mind, Disneytown has been designed by an international creative team to demonstrate the perfect blend of Disney traditions and classic Chinese and Shanghai design and cultural elements, including traditional Shikumen architecture in homage to the unique heritage of Shanghai. Disneytown will be composed of five distinct districts, including Lakeshore, Marketplace, Spice Alley, Broadway Boulevard, and Broadway Plaza, to create a variety of experiences and unique offerings within each district.

Tenants of Disneytown will work closely with Shanghai Disney Resort to provide exclusive dining, shopping and entertainment experiences by tailoring every detail of the venues – from the decorations to menu design. Dining options will vary across the districts. Guests may enjoy fine dining experiences at upscale table service restaurants in the romantic theatre district, Broadway Plaza, where Shanghai Min and Crystal Jade will provide authentic Shanghainese and Cantonese cuisine with stunning views of Shanghai Disneyland from both balconies. The first Asia flagship restaurant of The Cheesecake Factory operated by Hong Kong Maxim’s Group and blue frog’s new-concept restaurant will be featured in Broadway Boulevard. Spice Alley will offer a variety of popular Asian cuisines in a casual, yet eclectic and fun environment and its dining experiences will offer something for everyone, including unique Southeast Asian cuisine and local Chinese delights from Food Republic, Thai food from Coconut Paradise and new Shanghainese dim sum and cuisine from The Dining Room. Casual dining experiences will be provided in Marketplace by Xin Wang Restaurant, the all-day Cantonese tea house, as well as fresh bakeries BreadTalk and Toast Box. Guests will also be able to experience a variety of waterfront dining options in the Lakeshore district such as California-style Japanese restaurant Hatsune, while enjoying views of both the lake and the Enchanted Storybook Castle to the north and the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel to the south.

Guests who visit retail shops at Disneytown will find exciting and exclusive Disney merchandise and a wide range of other options, including the popular fashion store i.t, premium trendy fashion apparel for young adults and kids at BAPE STORE®, and luxury jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook. The area will also feature many other new experiential entries to the mainland China market, including the first flagship retail store operated by the LEGO Group in Asia to provide an integrated and diverse shopping experience with resort-exclusive offerings.

Shanghai Disney Resort is continuously striving to identify globally–known international and Chinese brands to enrich the guest experience in Disneytown. It will be a place where guests can relax and reconnect with family and friends with amazing new experiences waiting around every corner. With something for everyone, this festive venue will be a “must-visit” for anyone living in or traveling to Shanghai.

https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/press-release-first-disneytown-tenants-announced-for-shanghai-disney-resort-01.jpg

View of Disneytown: the district will incorporate unique Chinese and Shanghai architectural elements

https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/press-release-first-disneytown-tenants-announced-for-shanghai-disney-resort-02.jpg

Rendering of Disneytown’s Lakeshore

https://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/press-release-first-disneytown-tenants-announced-for-shanghai-disney-resort-03.jpg

Rendering of Disneytown’s Broadway Plaza

[GeneChing]

Not a Chinese Theme Park, a Japanese Love Hotel...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBbG7GrLXAI

[GeneChing]

They had me at Star Wars.



Shanghai Disney theme park trading Main Street for the Garden of the Twelve Friends (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-disney-shanghai-20150715-story.html#page=1)

http://www.trbimg.com/img-55a5d41e/turbine/la-fi-disney-shanghai-photos-20150714-003/900/900x506
Bob Iger, Disney's chairman and chief executive, unveils a huge model of the Shanghai Disney Resort in a presentation at the Shanghai Expo Centre.
Shanghai Disney
Caption Shanghai Disney
Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times

Displays showing the new Shanghai Disney attractions during a presentation at the Shanghai Expo Centre include artist renderings of the "Star Wars" attraction.
By Julie Makinen contact the reporter

Walt Disney Co. will roll out attractions based on “Star Wars” and Marvel superheroes at its new Shanghai theme park when the $5.5-billion facility opens next year, Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Iger said here Wednesday as the company kicked its publicity efforts for the long-in-the-making resort into high gear.

After stumbling with the launches of California Adventure in Anaheim in 2001 and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005, the company is out to prove that it has learned from past mistakes such as building less ambitious parks and failing to understand the cultural and culinary habits of its customers. Disney has spent handsomely to expand and upgrade Hong Kong Disneyland and California Adventure since their openings.

At a splashy news event, Iger unveiled a huge model of the resort in front of Chinese journalists, thanked the Chinese government and promised that visitors would discover Disney's “most technologically innovative park.”
Construction begins at Shanghai Disney Resort

“Here in Shanghai we are applying everything that we've learned from our six decades of relentless innovation and creativity to deliver a world-class destination,” Iger said. “Our goal was to create something that was authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese, and we believe we've achieved the perfect blend.”

The appeal of China is obvious: The most populous country — with roughly 1.3 billion people — is home to an expanding class of consumers that relishes the slick products that Disney generates.

It wasn't always that way. Disney films were briefly banned in China in the mid-1990s after the company distributed a film about the Dalai Lama. But that changed in 1999 with the release of “Mulan,” which was based on a Chinese tale. Now Disney's superhero and action films do massive business here. “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which was released in China in May, grossed about $240 million here.

When the Shanghai Disney Resort finally opens next year, it will be after years of negotiations and one major delay. In spring 2014, Disney said it would spend an additional $800 million to add attractions; earlier this year, it said it would delay the opening until 2016. No specific date has been set.

Three employees of companies working on site said extra time was also necessary to remedy construction problems caused by Chinese contractors who cut corners and didn't meet Disney's standards.
Water show

http://www.trbimg.com/img-55a5b7d1/turbine/la-trb-shanghai-disneyland-photos-04201110-pg-023/650/650x366
Concept art of Shanghai Disneyland suggests a water show could be featured at the Chinese theme park. (Disney)

Asked about the reasons for the delay, Disney spokesperson Angela Bliss said: “Shanghai Disney Resort is our most ambitious project and represents the Walt Disney Company's biggest foreign investment. It is also one of the largest foreign investments in the history of China. As a result of accelerating our expansion plans, we decided to target the spring of 2016 for opening.”

Gary Goddard, a former Disney Imagineer who runs his own entertainment design firm and has worked extensively in China, said he thinks the delay was a positive sign.

“I don't think Mr. Iger wants to open Shanghai and then have to fix things for the next 10 years as had to be done with parks of the last decade and a half,” Goddard said. “Hopes are high.”

Shanghai Disney, which is 57% owned by the state-owned investment consortium Shanghai Shendi and 43% by Disney, represents a huge potential new revenue source for the Burbank-based entertainment giant, complementing and enhancing its film, TV and merchandising businesses. Although the Chinese government remains cautious about “foreign cultural influences,” Disney has managed to gain a substantial foothold in the country.

Disney movies including “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Big Hero 6” earned more than $400 million in Chinese theaters in the first half of this year alone, and its cartoons are among the few foreign animations aired on state-run television. The company has a chain of language-training centers called Disney English, and last month it opened a flagship Disney store in Shanghai — the largest in the world at 54,000 square feet.

Although Shanghai Disney has not disclosed target attendance figures or ticket prices, about 330 million of China's 1.3 billion people live within a three-hour drive or train ride from Shanghai, a metropolis of 24 million, giving the resort a huge potential audience for years to come.

Walt Disney World in Florida, the world's most-attended theme park, attracted 19 million visitors last year, according to the Themed Entertainment Assn. Disney parks worldwide attracted 148 million visitors; nine of the top 10 most-visited parks were Disney properties.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-4ec5aa52/turbine/la-trb-shanghai-disneyland-photos-04201110-pg-012/586/586x330
Shanghai Disneyland

Jeffrey Towson, a professor of investment at Peking University and author of the “One Hour China Consumer Book,” noted that the Shanghai Expo, a world's-fair-type event in 2010, attracted 73 million visitors in just six months.

“Demand for Shanghai Disneyland is going to be overwhelming,” he said. “Usually in emerging markets, you never quite know if the demand is there before you start selling, but this is a rare exception to that rule — the demand is so abundantly clear.”

Towson said pricing will be crucial in managing visitor flow. A one-day Hong Kong Disneyland ticket costs about $64. It is unclear whether the opening of Shanghai Disney might diminish crowds at Hong Kong Disneyland, which finally began turning a profit in 2012. Last year, 48% of visitors to that park were from mainland China.

The 2016 opening of Shanghai Disney will come as China is in the midst of a wave of theme-park building. China is expected to add 59 theme parks by 2020, according to a report last year by industry analyst Aecom. Universal Parks & Resorts announced last fall that it would build a $3.3-billion, 300-acre theme park in Beijing to open around 2019.

But many Chinese theme parks tend to be modestly budgeted facilities underpinned with weak or no intellectual property and little lasting appeal.

In Shanghai, Disney is jettisoning Main Street and some of the strongly American features of its other parks and adopting concepts unique to China, such as the Garden of the Twelve Friends, with popular Disney characters representing the dozen signs of the Chinese zodiac amid cherry trees.

Chinese cultural elements will also be expressed during live entertainment coordinated to Chinese holidays and traditions. Although a Chinese-tiled roof for the Enchanted Storybook Castle was rejected in early planning stages, subtle Chinese flourishes are in evidence — the finial is topped with a peony, the national Chinese flower. The castle is billed as the “tallest, biggest and most complex” of any Disney castle, an important bragging right for the Chinese market.

Stefan Zwanzger, a Singapore-based theme park expert, said one difficulty might be maintaining Disney's traditional practice of visually isolating visitors from the outside world because the park is situated not far from some of the world's tallest skyscrapers. “I hope you won't see a Chuansha town office tower from the Dumbo the Flying Elephant” ride, he said.
Usually in emerging markets, you never quite know if the demand is there before you start selling, but this is a rare exception to that rule -- the demand is so abundantly clear. - Jeffrey Towson

Pollution and weather also could be challenging factors for Shanghai Disney; a recent spate of torrential rains has affected the resort's round-the-clock construction schedules and turned the site into what one worker described as a “big mud pit.”

Shanghai Disney will have six distinct “lands,” including the pirate-themed Treasure Cove, anchored by an all-new, high-tech “Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure” attraction. Other lands include Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Attractions will include a Tarzan live show featuring Chinese acrobats and a “Frozen”-themed production.

Outside the main park, a theater situated in a shopping, dining and entertainment district will present a Mandarin-language version of the Broadway production “The Lion King.” The resort will include two hotels.

“We know about the new Shanghai Disney Resort and we plan to visit,” said Li Jinping, a 16-year-old student from China's Guangxi province who was attending a “Frozen”-themed ice show in Beijing. “I want it to be more thrilling than the one in Hong Kong, where the rides were a bit naive for us.”

julie.makinen@latimes.com

Tommy Yang and Harvard Zhang in The Times' Beijing bureau contributed to this report.

[GeneChing]

Nothing like swimming in that post-coital stew.


'No sex!': Signs at Chongqing water park remind visitors to swim in a 'civilized' manner
(http://shanghaiist.com/2015/07/20/chongqing-water-park-kindly-reminds-visitors-dont-have-sex-in-pool.php)
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/nosex-01.jpg

It seems as though the managers of this water park in Chongqing are seriously keen on avoiding any indecent activity within their precious pools in the wake of the Uniqlo fitting room sex scandal, as an array of hard-to-miss "no sex" warning signs were seen plastered all over the park in the Meixin Foreigner Street.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/nosex-02.jpg

"Swim in a civilized manner. Don’t play the roles in the Uniqlo video," one poster read, while another warned park-goers that "The Uniqlo incident was a fiasco. There is no winner in the fitting room". The signs reminded park visitors to refrain from having sex in the pools, sauna rooms and, of course, the unisex restrooms.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/nosex-03.jpg

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With the temperature rising, public pools are bound to see an influx of visitors, so we don't blame the managers for taking a little preventative action to keep everyone's animalistic urges in line. A little reminder (and publicity) doesn’t hurt, right?

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/nosex-04.jpg

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By Crystal Lau

[Images via NetEase]

[GeneChing]

9 photos of completely deserted and utterly creepy Chinese amusement parks (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-amusement-parks-empty-in-off-season-stefano-cerio-2015-8)
Jack Sommer
Aug. 26, 2015, 2:41 PM 20,871 1

http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/55d7608abd86ef18008b5030-1200/chinese-amusement-park-during-off-season.jpg
Stefano Cerio
Shenzhen's Happy Valley park covers 350,000-square-feet

Photographer Stefano Cerio generally splits his time between Rome, Italy and Paris, France — but this past year he journeyed through China to explore its many and wildly popular amusement parks.

Cerio was curious about what these parks had to offer, but not in the way most visitors are.

Fascinated by the idea of "absence," he headed to the highest populated country in the world to document these parks when they were completely empty.

His new book, "Chinese Fun," offers a rare and desolate look at various Chinese amusement parks.

The results are both creepy and serene. See for yourself below.


Five major themes recur in Cerio's work: representation, illusion, vision, expectations, and reality. Here, he questions whether rides, and the parks they reside in, are symbols of happiness, or merely an illusion.

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Stefano Cerio
Shanghai Happy Valley, Shanghai

Those five themes are explored through recreational areas generally visited by the public for holidays and vacations. What these spaces look like when they're completely empty allows us to see them in a new light — and to question their existence.
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Stefano Cerio
Treasure Island Pirate Kingdom, Qingdao

General images of amusement rides and carnival food stands usually trigger nostalgic, happy memories. But through Cerio's washed-out, muted color palette — and especially without people around — the spaces verge on depressing.
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Stefano Cerio
Shijingshang Park, Beijing

Cerio used the severe levels of pollution and consistent smog in the surrounding areas to create his own eerie dystopia through the diffused and gentle light of the gray skies.
http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/55d75e1d9dd7cc24008b50c2-1200/cerio-used-the-severe-levels-of-pollution-and-consistent-smog-in-the-surrounding-areas-to-create-his-own-eerie-dystopia-through-the-diffused-and-gentle-light-of-the-gray-skies.jpg
Stefano Cerio
Huairou

He took the pictures in cities across China, such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Macao, and Dongguan.
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Stefano Cerio
Polar Ocean Park, Qingdao

Although this strange series was shot in China, Cerio insists that the project is not social commentary on China's culture, or the country as a whole.
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Stefano Cerio
Happy Valley, Shenzhen

The series is actually about the concept of human amusement. We're meant to question our ideas of happiness, as well as the true nature of these structures. Cerio wants viewers to realize that happiness can be found in other, less obvious places — or simply within us, wanting and waiting to be found.
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Stefano Cerio
Shilaoren Bathing Beach, Qingdao

Here we have the rather mysterious cover image for Cerio's book. He doesn't explain why the giant fruit installation exists or how it came to be. That sense of wonder is part of his art.
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Stefano Cerio
Huairou

The feeling that Cerio coaxes with his images is purposefully "detached." He frames the structures to appear disconnected — from their environment and from the viewer. As the parks reopen and visitors flood in, the amusement parks become happy again. But Cerio asks, "Why don't they represent this to begin with?"
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Stefano Cerio
Little China, Shenzhen




Imagine what a great villain's lair these would make. You could stage an epic Kung Fu fight finale here.

[GeneChing]

Great British Teddy Bear theme park soon to open in Beijing (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/09/18/great_british_teddy_bear_theme_park.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/teddy-beijing1.jpg

The Great British Teddy Bear Company has joined hands with Chinese architectural firm Tenio Architectural Design to create a cuddly wonderland in Beijing's Daxing district.

The park is part of a 200-million yuan government-led project to create an environmentally-friendly town of roses in the Weishanzhuang area of Daxing district. China News reports it will be located on a 6,600 acre plot of land next to the new Beijing airport and is expected to attract 250,000 tourists annually.

Paul Jessup, founder of The Great British Teddy Bear Company told reporters, "families of all generations [can visit] to interact, create memories and have a British experience."

Perhaps it's the quaint history of the family-run teddy bear company from Britain, established in 2008, which attracted Chinese investors. They're famous for modelling their teddy bears on well-known British personalities such as Prince William, Florence Nightingale, Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/09/teddy-beijing2.jpg

This "low-carbon teddy bear paradise" will meet a rising demand for The Great British Teddy Bear Company brand in China. The Sherlock Holmes bear is cited as being the best seller in the Chinese market, likely due to the runaway success of BBC's Sherlock.

Park attractions are being marketed as a center for cultural learning. Children can experience the "Shakespeare theatre" with teddy bears based on characters from the canonical plays, and "Beefeater bears" will be present at a Tower of London attraction.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/09/teddy-beijing3.jpg

When asked why he started the company, Jessup answered: "We wanted to create a teddy bear with true meaning, one that will be retained and then passed to the next generation. In our understanding of the teddy bear's role in human life, we design them to convey meaning, to bring joy, comfort, and historic preservation, as well as sorrow."

By Daniel Cunningham
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Sep 18, 2015 4:00 PM

I didn't even know that this was a thing. :o

[GeneChing]

Theme park celebrating heroes of the Chinese Communist Party opens in Wuhan (http://shanghaiist.com/2015/09/30/wuhan_opens_theme_park_celebrating_ccp.php)

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Wuhan is now host to its very own children's theme park dedicated to the Chinese Communist Party, which has conveniently opened just in time for the Golden Week holiday.

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The park occupies an area of 300,000 square meters in Wuhan's Hongshan District and is packed full of cartoon statues commemorating important figures from communist party history.

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Contemporary figures also take prominent positions, with statues also honoring the contributions made by China's astronauts and Olympic athletes.

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The park also contains plenty of exhibits from which one can learn about the glorious history of the CCP and the values which all good communists seek to uphold.

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Disneyland Shanghai looks to have some fierce competition on its hands, that is if it ever opens...

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[Images via NetEase]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Dominic Jackson in News on Sep 30, 2015 3:30 PM

Wonder if it has rides...

[GeneChing]

...or maybe it's just these smaller parks are getting walloped by the bigger ones...


Theme park building boom hits the skids in smaller Chinese markets (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-theme-parks-20151003-story.html)
October 3, 2015. 2:00 AM | TANGSHAN, CHINA

http://www.trbimg.com/img-560f1b84/turbine/la-fi-china-theme-parks-01-jpg-20151002/750/750x422
The Dragon Fantasy amusement park, a 165-acre development in Tangshan City about two hours’ drive from Beijing, has no visitors. One section was opened for a few months in 2013, then closed. (Jonathan Kaiman / Los Angeles Times)

Wei Jiushan spends his day in a fantasy land, surrounded by rides, arcades, souvenir shops, bungee-jumping towers that look like six-story-high banyan trees and a small village of mushroom-shaped houses.

But he barely notices all of that. After all, he has his corn to harvest.

A gruff, 52-year-old security guard, Wei says he's been working at the Dragon Fantasy amusement park for three years. The problem is that the park, a 165-acre development in Tangshan City about two hours' drive from Beijing, has no people. Developers began building it in 2011, opened one section for a few months in 2013, and then closed it again for lack of visitors and funding.

So he grows a few rows of corn, two dozen stalks at most, in a grassy island among shuttered ticketing offices and merchandise shops by the park's front gate.

"They don't allow me to grow corn, but I have nothing else to do," he said, holding an ear up for inspection. "The corn isn't even growing well, because the land's no good. Look, it has worms in it."
See the most-read stories this hour >>

The park has all the hallmarks of a white elephant with dismal prospects, in surprising contrast to what's going on in major Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. That's where heavyweights such as Walt Disney Co. and Universal Studios are building multibillion-dollar parks, betting on huge growth in the industry.

Analysts say that the China theme park market is worth $3.3 billion and will probably hit $4.8 billion by 2020 as the country's consumer class continues to grow. A forecast by Los Angeles engineering firm AECOM, a contractor on many projects, even predicts the number of parkgoers in China will surpass that in the U.S. by 2020.

But outside of major tourist hubs, the parks boom has been less of a thrill ride. Many of the country's estimated 850 parks developed by cities and smaller companies have struggled to attract thrill-seeking customers.

"They have these build-it-and-they-will come strategies — and then the people don't come," said Jeffrey Towson, a professor of investment at Peking University.

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati, pegs much of the problem on China's economy, which is no longer growing at the breakneck pace of years past. The issue was highlighted by the August devaluation of the yuan.

"We're already seeing a slowdown with the emerging middle class starting to hold back and not spending as much as they used to," he said.

The Dragon Fantasy park, in Tangshan's Fengnan district, an eerily uninhabited sprawl of brand-new apartment blocks and freshly paved roads a few miles from the central city, also underscores the challenges that China faces as it attempts to shed its export- and investment-based economic model to one based on consumption.

Tangshan is best known in China for being the site of an earthquake in 1976 that killed more than 250,000 people. In the following decades, the city developed into an industrial powerhouse, its factories churning out heavy machinery, chemicals, textiles, cement and steel.

Yet China's appetite for raw materials is declining, and Tangshan officials have tried to transform the city into a tourism destination. A 2014 post on the Tangshan government's website said that a state-backed company, Tangshan City Fengnan City Construction Investment Co., built Dragon Fantasy with a $235-million investment. It added that the park would create 800 jobs and bring in $88 million of annual revenue.

"This project will upgrade the whole industry, play an important part in revitalizing the industry, and also provide a high-level foundation for the extracurricular, high-tech education of our youth," it said.

Typically, the parks are developed by local governments or state-owned enterprise that have access to land, a local developer with construction and management experience, and an entity with some source of usually cheap debt or equity, such as a local government financing vehicle, Towson said.

"In those cities, it's like trying to play cards with a really bad hand," he said. "Maybe they're just doing what they can. And what do they got? They've got land. That's their main card to play."

There is also money to be made through construction contracts, management fees, and selling extra land for building hotels or apartments. "The trick to getting everyone to say yes to a very speculative project is to give each party compensating near-term profits," he said.

Before the Chinese economy showed signs of slowing, 59 theme park projects were in the pipeline in China, with dozens of Southern California-based designers and contractors winning contracts to help infuse the projects with American ingenuity and imagination.

Well-established domestic companies have also positioned themselves to benefit from the boom. The massive Beijing-based property developer Dalian Wanda is investing tens of billions of dollars to build dozens of amusement parks across the country, including a "Wanda City park" in Xishuangbanna, a swath of jungles and thatch-hut villages near the Laos border.

So far, none of the major projects proposed by the biggest U.S. and Chinese theme park firms have been delayed or put on hold, such as the $5.5-billion Shanghai Disney Resort set to open in the spring.

"They are looking at this for the long run," said Naveen Sarma, senior director at Standard & Poor's. "In the long term, China is still a huge market. It's an attractive market."

Still, previous investments abroad have shown that underperforming theme parks can be expensive.

Disney was forced to inject $1.3 billion last year to improve and refinance aging Disneyland Paris, which has struggled with attendance and has had a rocky history since opening in 1992.

Edward Marks, chief executive of the Producers Group, a Glendale theme park design and construction firm that has worked on Universal Studios Singapore and Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin, China, said he would not be surprised if some smaller projects on the drawing board are shelved.

"I see people reevaluating where they are with particular projects that haven't broken ground," he said.

Wei, the security guard, said that he began working in steel plants when he was in his early 20s. Then the mills went bankrupt, one after another, and he was forced to find new work. The park pays him about $350 a month, he said, less than what he made at the steel plant, but enough to survive.

"These are all supposed to be merchandise stores," he said, waving toward a row of abandoned storefronts, their colorful facades cracked and peeling. "When the park first opened, some families would come, but the rest of the park never opened.

"The government probably just ran out of money," he added, and went back to tending his corn.

jonathan.kaiman@latimes.com
hugo.martin@latimes.com

Times staff writers Kaiman reported from Tangshan and Martin from Los Angeles. Tommy Yang in the Times' Beijing bureau contributed to this report.

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland to feature Chinese elements and the largest castle ever, opens spring 2016 (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/11/06/shanghai-disneyland-to-feature-chinese-elements-and-the-largest-castle-ever-opens-spring-2016/)
Joan Coello
16 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/d1182290.jpg?w=580&h=459

Disney’s very first amusement park in mainland China, Shanghai Disneyland, is slated to open its doors in spring 2016. With the Chinese government’s recent decision to end its controversial one-child policy and allow citizens to have up to two children per family without facing fines, the world’s most populated country is bound to be teeming with more people than ever in the years to come.

Disney chairman and CEO Robert “Bob” Iger has expressed delight over the government’s change on the one-child ruling, and has revealed some of the company’s plans to incorporate China’s rich culture into the magic of Shanghai Disneyland and satisfy Chinese visitors of all generations.

“Thank you for sending us more kids,” Disney CEO Robert Iger quipped in response to the new ruling at a recent conference held at the University of Southern California, appearing optimistic about the potential increase in visitors at the new park. He may have meant it as a joke, but he might actually be on to something.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1eu36q4c8soj311i0p0thm.jpg?w=580&h=387

Earlier this year, it was announced that Shanghai Disneyland will consist of six themed areas and have many superlatives to boast about. Not only will the park house Disney’s first pirate-themed land, it will also have the tallest and largest castle among all Disney parks, and boast the longest parade route as well. The park will also be enchanted with a unique fusion of China’s cultural heritage and Disney’s signature style to create a magical world that provides an authentic Disney experience, yet is distinctly Chinese.

The six lands of Shanghai Disneyland will be:

▼ Treasure Cove, where Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones dwell

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1eupqgn50o3j30wu0jygtg.jpg?w=580&h=352

▼ Tomorrowland

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1ewskc8c4ecj318g0h5dn0.jpg?w=580&h=223

▼ Gardens of Imagination

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1eu382o3t3yj318g0n34de.jpg?w=580&h=302

▼ Mickey Avenue

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1ex2rneqzbrj315o0l4dsz.jpg?w=580&h=294

▼ Fantasyland

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1eu38ttq47xj318g0rk1at.jpg?w=580&h=360

▼ Adventure Isle, the first of its kind

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1ex8ql9kilxj318g0ujwvl.jpg?w=580&h=398

Apart from the more obvious architectural elements, the spirit of China will also be incorporated into the menus of dining establishments in Shanghai Disneyland, with approximately 70 percent of the food and beverage variety being Chinese, spiced up with a dash of Disney magic.


continued next post (too many pix)

[GeneChing]

Here are some of the visual renderings of attractions that have been revealed:

▼ Roaring Rapids at Adventure Isle

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1eurutw1pdyj318g0qzn3w.jpg?w=580&h=352

▼ Star Wars Launch Bay

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1ewuo2cmjvaj318g0qonb5.jpg?w=580&h=348

▼ TRON Lightcycle Power Run, a brand new attraction at Tomorrowland

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1ewskcgjilfj318f0h611t.jpg?w=580&h=224

▼ The Enchanted Storybook Castle will be the first Disney castle in the world to showcase the legacy of all the Disney Princesses.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/005fwg36gw1eu38ejxx40j318g0fmwlx1.jpg?w=580&h=204

It seems like Mickey and friends are about to embark on an exciting journey like never before! Unfortunately, Disney has yet to reveal an actual image of the East-West fusion elements, but having witnessed so many of Disney’s successes with their very own brand of magic, we’re certain Shanghai Disneyland is going to be huge sensation.

Are you looking forward to the opening of Shanghai Disneyland? Tell us which attraction has piqued your interest!

It bugs me that Disneyland puts Star Wars in Tomorrowland. After all, it happened 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away'

[GeneChing]

Slightly OT


DreamWorks Animation Is In "Exploration Stage" for Theme Park Development (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-is-exploration-stage-846880)

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/675x380/2015/06/kung_fu_panda_3_still.jpg
DreamWorks Animation's 'Kung Fu Panda 3'
Courtesy of DreamWorks

by Paul Bond 12/8/2015 12:02pm PST

President Ann Daly also told analysts on Tuesday that live-action TV is a logical next step.

DreamWorks Animation will spend less than $10 million next year developing live-action shows, president Ann Daly told analysts at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, DreamWorks Animation announced it had appointed Katie O'Connell Marsh as its head of live-action global television to expand the studio behind Shrek into live-action television for children and families.

TV, said Daly, is one of the company's most "sustainably profitable segments," so live-action TV is a logical next step.

She said that DWA is sitting on intellectual property that lends itself better to live-action and animation, but she did not elaborate.

"Every one of the customers that we are selling and licensing our animated content to today have expressed interest if we were to get into the live-action space," said Daly.

"There's certainly an age where animation sort of taps out, and these broadcasters or platforms want to be able to hold on to those kids," she added.

The executive also told the analysts that a 2013 deal to supply 300 hours of original programming to Netflix has been "very important" to DreamWorks Animation, as it allowed the company to scale its TV business quickly and led to new relationships. It's one reason DWA content is in 80 countries today, she said.

Partnering with established players is the current SVOD strategy, rather than going it alone, and that won't change soon, said Daly.

"We have the assets, we believe, and the capability of launching an SVOD, so the opportunity is there for us, but it's not the path that we're choosing right now," she sad.

Daly also said a Kung Fu Panda 3 co-production with Oriental DreamWorks is a "first of its kind" that allows the company's exhibitor split to go from 25 percent to close to 40 percent. The movie is set to open Jan. 29.

She also said DreamWorks Animation is "continuing to develop this idea of a theme park. We have several parties that have expressed interest, and we're in exploration stage with them."

So much hinges on the success of Kung Fu Panda 3 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60650-Kung-Fu-Panda-3) for Dreamworks.

[GeneChing]

This is two years old, but new here.


https://vimeo.com/82312877

[GeneChing]

Florida's Universal Studios already has a Jurassic World (https://www.universalorlando.com/Rides/Islands-of-Adventure/Jurassic-Park-Discovery-Center.aspx).


FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016 - 10:57
Chinese billionaire plans to open Jurassic theme park in Australia (http://www.nova1069.com.au/best-web/chinese-billionaire-plans-open-jurassic-theme-park-australia)

http://prod-filesbucket-7hmmorphht20.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/styles/nova_hero/s3/article/thumbnail/jurassic-park.jpg?itok=FQOU39Ih

According to reports, Wanda chief executive Wang Jianlin may be planning a multi-billion dollar dinosaur theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
The theme park would obviously be a major tourism play which could potentially boost overall Gold Coast theme park attendance by 10 per cent in its first year, according to researchers.

“We need this to happen,” said Northern Chamber of Commerce president Gary Mays.

“It will create heaps of fulltime jobs which is a priority now and bring in more international tourists.”

“If we don’t keep reinventing ourselves, we will be left behind.”

Gary isn't the only one who wants the park to happen.

“We’re working with the local tourism industry to grow the number of visitors holidaying on the Gold Coast,” said Tourism Minister Kate Jones.

“We want to see more visitors through the gates of our theme parks because we know that means jobs for Queenslanders.”

Jianlin is currently after a majority share of the company which produced Jurassic World - Legendary Entertainment - and plans to enter Wanda into the film production and attraction park industry.

The company recently bought Hoyts cinema chain and AMC Entertainment Holdings.


What is is with Chinese theme parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64712-Shaolin-Temple-OZ) in Oz? ;)

[GeneChing]

Disney's $5 billion Chinese theme park set to open (http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/13/news/disney-china-shanghai-disneyland-opening/index.html)
by Charles Riley @CRrileyCNN
January 13, 2016: 5:15 AM ET

The countdown has begun. Disney fans in China have only five months to wait before the company's mega theme park opens in Shanghai.
After a decade of planning and investment of $5.5 billion, the entertainment giant's first park in mainland China will open on June 16.
The Shanghai Disney Resort represents a major bet that China's growing middle class will spend more and more of their money on travel, tourism and leisure.
The massive project includes two hotels, a shopping district and six themed lands -- Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Adventure Isle, Treasure Cove and Tomorrowland. It will dwarf the company's parks in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Disney (DIS) has been talking about building a Shanghai theme park since the mid 2000s. The latest version of the project was due to open in late 2015, but construction problems and design changes pushed the date back.
The park features storytelling and design features that Disney hopes will appeal to a Chinese audience. Shanghai's traditional Shikumen-style architecture will be highlighted, as will themes from the Chinese zodiac.
CEO Bob Iger told investors in November that all the major structures and landmarks were in place, and that Disney was holding job fairs in order to hire thousands of staff. Despite slower economic growth in China, Iger expressed confidence about the park's potential.
"We feel great about what we're building, and we still feel great about the market," Iger said. "We continue to be impressed with the buzz that we see whenever we go to China."
Theme parks and resorts generated more than $16 billion in revenue for Disney in 2015, making them the company's second biggest business behind TV.
Disney shares have suffered recently as investors worry about "cord-cutting" (households dropping cable TV) and "cord-shaving" (households choosing smaller bundles of cable). ESPN, the company's most profitable channel, has lost 7 million subscribers since 2013.
CNNMoney (New Delhi)
First published January 13, 2016: 5:15 AM ET

June 16 this thread will ttt.

[GeneChing]

JANUARY 2016
Robert Niles Editor

Six Flags Breaks Ground for its First Theme Park in China (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201601/4918/)

January 19, 2016, 11:29 AM · Six Flags and its Chinese partner today broke ground on a US$4.6 billion development that will include China's first Six Flags amusement park.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2016/sf-china1.jpg
Workers watch the ground-breaking ceremony. Photos courtesy Six Flags

Riverside Investment Group Co. is developing the mixed-use project in Haiyan, about 45 miles south of downtown Shanghai.

"The Six Flags park in Haiyan will be a spectacular park featuring our signature lineup of record-breaking roller coasters, family rides and attractions and world-class shows — along with themed sections of the park that pay homage to the storied Chinese culture," John Odum, President of Six Flags International Development Company, said in a statement.

Six Flags has not yet announced any specific attractions for the park, which will be located on the on the coast of Hangzhou Bay. But it has released an artist's concept of the park.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2016/sf-china2.jpg

Six Flags China is scheduled to open in 2019. The Walt Disney Company's Shaghai Disneyland will open June 16 this year, and Universal Studios is developing a park in Beijing that is also expected to open in 2019.

This would be only the fourth existing park to be built with Six Flags branding, following the original Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Over Georgia, and Six Flags Over Mid-America, now Six Flags St. Louis. All other Six Flags parks were built by other owners and later acquired or renamed by the chain. Six Flags is also developing a park in Jebel Ali, near Dubai, that might open before the China park, making it the fifth original Six Flags park.

I didn't realize there were so few Six Flags. I thought there were more. :o

[GeneChing]

Not quite a theme park - sounds like a stand-alone attraction. More on Transformers here (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?47070-Transformers).


DMG to Launch ‘Transformers Live’ Attraction in China (EXCLUSIVE) (http://variety.com/2016/biz/asia/dmg-transformers-attraction-in-china-1201688443/)

http://i2.wp.com/pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/optimus-prime-rexfeatures_3846041ab.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C4756px% 2C2647px&resize=670%2C377
DMG to Launch ‘Transformers Live’ AttractionPHOTO BY JAMES D. MORGAN/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

JANUARY 25, 2016 | 10:45PM PT
Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

Hasbro’s iconic “Transformers” are poised to become a major live entertainment attraction in China next year.

A custom-built theater seating 4,500 will host a live show combining shape-shifting robots, aerial stunts and large-scale special effects.

The attraction is the first to be developed by DMG Live, the new live entertainment arm of DMG Entertainment, which is headed by entrepreneur Dan Mintz. It follows a deal between DMG and Hasbro for the rights and with Michael Cohl’s S2BN Entertainment to develop the attraction.

DMG, Hasbro and S2BN jointly announced the plans Tuesday afternoon at a lavish launch ceremony at Beijing’s Shangri-la Hotel, complete with hundreds of local press, VIPs and an 11 foot Optimus Prime robot in attendance.

The semi-permanent venue for ‘Transformers Live’ is expected to be located near Beijing, though DMG Live is still considering options in other ‘tier 1’ cities, usually taken to mean Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

“’Transformers Live’ will be a cross between an action-adventure spectacle, a theme park attraction and a theatrical show. Fans will experience intense action, beautiful visual moments, an emotionally engaging story, lots of humor and rousing music,” said Cohl, who has won multiple Tony-, and Emmy-awards. “The [‘Transformers Live’] show will offer a fusion of proprietary technologies including robotics and advanced projection capabilities along with amazing aerial and acrobatic sequences.”

“The ‘Transformers Live’ show will appeal to the wide-eyed child in all of us who love big robots, insane action and incredible special effects,” said Mintz, CEO of DMG Entertainment. DMG Entertainment is a privately-owned U.S. company. It shares the DMG brand with DMG Yinji, a publicly-listed Chinese company. DMG Entertainment is currently bidding some $600 million to acquire majority control of Taiwan cable TV group Eastern Broadcasting Corporation. Mintz has film industry credits that include “Iron Man 3,” Looper” and the recent “Point Break” remake.

Cohl has produced shows including: “An Evening with Oprah,” “The Marvel Experience,” and” Alvin and The Chipmunks.”

DMG Live is expected to strike similar, partnerships for several of the other properties that it licenses or owns. These include some Marvel concepts and the Mini Marilyn, cartoon version of Marilyn Monroe, that it unveiled last year. Some of these attractions are expected to be akin to Universal’s ‘City Walk’ concept, combining stages, rides, retail and hotels. They will likely be sited in other major conurbations around China.

The “Transformers” concept was launched in 1984 as a series of comic books and toys. They have since expanded into TV series and a franchise of four movies directed by Michael Bay. The “Transformers” movies have earned some $3.8 billion globally for Paramount, the studio distributor. They have done particularly well in China, where “Age of Extinction” was partly filmed, before clocking up $300 million at the Chinese box office.

DMG says that “Transformers Live” will be only the second major location-based attraction to open in mainland China (after Shanghai Disneyland which is to open in June this year) that is based on “beloved international characters.” Most other parks that have opened to date are either ride-based or feature characters and other IP from mythology and none license internationally recognized content from Hollywood.

There are currently some 300 theme parks in China. Their scale is now growing rapidly as the major international groups including Disney, DreamWorks and Universal, as well as local operators including Wanda and Huayi Brothers, are all now building multi-billion dollar ventures, squarely aimed at China’s expanding and affluent middle class. Another U.S. park operator, Six Flags announced last week that it had broken ground on a new park to open in 2019 near Beijing.

[GeneChing]

The House of Mouse brings mucho moola.


Disney Resort expected to bring realty-and-retail boom to Shanghai (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2016-02/01/content_23331769.htm)
By WU YIYAO (China Daily)
Updated: 2016-02-01 07:40

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/img/attachement/jpg/site1/20160201/b083fe955a0f1818d73402.jpg
Two sales people introduce a housing project to a potential buyer at a Disney commercial property promotion event.[Photo/China Daily]

Shanghai Disney Resort, which will open in June, is expected to transform the metropolis' economy

Lu Jianxin, a real estate agent with Shanghai Huayu Property Ltd, has had some of his busiest business weeks in January since he joined the sector in 2002. Lu receives more than 50 phone calls every day asking him if he can find unoccupied retail properties near Shanghai Disney Resort, the long-anticipated multi-billion-dollar amusement project that is scheduled to open this summer (June).
Typically, Lu tells his callers they should have acted earlier. "Supplies of retail properties are really limited now and prices have more than doubled in the past 12 months. Obviously, investors believe that even a 10 square meter space for a noodle stand will be really profitable if it is close enough to Disneyland," said Lu.

It's not just business-minded people who are all excited about Shanghai Disney. Even 13-year-old Zhang Zihao in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, can't wait for Disney to open its gates. He has been saving his pocket money for a long time so he could visit Shanghai Disney Resort during the summer vacation.

"The admission ticket price is expected to be announced this week. I have saved 500 yuan ($75.92) so far for the ticket alone, and another 1,000 yuan for dining and accommodation, and another 500 yuan for merchandise like stuffed animals, stationery, T-shirts and gifts for friends. That's about 2,000 yuan in total."

The project has been under construction for more than six years now. Jun 16－that is, 6-16-2016－has been apparently chosen as the date of opening because the three 6s are believed to be auspicious, heralding success.

Real estate professionals believe any success of Shanghai Disney Resort would entail all-round benefits for the area. For example, visitors in huge numbers would likely spark a retail boom in Shanghai.

According to Centaline Property Agency, the average price of commercial properties within a 5 kilometer radius of Shanghai Disney Resort, including shops and restaurants, has grown more than 300 percent in the past five years.

What used to cost some 20,000 yuan per square meter in 2011 would now command a price of more than 60,000 yuan per square meter. Some properties are even priced more than 72,000 yuan per square meter, about 50 percent higher than that of other suburban areas in Shanghai.

The growth rate is among the highest for premier locations such as Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road and Lujiazui.

In comparison, the average price of residential properties in the same area doubled from 20,000 yuan per square meter to 40,000 yuan per square meter in the same period, similar to that of the city's average growth rate.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/img/attachement/jpg/site1/20160201/b083fe955a0f1818d73503.jpg
Two sales people introduce a housing project to a potential buyer at a Disney commercial property promotion event.CHINA DAILY

"Surging prices of commercial properties are a result of limited supply and great demand. We estimate that the prices may grow further but at a more steady pace in the second half of 2016, after the opening of the resort," said Joe Zhou, head of research for JLL East China.

Besides the Disney fever, another reason for the rocketing retail property prices is the expectation that foodfalls will be huge, exceeding 10 million visitors/trips in the first year, and reaching some 30 million in the years to come.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/img/attachement/png/site1/20160201/eca86bd9ddb41818df5a3c.png

Their annual combined consumption in one year during Disney visits and other locations in the city may exceed 45 billion yuan, according to a report by commercial property services firm RET.

When 70 million visitors visited the May 1-Oct 31 Expo 2010 Shanghai China, their combined consumption exceeded 48 billion yuan, according to data of the city's Statistics Bureau. Spending on dining alone was more than 2 billion yuan.

Property market people expect Shanghai Disney Resort's impact on the retail market to be stronger than that of the 2010 Expo for the simple reason that the resort project is a permanent one, and may attract visitors who wish to stay in the city for a longer time.

Lu Wenxi, manager of Centaline Property Agency, said it is estimated that for every 1 yuan spent on resort admission tickets, another 8 yuan will be spent on retail consumption such as dining, hotels, and franchised products.

"Just consider the more than 10,000 employees who work at Shanghai Disney and their day-to-day consumption in the neighborhood. The combined size is huge, and it will not only benefit the resort but the entire city," said Lu.

Urban infrastructure in the Shanghai Disney Resort area and its neighborhood will further facilitate visitors' traffic, dining, accommodation and shopping, making consumption touch-points more accessible, said analysts.

The metropolis administration has already planned the Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone or SITRZ, an international tourism stretch covering 20.6 square km, including 13 square km for hotels, restaurants, entertainment centers, parks and sports facilities, which will be linked by two subway lines that will reach the city center.

Hotel chains have been developing new properties around the Disney project, including budget hotel chains such as GreenTree Inn and Jinjiang Inns. As many as 1,000 bed-and-breakfast rooms may be available in villages that are close to the Disney resort when they pass the safety and other requirements to serve visitors demands, according to Pudong District authorities.

Department stores and outlets are also under development around the resort.

In 2014, retail outlet developers Value Retail and Shanghai Shendi Group, the operator of SITRZ, announced a joint venture to build luxury shopping compound next to the Shanghai Disney Resort covering 50,000 square meters, hosting more than 100 brands.

Siu Wing Chu, head of retail at Savills China, said key retail hubs in Shanghai, including the Yuyuan Garden, the Bund, Huaihai Road and Nanjing Road are all going through brand upgradation and renovations, to sport a new, cheery look.

"We have seen several franchised Disney product stores scattered around Shanghai, and we believe that visitors to Shanghai Disney will also go sight-seeing around the Bund, Nanjing Road and Yuyuan Garden area. We expect rentals to grow in these key locations," said Chu.

[GeneChing]

$56 USD might be the cheapest ticket in the world for a Disney one-day pass.


Disney Is Setting Prices at Its New Shanghai Park to Attract a Broad Market (http://skift.com/2016/02/03/disney-is-setting-prices-at-its-new-shanghai-park-to-attract-a-broad-market/)
Rachel Chang, Bloomberg - Feb 03, 2016 6:00 pm

http://skift.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/disneyshanghai.jpg
A plan of Shanghai Disney Resort. Walt Disney World Resorts


Skift Take
Disney says it is setting prices to manage expected demand at the new Shanghai park that opens in June. Fans of the resorts in Florida and California know the direction those prices tend to go over time: up.
— Hannah Sampson

Tickets for Walt Disney Co.’s $5.5 billion Shanghai park will be priced at about 20 percent cheaper than for Hong Kong, as the company aims to draw families across income levels to its first theme park in mainland China.

Daily regular tickets go on sale from March 28 and will be priced at 370 yuan ($56), compared with HK$539 ($69) for a one-day adult ticket to Hong Kong Disneyland, while those for children and the elderly will cost 280 yuan. It’ll also charge higher prices during peak periods such as weekends and public holidays, Disney said in a statement.

“Shanghai Disneyland’s two-tiered pricing and date-specific tickets will allow the park to manage the extraordinary anticipated demand,” Disney said Wednesday. The park, scheduled to open June 16, will limit the maximum number of guests and adhere to local capacity regulations, it said, without specifying the allowed numbers.

Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger has called the China resort Disney’s greatest opportunity since Walt Disney himself bought land in Central Florida in the 1960s. The company is counting on a pool of 330 million Chinese who live within a three-hour train or car trip of Shanghai to buy tickets.

Grand Opening

Tickets will be priced at 499 yuan during the park’s two- week grand opening from June 16 to June 30. Following that, the same price will apply to adult tickets during high-demand periods such as designated Chinese holidays and during summer holidays in July and August, said Disney. Hong Kong doesn’t charge peak period prices.

Similar to practices at its two other parks in Asia, Shanghai Disney’s discount for visitors aged 65 and older is a nod to ageing populations and extended family structures, which could see two sets of grandparents accompanying each child in the world’s largest populous nation. Seniors and children with height above 1 meter and up to 1.4 meter, will also get discounted peak period tickets.

The Shanghai park, Disney’s sixth worldwide, is estimated to attract 25 million visitors annually, less than about 31 million who visit Tokyo Disney Resort annually because of the lack of the “novelty premium” as the park is the third one in Asia, Deutsche Bank AG analysts Tallan Zhou and Karen Tang wrote in a Feb. 1 report.

Still Spending

At 963 acres, the Shanghai resort is three times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland and the company has been allotted enough land in the Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone to expand up to 2.5 times in the future.

It will open at a time when the world’s second-biggest economy is slowing, but Disney’s Iger said he’s still confident about betting on the Chinese consumer.

“We’re very bullish on China,” Iger said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in December. “We actually believe that the Chinese consumer is still spending. And the Chinese consumer represents, as far as we’re concerned, a great market for our company.”

—With assistance from Christopher Palmeri.

[GeneChing]

I didn't know ocean parks were such a cottage industry in China. Makes sense. What's more, Ocean Heaven (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55101-Ocean-Heaven) makes more sense.


China’s booming ocean parks mean misery for bears, belugas and more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-booming-ocean-parks-spell-misery-for-bears-belugas-dolphins/2016/02/09/f76d87b4-c5d9-11e5-b933-31c93021392a_story.html)
By Simon Denyer February 9

https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/02/05/Foreign/Images/IMG_19531454695814.jpg?uuid=ypTtbMwzEeW5qyZZEQS7GQ
Polar bears pace in enclosures at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Feb. 2, 2016. (Simon Denyer/The Washington Post)

ZHUHAI, China — The polar bears pace back and forth in their enclosure, heads lolling as they turn, their distress apparent. Chinese tourists crowd around display windows to snap quick close-ups on their phones.

Beluga whales nod in time to loud music, “kiss” children or spit plumes of water toward gasping crowds. A walrus blows a trumpet, seals catch Frisbees and dolphins propel their trainers through the water on their beaks.

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom here is the largest of China’s 39 ocean theme parks, the flagship of a booming industry that is capturing some of the world’s most magnificent and intelligent animals from the wild and keeping many of them in cramped, inadequate conditions.

Attendance has been dropping at some of the roughly 30 such ocean theme parks in the United States in the wake of reports about the welfare of sea mammals in captivity.

But in China, the industry cannot expand rapidly enough to satisfy the nation’s apparent hunger to watch animals perform. Sixteen parks are under construction, and Chimelong’s park in Zhuhai, close to Macao on China’s southern coast, recorded 80,000 visitors in a single day last year.

A new report by the China Cetacean Alliance (CCA), a coalition of international animal*-protection groups, says the parks house 491 cetaceans — a category of marine mammals — including 279 bottlenose dolphins, 114 belugas and nine orcas.

Most of those animals were caught in the waters of Russia, Japan and the Solomon Islands by methods that are “known to cause stress and fear in free*-ranging individuals,” the report said.

China’s ocean-theme-park industry is accused of catching hundreds of dolphins, belugas and other marine mammals from the wild and keeping them in unsuitable conditions. (Xu Jing/The Washington Post)
“Such captures also disrupt normal social groups,” it said, adding that for some species the disruption is “definitely contributing to population decline.” In captivity, the report said, many animals are probably living in conditions that are “inadequate to meet the complex physical and behavioral needs of cetaceans.”

Belugas, or white whales, are listed as “near threatened” under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty signed in 1973 to protect wildlife against overexploitation. Virtually all of the belugas in China are imported from Russia, where the population is falling, the CCA said, at a reported price of $125,000 to $240,000 each.

Intensely social animals, belugas can swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild and routinely dive 30 to 1,000 feet in arctic and subarctic waters. In captivity, they circle back and forth in shallow, featureless tanks and are taught to perform tricks that conflict with their natural behaviors.

Chinese media reported the first birth of a beluga in captivity here in 2014. The calf died within a month, the CCA said, citing park staff members who said the animal is believed to have died because the tank was too small to allow its mother to nurse it.

Chimelong has 18 belugas and 41 bottlenose dolphins, according to the CCA, and it has three polar bears on public display. Whale sharks swim in a giant aquarium beside the park’s fanciest restaurant, while outside, roller-coaster rides, carousels and parades of ocean-themed floats follow the formula popularized by SeaWorld in Florida, rendered with a dash of Disney and a Chinese twist.

Still, it is the only ocean theme park in China that provides public information about financial support for the conservation of cetaceans in their natural habitat.

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Visitors take photographs of beluga whales swimming in Grandview Mall Ocean World in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Feb. 1, 2016. (Simon Denyer/The Washington Post)

Little effective oversight
In a shopping mall in the southern city of Guangzhou, Grandview Mall Ocean World offers a lower-budget vision that still brings in crowds.

A lone white bear paces in a tiny enclosure; billed as a polar bear, it is most likely a cross between a brown bear and a polar bear, experts said. Five walrus calves swim in a small, dirty tank, and arctic wolves lie listlessly in a room, while six belugas peer through glass at tourists.

Neither Chimelong nor Guangzhou Mall Ocean World responded to requests for comment.

A report by the Humane Society of the United States and the World Society for the Protection of Animals argues that dolphins’ intelligence may match that of great apes and perhaps of human toddlers. Bottlenose dolphins show self-awareness — they can recognize themselves in a mirror — as well as linguistic complexity and are capable of abstract thought.

“The very traits that make dolphins easy to train and fascinating for audiences — their intelligence and self-awareness — arguably make confining them for entertainment purposes unethical,” it said.

Those criticisms apply to ocean theme parks in many other countries, including the United States, but concerns are particularly high in China because of the rapid expansion of the industry, the lack of effective government oversight and the absence of transparency.

“The situation in China is far worse regarding captive marine mammal welfare than in the United States,” said Naomi Rose, a marine-mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, part of the CCA. “China is at the stage the U.S. was 50 years ago.”

Missed opportunity
Awareness of animal-welfare issues is relatively low in China, yet it is growing among the young. Images of animals on display in the Guangzhou shopping mall have provoked outrage on social media, and a few of the tourists there on a recent day could be overheard expressing concern about the “skinny” and “pathetic”-looking animals.

At Chimelong, one young girl was overheard telling her mother that the polar bears looked angry. “They are just a little bit anxious,” her mother replied comfortingly.

Yet the reality may not be so comforting.

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A whale shark swims past the window of a restaurant at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai on Feb. 2, 2016. (Simon Denyer/The Washington Post)

In the arctic, some polar bears’ home ranges can be up to 50,000 square miles. The animals can smell a seal 35 miles away across the ice, run at 30 miles an hour to catch their prey and swim for hundreds of miles between ice floes. Confined in a glass and concrete box, pacing between pools of their own urine, the bears at Chimelong and the Guangzhou mall showed what experts call repetitive “stereotypic behaviors.”

“The stereotypes observed in the polar bears are likely to have developed out of stress and deprivation caused by the captive situation,” said Dave Neale, animal-welfare director at Animals Asia. “Prolonged periods of stress are likely to cause both physiological and psychological problems.”

China’s ocean theme parks are ideally placed to raise popular awareness about the threats to wild dolphins, whales and polar bears and to generate public pressure for better conservation efforts.

But the parks, the CCA report said, depict the animals as entertainers, impart little or no information to the public during shows, and are unlikely to leave visitors motivated to take action to preserve ocean and arctic habitats. For the animals, it is a missed opportunity of cruel proportions.

“It is very dismaying to see the expansion of ocean theme parks in China even as we are finally making incredible progress in the West,” Rose said.

Xu Jing contributed to this report.

[GeneChing]

How was it that he could even stand up in such a ride? Oh right...Chinese ride. :(


Horror at Chinese amusement park after a 'drunk man' fell off a Pirate Ship ride and was crushed to death by the machinery (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3452789/Horror-Chinese-amusement-park-drunk-man-fell-Pirate-Ship-ride-crushed-death-machinery.html?ITO=applenews)
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

19-year-old man fell from a swinging ship ride after standing up in Hebei
Onlookers say he fell under the workings of the machine and died instantly
Police have closed the ride and are investigating the incident further

By SOPHIE WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 08:03 EST, 19 February 2016 | UPDATED: 08:09 EST, 19 February 2016

A drunken teenager has been killed at a temple fair in northern China after he fell off a Pirate Ship ride and crushed to death by the machine.

The man was killed instantly on February 15 after he stood up on the ride, Huanqiu affiliated with the People's Daily Online reports.

The ride in Jiaguang Village, Hebei province, has been closed since and authorities are investigating the case further.

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Tragic: A 19-year-old died after falling from a moving Pirate Ship ride in northern China's Hebei province

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Horrifying: The man's body was dragged under the mechanical workings of the pirate swing ride

The victim has been identified as 19 years old with the surname of He.

According to eyewitnesses, he decided to stand up, losing his grip and falling out of the ride.

They also claimed the victim was very excited and was likely to be under the influence of alcohol.

He became entangled in the workings of the Pirate Ship and was dragged from underneath the machinery by workers.

Paramedics attended to the man but it was too late to save him, pronouncing him dead at the scene.

An investigation is now underway as to whether or not he had been intoxicated and if so why he was allowed on the ride.

Police are working to determine whether the man fell out of the machine or whether he jumped out of his own accord.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/18/13/3156C0AA00000578-3452789-image-a-24_1455802875650.jpg
Sad tale: Workers rushed to retrieve the man from under the ride however it was too late to save him

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/18/13/3156C8CB00000578-3452789-image-a-19_1455802486197.jpg
Accident at the fair: Police say they are investigating the cause of the incident which occurred on February 15

[GeneChing]

Disneyland Paris to Get Challenger Backed By Billionaire Chinese Businessman (https://skift.com/2016/02/28/disneyland-paris-to-get-challenger-backed-by-billionaire-chinese-businessman/)
Bloomberg - Feb 28, 2016 1:00 pm

https://skift.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/image-1-1280x853.jpeg
Image of EuropaCity from a promotional video. EuropaCity



We hope they’re thinking very long term, because right now there is no market to support another park in the region.
— Jason Clampet

A partnership led by by Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group Co. plans to invest more than $3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in a retail and leisure development project outside of Paris, taking on Walt Disney Co. in the euro area’s second-largest economy.

EuropaCity will be built 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) northeast of Paris. It will be the biggest single investment project in Europe to date, including a theme park, show stage, hotel, retail stores and conference centers, the company said in a statement. The project, which spans more than 80 hectares (198 acres), will also provide about 20,000 jobs during construction and 14,000 after it opens, according to the statement.

For Wanda, which runs theme parks across China, movie theater chains in the U.S. and a soccer club in Spain, the move represents a renewed overseas push, underscoring Wang’s increasingly global ambitions. The conglomerate agreed in January to buy “Godzilla” producer Legendary Entertainment for $3.5 billion, paving the way for the tycoon to become the first Chinese person to control a Hollywood film company.

France-based shopping center developer Immochan is overseeing the project. Immochan is an arm of Groupe Auchan, a family-owned supermarket operator.

Wang is also interested in potentially buying Amaury Sport Organisation, a company that runs cycling’s Tour de France race, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Wang, who vies with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. founder Jack Ma for the title of China’s richest person, has set his sights on beating Disney in the theme park business.

Disneyland Revenue

In January, he told executives that visitor arrivals and revenue at Wanda’s tourism projects in Wuxi and Guangzhou will beat those of Disneyland in Shanghai and Hong Kong, respectively, according to a transcript of the speech posted on the company’s website.

Europacity may add to challenges facing Disneyland Paris, which needed a bailout in 2014 to upgrade its facilities and reverse a slump in attendance.

Already this year, Wanda announced a $2.3 billion investment in three hospitals, the formation of a financial group and the signing a $10 billion development deal in India, in addition to the Legendary acquisition. Wanda has said it’s planning five major acquisitions in 2016 — three of them overseas.

Wang’s investments in Europe include the Club Atletico de Madrid soccer team and Swiss marketing firm Infront Sports & Media AG.

Wanda is seeking acquisitions to bolster growth as the group braces for falling sales from its main property business. That’s prompted Wang, estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to have a fortune exceeding $26 billion, to increasingly look toward expanding his entertainment business.

Wang’s film, tourism and sports operations all fall under Wanda’s fast-growing Cultural Industry Group, which saw revenue climb 46 percent last year and is forecast to climb 30 percent in 2016. By comparison, Wanda Group estimates overall sales rose 19 percent in 2015 and will probably decline 12 percent this year because of the slump in its property business.

–With assistance from Helene Fouquet, Mark Deen, Rachel Butt and Lulu Yilun Chen.

The Wanda Empire is mind boggling.

[GeneChing]

Okay, maybe a one-and-a-half-fer. The post above is copied off our Wanda & AMC thread.


Can Mickey make it big in Shanghai? (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/can-mickey-make-it-big-in-shanghai/2016/02/26/92f427f0-d508-11e5-b195-2e29a4e13425_story.html)

https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/02/26/Others/Images/2016-02-26/GettyImages-5056084801456502530.jpg?uuid=Tq22PNyiEeWCEPC9jekV9 g
The under-construction Cinderella Castle of the Shanghai Disney Resort is seen in the Pudong area of Shanghai on January 19, 2016. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)
By — Gerry Yemen, Elliott Weiss and Steve Maiden February 28

The big idea: Given the success of Walt Disney’s first two U.S. theme parks, the company sought to replicate its formula globally. Although there had been plenty of mistakes in its launches in Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, Disney ultimately adapted to local tastes. Would Disney’s secrets to its service operations work in Shanghai?

The scenario: Even for a company that was built on the creative risk-taking culture of Walt Disney, the plan to open Shanghai Disneyland this year, the first in mainland China, is an audacious bet. The sixth global Disney resort, its biggest, will occupy nearly 1,000 acres and will feature several themed lands, including Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove, Disney Town and the Enchanted Storybook Castle, which will also be the biggest and tallest Disney castle.

Disney and its investors are excited about Shanghai for good reason: demographics. The resort will be located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, the wealthiest of all of China’s districts. And 330 million people live within a three-hour drive of the resort site, compared with 19.6 million near Disney’s most profitable park, Walt Disney World in Orlando. Construction complications have delayed the opening. Cost overruns and alterations have increased the final price of the project. The Chinese economy has hit a rough patch since a stock market slump in summer 2015. Can the classic Disney theme park experience be delivered with the right cultural balance to appeal to its largely Chinese customers?

The resolution: Disney’s key challenges are to maintain its service levels while customizing the experience for Chinese visitors. Disney retains operational control of the park through 75 percent voting power within the management company that oversees it. Its imagineers — architects, engineers and others designing the park — are conducting their work in the Putonghua language, and all business at the park will be conducted in Mandarin and translated into English. Given the former one-child policy, accommodations will be made for the extended family members likely to travel together to the park.

Near the center of the park will be the Garden of the Twelve Friends, where Disney characters will be featured as the 12 animals of an enormous Chinese zodiac. At the center of a fountain will be a huge glass sculpture of a peony blossom, a symbol of good fortune and majesty. Some spires on the Enchanted Storybook Castle will be painted with lucky cloud patterns. And food will include such local fare as dim sum.

When Disney opened its world’s biggest store in Shanghai’s Lujiazui area in May 2015, a line snaked down the street for a mile, demonstrating the power of the brand.

The lesson: Disney’s purpose is to create a magical experience for customers. Disney Shanghai’s park operations will be based on quality service, be clean, be in good repair and the experience will be a Disney immersion. What remains to be seen is whether Disney understands Chinese cultural differences so that profitability will occur faster than in its other non-U.S. locations.

— Gerry Yemen, Elliott Weiss
and Steve Maiden

Yemen is a senior researcher, Weiss is a professor and Maiden is a case writer at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

[GeneChing]

Okay, maybe a one-and-a-half-fer. The post above is copied off our http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69324-Wanda-amp-AMC&p=1291475#post1291475. I've been into copying posts lately as many of the news items are cross topic.


Can Mickey make it big in Shanghai? (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/can-mickey-make-it-big-in-shanghai/2016/02/26/92f427f0-d508-11e5-b195-2e29a4e13425_story.html)

https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_1484w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/02/26/Others/Images/2016-02-26/GettyImages-5056084801456502530.jpg?uuid=Tq22PNyiEeWCEPC9jekV9 g
The under-construction Cinderella Castle of the Shanghai Disney Resort is seen in the Pudong area of Shanghai on January 19, 2016. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)
By — Gerry Yemen, Elliott Weiss and Steve Maiden February 28

The big idea: Given the success of Walt Disney’s first two U.S. theme parks, the company sought to replicate its formula globally. Although there had been plenty of mistakes in its launches in Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, Disney ultimately adapted to local tastes. Would Disney’s secrets to its service operations work in Shanghai?

The scenario: Even for a company that was built on the creative risk-taking culture of Walt Disney, the plan to open Shanghai Disneyland this year, the first in mainland China, is an audacious bet. The sixth global Disney resort, its biggest, will occupy nearly 1,000 acres and will feature several themed lands, including Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove, Disney Town and the Enchanted Storybook Castle, which will also be the biggest and tallest Disney castle.

Disney and its investors are excited about Shanghai for good reason: demographics. The resort will be located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, the wealthiest of all of China’s districts. And 330 million people live within a three-hour drive of the resort site, compared with 19.6 million near Disney’s most profitable park, Walt Disney World in Orlando. Construction complications have delayed the opening. Cost overruns and alterations have increased the final price of the project. The Chinese economy has hit a rough patch since a stock market slump in summer 2015. Can the classic Disney theme park experience be delivered with the right cultural balance to appeal to its largely Chinese customers?

The resolution: Disney’s key challenges are to maintain its service levels while customizing the experience for Chinese visitors. Disney retains operational control of the park through 75 percent voting power within the management company that oversees it. Its imagineers — architects, engineers and others designing the park — are conducting their work in the Putonghua language, and all business at the park will be conducted in Mandarin and translated into English. Given the former one-child policy, accommodations will be made for the extended family members likely to travel together to the park.

Near the center of the park will be the Garden of the Twelve Friends, where Disney characters will be featured as the 12 animals of an enormous Chinese zodiac. At the center of a fountain will be a huge glass sculpture of a peony blossom, a symbol of good fortune and majesty. Some spires on the Enchanted Storybook Castle will be painted with lucky cloud patterns. And food will include such local fare as dim sum.

When Disney opened its world’s biggest store in Shanghai’s Lujiazui area in May 2015, a line snaked down the street for a mile, demonstrating the power of the brand.

The lesson: Disney’s purpose is to create a magical experience for customers. Disney Shanghai’s park operations will be based on quality service, be clean, be in good repair and the experience will be a Disney immersion. What remains to be seen is whether Disney understands Chinese cultural differences so that profitability will occur faster than in its other non-U.S. locations.

— Gerry Yemen, Elliott Weiss
and Steve Maiden

Yemen is a senior researcher, Weiss is a professor and Maiden is a case writer at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

[GeneChing]

Disneyland parks ‘make children pursue Western culture,’ says CPPCC delegate (https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/03/03/disneyland-makes-children-pursue-western-culture-says-cppcc-delegate/)
3 March 2016 15:47 Eric Cheung 2 min read
A delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has opposed setting up more Disneyland theme parks in China, for fears that they might make Chinese people less fond of Chinese culture.

“Since children will pursue Western culture when they are young, they will like Western culture when they grow up. Hence, they will become uninterested in Chinese culture,” Li Xiusong, a delegate from Anhui province to the CPPCC told China Youth Daily on Wednesday.

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Delegate to the CPPCC Li Xiusong. Photo: china.com.cn.

“If China’s cultural products do not appear attractive to the children, over time, this may affect China’s cultural heritage,” Li added.

He also suggested that China should establish its own “Chinese Disneyland” with its own classical stories. For instance, he believed that elements of “Journey to the West” – one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature – could be integrated to create an adventurous theme park for children.

https://www.hongkongfp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Journey_to_the_West_at_Long_Corridor-768x380.jpg
A depiction of a scene in the book Journey to the West. Photo: WikiCommons.

Shanghai Disneyland is set to open on June 16, 2016. The resort, which is owned by both Walt Disney and the Shanghai government, was approved by the Chinese government in 2009.

https://www.hongkongfp.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/W0201303075608181529441.jpg
A rendering of Shanghai Disneyland. Photo: ce.cn.

Hong Kong also has a Disneyland, which opened its doors in 2005. However, after a decade-long run the amusement park has slipped into a loss. In February, the theme park reported a loss of HK$148 million last year, citing a drop in tourist numbers.

There already are Journey to the West theme parks. They just aren't as good. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

MARCH 5, 2016 11:17 AM
Officials: $100M Chinese cultural center planned for beach (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article64217847.html)
The Associated Press

Chinese investors are eyeing Myrtle Beach for a $100 million cultural center similar to Disney's Epcot Center in Florida.

Horry County Council Chairman Mark Lazarus and Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes told local media outlets Friday that investors will be coming to the area next month to settle on a site for the project.

Three locations are being considered, architects are already drawing up plans and the complex could open as soon as the fall of 2017.

Initial plans call for a building shaped like a lantern as well as restaurants and shows with Chinese entertainers. There are also plans for classes on cooking, paper cutting, and calligraphy.

The investors hope to attract both domestic and Chinese visitors. Myrtle Beach is the center of South Carolina's $19 billion tourism industry.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article64217847.html#storylink=cpy

A future Splendid China (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57972-Splendid-China-Ghost-town-of-an-Amusement-Park) maybe? :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland really hits home on this forum in terms of my original intention with this thread. :cool:

See any Hidden Mickeys? ;)


Look: A Sneak Peek at Shanghai Disneyland (https://thenanfang.com/100-day-countdown-to-opening-of-shanghai-disneyland-begins/)

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With just 100 days to go until the official opening on June 16, Shanghai Disneyland has unveiled a countdown clock on its own website as well as new photos of some of the park’s main attractions.

An actual island has been built for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction for the Treasure Cove area, while the lightcycles from Tron have been turned into a roller coaster in Tomorrowland.

Disney’s plans to design Shanghai Disney with “distinct Chinese characteristics” has become also more clear. One of the park’s attractions is the “Garden of the Twelve Friends” in which the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac have been embodied by 12 animal characters from various Disney franchises. For example, the Year of the Rat is personified by Remy from Ratatouille, the Year of the Pig is represented by Hamm from Toy Story, and the Year of the Tiger has Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.

Chinese elements can be seen elsewhere in the park’s design, such as putting Toy Story characters Woody and Jessie on traditional Chinese paper kites, originally from Shandong.

In addition to having the world’s tallest Storybook Castle, Shanghai Disneyland will also feature the world premiere of the Mandarin-language version of The Lion King.

Meanwhile, at the same time anticipation for the new Disneyland in Shanghai continues to build, revenues at China’s other Disneyland, in Hong Kong, continue to fall. A report last month showed revenue for Hong Kong Disneyland fell by HK$148 million ($19 million) for the 2015 fiscal year ending October. At the same time, last year marked a 9.3 percent decrease in visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland, while the numbers of mainland visitors dropped by 23 percent.

Calls for Hong Kong Disneyland to expand with a “second theme park” have been raised as a way to stay competitive with the new Shanghai Disneyland. Other suggestions include having the park adopt Mandarin as a way to make mainland visitors feel more at home.

But while its peers seem to be losing momentum, Shanghai Disneyland is picking up steam with so much force it is resulting in changes to other sectors. After last year’s crackdown on Disney-related copyright infringement, Shanghai has decided to continue to further reform of intellectual property rights protection to such an extent that it hopes to become an IP hub for the Asia-Pacific region.

Tickets for Shanghai Disneyland go on sale March 28.

Charles Liu
The Nanfang's Senior Editor

[GeneChing]

This post got me thinking - we need a Dim Sum thread. ;)


Disney Dim Sum is everything you thought it would look like (http://disneyexaminer.com/2016/03/23/disney-dim-sum-is-everything-you-thought-it-would-look-like/)
They can only be found at Hong Kong Disneyland and must be ordered two days in advance
BY JORDAN POBLETEIN WALT DISNEY PARKS AND RESORTS — 23 MAR, 2016
Dim Sum is to China as hot dogs are to America. They are a cultural delicacy consisting of small steamed or fried savory dumpling wrapper containing various savory fillings.

http://i0.wp.com/disneyexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/dim-sum-buffet.jpg?resize=768%2C512
Various choices of Dim Sum

So when you add Disney to Dim Sum, you probably have something incredibly edible as much as magical.

http://i2.wp.com/disneyexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-3.32.40-PM-1.png?resize=768%2C769
Various Disney Dim Sum (Photo courtesy Joseph Pimentel at the OC Register)

Every order features your choice of incredibly detailed Dim Sum crafted to look like some familiar Disney characters like the Little Green Men from Toy Story, Baymax from Big Hero 6, and of course Mickey Mouse.

While they look cute, they aren’t that filling according to our friend Joseph Pimentel from the OC Register who took a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.

They do make great food art for your Instagramming pleasure. They can only be found at the Crystal Lotus restaurant inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. They are so popular that you must pre-order them two days before your visit and cost $8 to $12 (US) per order of two to four pieces.

— Jordan Poblete
DisneyExaminer Founder + Brand & Content Strategist. Walt inspired Disneyland, Disneyland inspired DisneyExaminer. Catch me at Disneyland. Reach me at jordan@disneyexaminer.com or on Twitter @jordiepoblete

[GeneChing]

Ferrari to Open Theme Park in China (http://brandinginasia.com/ferrari-theme-park-china/)
By Bobby McGill - Mar 26, 2016

http://brandinginasia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Ferrari-Theme-Park-696x403.jpg
Ferrari Theme Park Abu Dhabi

Ferrari, the world-renowned Italian luxury maker, has inked a non-binding agreement with China for the licensing, designing, constructing and operating of a new theme park on the mainland.

The details are scant but a statement from the company’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy, said Ferrari had signed the agreement with China’s Beijing Automotive Group Co and BAIC Eternaland Property Co for licensing of a Ferrari theme park in one of the “primary cities” in China.

The project would be Ferrari’s third themed park, following one already opened in Abu Dhabi and another due to open up next year in Spain.

The park in Abu Dhabi, which features rides for children and adults, was named the Middle East’s leading tourist attraction in the World Travel Awards in 2015.

I didn't know these existed. I imagine the roller-coasters kick ass.

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland Opening Day Tickets Sold Out Online in Hours (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-28/shanghai-disneyland-opening-day-tickets-sold-out-online-in-hours)
Rachel Chang
March 27, 2016 — 11:07 PM PDT

Disney Resort hotels fully-booked first two weeks of opening
Park tickets are a fifth cheaper than Hong Kong Disneyland

Tickets for the June 16 opening day of Walt Disney Co.’s new theme park in Shanghai were sold out on its official ticketing website hours after going on sale at midnight on Monday.
Tickets from June 17 to Sept. 30 are still available, ranging in price from 370 yuan ($57) for non-peak periods, to 499 yuan for peak periods, which include the park’s first two weeks, all weekends, and the summer months of July and August.
The 963-acre park, Disney’s sixth worldwide, is three times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland, with non-peak tickets costing about 20 percent less. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger has called the China resort Disney’s greatest opportunity since Walt Disney himself bought land in central Florida in the 1960s. The company plans to court 330 million Chinese who live within a three-hour train or car trip of Shanghai.
"Relying on the large desire for family-style entertainment and the rising purchasing power of Chinese consumers, Shanghai Disneyland is likely to set off massive consumer demand," Chang Jiang Securities Co. analyst Li Jin wrote in a note released Monday.
The resort’s revenue is likely to range from 24 billion to 40 billion yuan a year, with up to to 50 million visitors expected annually, according to Li.

Shares Gain
Shares of Disney-related companies gained in Shanghai trading today as ticket sales began. Shanghai Construction Group Co., which won a bid for Shanghai Disney park’s site formation project, advanced by as much as the 10 percent daily limit, as did Shanghai Jielong Industry Group Corp.
Hotel rooms at Shanghai Disney Resort were also quickly snapped up.
As of noon on Monday, rooms were fully-booked at the resort’s two on-site hotels, the Toy Story Hotel and the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, for the first two weeks of the resort’s opening, according to the booking website.
Rooms at the Toy Story Hotel start at 850 yuan while rooms at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort Hotel are priced at about 2000 yuan.
Shanghai Disney Resort’s ticketing website requires buyers to register their ID numbers upon purchase to prevent ticket scalping. Walt Disney representatives did not reply to e-mailed questions and phone calls seeking comment.

I suppose we could have predicted this if any of us bother to make such predictions. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

"We should scrub our Egypt vacation and go to Shijiazhuang instead" said no tourist ever. :rolleyes:


The Great Sphinx of Shijiazhuang gets beheaded following complaints from Egypt (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/04/04/sphinx_gone.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone14.jpg

The Great Sphinx of Giza has stood for more than 4,500 years; it's counterpart in Shijiazhuang only made it three.
The copy-Sphinx first suddenly appeared in a field outside of Shijiazhuang city, Hebei province in May 2014. It was built by a movie production company in a locale that would also come to host replicas of the Temple of Heaven and Louvre Pyramid (all for just 10 RMB!)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/great_sphinx_tickets.jpg

However, it turned out that Egypt wasn't a fan of the life-sized homage to one of its signature national treasures. The Egyptian Ministry of State Antiquities quickly filed a complaint with UNESCO, arguing that the 30-meter-high and 60-meter-long replica was not only inaccurate (being made of steel bars and cement), but it would also have a negative effect on Egypt's tourism industry.
Well, it may have taken three years, but the shanzhai Sphinx has finally been ripped down, though the movie studio has not revealed exactly why.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone15.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone6.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone7.jpg

Just like Mega Mao, it seems that nothing so beautiful can ever last on this cruel Earth for long.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone10.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone9.jpg

"You're next."

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/sphinx_gone11.jpg

Now, if Chinese tourists want to go see the Sphinx, they will have to travel all the way to Anhui.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/katienelson/sphinx-anhuimain.jpg

[Images via Sina]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Alex Linder in News on Apr 4, 2016 2:30 PM

[GeneChing]

In full bloom! Breath-taking aerial pictures capture the geometric perfection of the flower fields at a new Chinese theme park (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3533666/In-bloom-Breath-taking-aerial-pictures-capture-geometric-perfection-flower-fields-new-Chinese-theme-park.html?ITO=applenews)

The Marco Polo Flower World in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, will open to the public on April 16
Workers at the attraction have been preparing for the park's opening for months installing giant flower beds
The 800-acre flower park also features themed lands and a 5-D ride informing visitors about Marco Polo

By SOPHIE WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:24 EST, 11 April 2016 | UPDATED: 08:47 EST, 11 April 2016

Beautiful images have emerged online displaying flower fields in intricate colourful designs in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu province.

The fields are part of Marco Polo Flower World which is an attraction which is expected to open on April 16, the People's Daily Online reports.

Workers have been preparing for months, installing giant flower beds at the attraction.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/11/11/330E537500000578-3533666-image-a-12_1460370198302.jpg
Working hard to get the flowers blooming: Horticulturists have been working for months to ensure the flowers look their best

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/11/11/330E79B400000578-3533666-image-a-8_1460369103518.jpg
Colourful pattetrns: A spokesman from the Marco Polo Flower World told reporters that the theme this year is flowers and culture

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/11/11/330E541B00000578-3533666-image-a-3_1460369063843.jpg
Big amounts of cash: The Marco Polo scenic area is around 800 acres in size with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan (£130.4 million)

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/11/11/330E52A900000578-3533666-image-a-9_1460369112539.jpg
Informative and fun: The park also houses a 5D ride attraction where visitors are given an insight into the history of explorer Marco Polo

A spokesman from the Marco Polo Flower World told reporters from Yangzhou Evening News that the theme this year is flowers and culture.

According to the report, the flowers were meant to be in bloom last September to celebrate the 2,500 anniversary of the founding of Yangzhou City however apparently they weren't at their best.

However this year, horticulturists have been working for months to ensure the perfect bloom.

The scenic area is around 800 acres in size with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan (£130.4 million).

There will be seven themed lands with many playgrounds for children at the park.

Also on offer is a 5-D ride in which visitors can experience the story of Marco Polo.

China has a number of theme parks with flowers being one of the main attractions.

In March this year, a number of tulip themed parks opened to the public with visitors flocking to take a selfie with the colourful flowers.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/11/11/330E53B300000578-3533666-image-a-17_1460370223848.jpg
Fun and adventure in China's Jiangsu province: The fields are part of an attraction which is set to open on April 16

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/11/12/330E52A800000578-3533666-image-a-9_1460375954866.jpg
A grand day out: There will be seven themed lands with many playgrounds available for children when they get a bit bored

Having seen China's massive floral displays first hand, I will attest to the fact that China does this sort of thing extraordinarily well.

[GeneChing]

Because what China needs from a U.S. franchise is more job opportunities.


Now Hiring: 10,000 Chinese to Create Some Magic at Shanghai Disney (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-11/now-hiring-10-000-chinese-to-create-some-magic-at-shanghai-disney?bcomANews=true)
Rachel Chang April 11, 2016 — 3:10 PM PDT

Zhou Jian, a 26-year-old folk dancer, dreams of a stage career, and he believes the Magic Kingdom can help him get there.
Zhou recently made the 14-hour journey by train from Shanxi, China, to attend a jobs fair in Shanghai, where he hopes to land work at Walt Disney Co.’s 963-acre, $5.5 billion resort set to open June 16. He covets a role in the “Lion King” musical production that will be performed in Mandarin for the first time.
“I want to be famous before 30 years old,” he said. “I’ve performed on big and small stages for several years and haven’t made much progress. Disney is a world-famous brand. I thought it would be a very good stage for me.”
Disney has been using brand cachet to its advantage during a four-year recruiting drive to staff up at Shanghai Disneyland. It’s the company’s sixth park worldwide, and Chief Executive Robert Iger called it the company’s greatest business opportunity since founder Walt Disney bought land in central Florida in the 1960s.

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/i2HSJ5vvSoU8/v1/-1x-1.jpg
Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. Photographer: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images

It’s also a massive management challenge: Iger said last year the park would employ about 10,000 workers in an economy where rapid-fire turnover and uneven customer service can be challenges for multinational corporations.
Standards ‘Gap’
“The focus on customer service is very important for Disney, but there is still a huge gap between their standard and normal Chinese standards,” said Sara Wong, Kelly Services’ Hong Kong director of recruitment process outsourcing. “They are not hiring 10 people, they are hiring 10,000.”
Disney recruited heavily from the Chinese hospitality, retail and food and beverage industries and then trained its new hires to run a park with myriad attractions, musical acts and all manner of retail outlets.
“The theme-park industry is relatively small, so there are limited resources available,” said Chris Yoshii, vice president for economics in the Asia-Pacific region for the industry consultancy Aecom. “I don’t know of any universities that offer theme-park operations programs.”
There currently are about 8,000 workers at the Shanghai park, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Hiring for park and hotel operations, food and beverage outlets and merchandise sales started in October, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.
‘Busted Bulbs’
Burbank, California-based Disney said in an e-mail its pay is on par with the local market and reflects the worker's role.
Disney will be aiming to set a new high bar for service in China, where local parks’ standards of cleanliness, maintenance and customer service are generally lower than international operators’, said Yoshii, who’s based in Hong Kong. Disney opened a Hong Kong park in 2005, yet it’s less than a third the size of the Shanghai project and in a city where the workforce is more internationalized.

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/i0UFXGZ0c2Bw/v1/-1x-1.jpg
Applicants wait in line at a job fair for a chance to work at the Shanghai Disney Resort on March 2. Photographer: Imaginechina

“It’s common to see a lack of upkeep, like peeling, faded paint and busted light bulbs,” Yoshii said of Chinese theme parks. “There’s also a lack of engagement by staff with visitors, as opposed to the norm in Disneyland, where staff proactively greet and help people and are even expected to break into song and do impromptu performances.”
Companies typically screen seven applicants for every job, recruiting agencies said -- meaning Disney sorted through about 70,000 applications for Shanghai.
Orlando Training
Back in 2012, Disney focused on filling 100 openings for highly skilled specialists in engineering, design and other fields to assist with construction. Two years later, Disney recruiters kicked off a campus roadshow to Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui and Henan to target talented students for management.
About 200 went on a two-month internship at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, training alongside Americans. They were all offered jobs with the Shanghai park after the internship.
Later that year, Disney began recruiting 1,000 performers from art schools and performing troupes as singers, dancers and musicians. During the University of Southern California’s global conference in Shanghai in October, Iger said he met with 1,000 Shanghai recruits who went to Florida.
“I detected not only a great enthusiasm and curiosity, but a real love of Disney, and that made me feel great,” he said.
Job Fairs
Disney organized job fairs to hire thousands of waiters, cooks, cleaners and costumed street performers. And the company cast a wide net, regardless of past experience, in hiring, Wong said.
“They had no limitations on experience or background, even people coming from a factory would be considered,” she said. “What they wanted was the attitude: the friendly, open quality that would fit into their culture.”
Disney also is using training, benefits and perks (including free passes) as lures rather than base compensation, which from a multinational company is likely to be lower than Chinese state-owned companies, said Kimberly Hubble, executive general manager for recruitment process outsourcing in Asia at Sydney-based Hudson.
Those who have accepted job offers cite an 8,000 yuan ($1,237) monthly salary for an entry-level job.
“Disney would give me some security in life” because it provides health and workplace injury insurance, a housing allowance and a one-month bonus, Zhou said. “And there are lots of different types of jobs at Disney. If I don’t want to dance in the future, I could change to another role.”
Competition Coming
Disney should be prepared for turnover rates of between 30 percent to 40 percent, recruitment agencies said. Neither the benefits nor the brand would retain ambitious workers seeking better pay packages, said Y.C Tong, vice-president of talent acquisition at China RPO group in Hong Kong.

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/iCiZFy6Jnxl8/v1/-1x-1.jpg
A staff member stands next to visitors at the unveiling of six themed parks of Shanghai Disney Resort in July 2015. Photographer: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images

“Good quality people, once they work for an organization like Disney and gain experience, have a tendency to leave,” he said. “Moving from one job to another is how they increase their compensation at a very fast pace.”
Also, Shanghai Disney will face greater competition from local rivals. Industry consultancy Aecom estimated that 59 new theme parks will open by 2020, serving an estimated 220 million park-goers. That’s roughly the size of the entire U.S. market right now.
The Shanghai region looks set to become the Orlando of China, with five mega-projects to open there, Aecom said. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc has a $2.4 billion DreamCenter scheduled for 2017; Haichang Ocean Park Holdings will open China’s largest marine park that year; and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. will open its first park outside North America in 2019.
Zhou, meanwhile, returned home to Shandong and is waiting to find out whether his ticket into the Magic Kingdom has been punched. He got a callback after his initial interview.
With Shanghai Disney set to open in less than three months, Zhou knows his chances are slim, but he’s hopeful. His strategy now? “Keeping busy and waiting to hear from Disney.”

More to come on this in a moment...;)

[GeneChing]

A timely scam for sure.


Shanghai police uncover Disney recruitment scam (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-04/14/content_24545945.htm)
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2016-04-14 17:33

SHANGHAI - Shanghai police have busted a gang they accuse of having used fraudulent job ads for Shanghai Disneyland to con 3 million yuan ($463,000) in broker's fees from more than 200 applicants.

Police announced the arrest of three suspected gang leaders on Thursday, two months away from the opening of Disney's first theme park on the Chinese mainland.

A taxi driver surnamed Li was the first to report the scam to police. He said he quit his taxi business after the Disney job offer, for which he paid 13,000 yuan to the broker.

However, the management position that was offered by the brokerage turned out to be a cleaning job.

According to police, one of the suspects confessed that he pretended to be a senior Disney executive to recruit staff.

The June opening of the Disney park in Shanghai has triggered a sales rush after tickets became available in March. Park passes for the resort's opening day were snapped up in minutes.

[GeneChing]

Remember Samadhi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks&p=1283631#post1283631)? Here's more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd2GqA0blTo

[GeneChing]

And why isn't it Peking Donald Duck pizza? :p


Mickey Mouse Mooncakes And Pork Knuckles, Minnie Mouse Red Bean Buns And Peking Duck Pizza: Shanghai Disneyland Seeks To Please Chinese Diners (http://www.ibtimes.com/mickey-mouse-mooncakes-pork-knuckles-minnie-mouse-red-bean-buns-peking-duck-pizza-2357191)
BY DUNCAN HEWITT @DHEWITTCHINA ON 04/21/16 AT 7:39 AM

http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/lg/public/2016/04/21/gettyimages-517953628.jpg
Fireworks explode over Shanghai Disneyland park on March 28, 2016, in Shanghai, China.
PHOTO: VCG/GETTY IMAGES

SHANGHAI -- As Shanghai Disneyland — the Walt Disney Company’s first theme park in mainland China — prepares for its opening in June, the company has unveiled a menu designed to cater to local tastes, in an apparent effort to avoid the cultural faux pas that have left diners feeling dissatisfied at some other foreign attractions in China.

The resort’s food and beverage director Paul Chandler Wednesday invited Chinese media to see a display of the dishes that will be available in some of the resort’s restaurants, which he said were designed to "respect the Chinese traditional diet."

According to Chinese media reports, the resort’s “Shanghai menu” would feature such delicacies as Mickey Mouse mooncakes (stuffed with meat), Mickey braised pork knuckle, Minnie Mouse Red Bean Buns, and Mickey Peking duck pizza.

Many items would be served on Disney-themed dishes, while in some cases, the food itself would be cut in the shape of the cartoon rodents’ distinctive silhouettes, as in the case of the pizza, and the pork knuckle, which would be served on a bed of Shanghai cabbage. Beijing-style stewed lamb, meanwhile, would be accompanied by Mickey-shaped carrots.

And with Disney predicting that the resort will attract visitors from all over China, Chandler said it would feature all of China’s eight major regional cuisines, including Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong and Cantonese. To this end, it has hired chefs from around China, some of whom would demonstrate their skills in front of visitors, a feature that would, according to the resort’s “Guiding Principles,” ensure “a holistic guest sensory dining experience.”

Western food will also be available in a number of restaurants when the resort opens on June 16 — and other dishes include the not-so-Chinese Donald Duck waffle. But the resort is clearly keen to avoid the complaints that have sometimes plagued foreign-invested attractions in China that there is not sufficient Chinese food on offer to cater to local tastes.

IKEA’s China stores, for example, now sell a selection of Chinese dishes with rice, as well as Swedish meatballs, while KFC has launched a range of localized dishes under the slogan “Changing for China," including “Old Beijing chicken wraps” and hot and sour soup. McDonald's has also introduced a number of dishes featuring chicken, which many Chinese diners prefer to beef.

Disney has also emphasized that the resort will include other “distinctively Chinese” elements. Its "Enchanted Storybook Castle" -- the largest of those in any of its parks -- is dedicated to all Disney princesses, including Mulan, the eponymous heroine of the film about a female warrior based on a traditional Chinese story. There will also be an area dedicated to the Chinese Zodiac, with each of the twelve traditional animal symbols represented by a cartoon character, as well as a Wandering Moon Teahouse, inspired by Chinese “wandering poets," and a Fantasia Carousel designed by Chinese artists, the company has said.

The resort's East-meets-West fusion will include plenty of other elements, including a "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed Treasure Cove, a Tron lightcycle rollercoaster, a "Toy Story" hotel, and a theater with performances of the "Lion King" in Chinese. But its local flavor has been emphasized by Disney’s recent naming of three Chinese celebrities — ex-NBA star Yao Ming, pianist Lang Lang and actress Sun Li — as honorary ambassadors.

The Walt Disney Company has bet big on success in the Chinese market, with its 43 percent in the $5.4 billion resort, a joint venture with a Shanghai government-backed group, reported to be its largest overseas investment. And despite delays in construction and opening, there have been signs of enthusiasm among China’s cartoon loving youth — as demonstrated by the recent success of Disney movies like "Zootopia" (though the Chinese army newspaper criticized it for distorted values ) — and the "Jungle Book."

The Shanghai Disney Resort’s website briefly crashed due to demand when tickets went on sale late last month, while its hotels are reportedly fully booked for the opening two weeks. Scalpers have been offering tickets for opening day for up to $600, compared to the official price of around 500 yuan (some $77) according to Chinese media.

Some experts say it could attract 11.5 million visitors in first year, and as many as three times this figure annually in the longer term, with annual revenue estimated at between 24 billion yuan ($3.7 billion) and 40 billion yuan (around $6.2 billion) a year.

However, it could well hit Hong Kong Disneyland, which made a loss last year for the first time since 2011, as visits by mainland Chinese citizens fell.

[GeneChing]

Anyone know how they say "Michael Jackson" in Chinese?


Michael Jackson's bro wants to set up a Neverland-style theme park in Shanghai (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/04/22/shanghai_neverland.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/michael_jackson_neverland.jpg

If the excitement of the impending opening of Shanghai Disneyland is already almost too much for you. Prepare yourself, because we might be getting a Michael Jackson amusement park too.
Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine (the one with the flat-top) was in Shanghai recently and he definitely wants to be startin' somethin', looking at sites for a potential Neverland-style amusement park.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/jermaine_jackson.jpg

Considering Michael Jackson's incredible fame in China, this park could actually be a success, unlike the original one in Los Angeles, which was put up for auction on Taobao last year for 500 million yuan, receiving no interest.
However, they will sadly not be able to use the name "Oriental Neverland," because that was recently snatched up by an awesome-looking theme park in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province.
Jermaine Jackson apparently has some other projects to occupy his time while he's here, he is looking for a Chinese publisher for his Michael memoir, he's trying to discover young talent in Shanghai for his family's Hollywood studio and he even has been named musical director for the forthcoming film "Jews' Stories in Shanghai," CRI reports.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/jermaine_jackson2.png

[Images via Sohu]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Alex Linder in News on Apr 22, 2016 3:40 PM

[GeneChing]

The Disney dump: New $5.5billion Shanghai theme park is trashed by visitors dumping rubbish, trampling flowers and letting children urinate in public (and it's not even open yet) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3572803/Disney-resort-Shanghai-vandalised-badly-behaved-tourists.html?ITO=applenews)

Crowds gather daily at the theme park, which doesn't open until June 16
Visitors were condemned after photos showed 'uncivilised' behaviour
One image showed a woman allowing a child to urinate in a flower bed
Others showed a vandalised lamp post and rubbish all over the ground

By CHRIS KITCHING FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 05:34 EST, 4 May 2016 | UPDATED: 10:52 EST, 6 May 2016

Badly-behaved tourists have already left their mark at Disney’s new $5.5bn (£3.8bn) theme park in Shanghai, even though it doesn’t officially open for another six weeks.
Visitors have trampled plants, picked flowers, carved graffiti into freshly-painted lamp posts and left bags of rubbish on the grounds.
One woman was photographed allowing a child to urinate in a flower bed in full view of other visitors, who travelled to the park just to hang out around its locked gates and peer into buildings that aren’t open yet.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D3179700000578-3572803-image-m-3_1462356818694.jpg
One photo posted on social media shows a Disney Shanghai visitor allowing a young girl to urinate in public

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D317DC00000578-3572803-image-a-4_1462356956378.jpg
Visitors were condemned on social media after rubbish was strewn over the grounds at the weekend

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D3177E00000578-3572803-image-a-5_1462356963089.jpg
Photos posted on the social-networking website Weibo show rubbish on the floor of a bathroom

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D317AF00000578-3572803-image-m-45_1462357319176.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D317A200000578-3572803-image-a-46_1462357330879.jpg
With hundreds or even thousands of eager visitors arriving daily, flowers and plants have been trampled

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D31B0A00000578-3572803-Disney_Shanghai_Resort_doesn_t_open_for_another_si x_weeks_but_th-m-15_1462357825644.jpg
Disney Shanghai Resort doesn't open for another six weeks but that hasn't deterred people from showing up

Visitors were condemned and called 'uncivilised' after the photos were taken on Sunday, the public May Day (Labour Day) holiday in China, and circulated on the social-networking website Weibo.
Signs warning visitors to stay on concrete paths were knocked over, as the trampled grounds suffered the worst damage.
So many people are visiting the unopened park that staff have been forced to set up fences in front of a village garden outside the gates, the South China Morning Post reported.
Groups of 20 are allowed to take photos for up to three minutes before they are told to move on.
MailOnline Travel has contacted a Disney spokesperson for contact.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D3178E00000578-3572803-image-a-48_1462357415121.jpg
Someone carved graffiti into a freshly-painted lamp post to notify others that he 'was here'

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/11/33D317C300000578-3572803-image-a-47_1462357411326.jpg
Every day, large crowds hang around outside the locked gates and restaurants that won't open for weeks

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/10/339BBCA000000578-3572803-image-a-2_1462353212965.jpg
A crowd gathered at Shanghai Disneyland Resort's locked gates after a metro station opened last month

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/10/339DD6BD00000578-3572803-image-a-1_1462353179831.jpg
A visitor wearing a Mickey Mouse glove poses for a photo in front of a building that won't open until mid-June
Even though it won’t open until June 16, Disney’s first theme park in mainland China has already become a top attraction, with crowds gathering almost daily on its grounds following the opening of a nearby metro station last month.
A massive crowd is expected to descend on the 963-acre park when it opens in around a month.
With a giant castle as the centrepiece, the resort includes Shanghai Disneyland, two hotels, shops, restaurants, a theatre and a man-made lake.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3E7D00000578-3572803-Shanghai_Disneyland_can_be_seen_in_the_final_stage s_of_construct-a-79_1462360578140.jpg
The Enchanted Storybook Castle is the tallest, largest and most complex Disney castle ever built

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/10/339D3DF000000578-3572803-image-a-9_1462353313318.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/10/339D3DF800000578-3572803-image-a-8_1462353309901.jpg
There are two hotels at the resort, the Toy Story Hotel (left) and the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel (right)

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3DF400000578-3572803-image-a-82_1462360647236.jpg
Visitors will journey through the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and his friends with oversized storybooks

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3DE200000578-3572803-image-a-66_1462360203338.jpg
A Tron-themed ride where visitors sit on motorbike carriages will be included at Tomorrowland

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3DEA00000578-3572803-image-a-68_1462360212402.jpg
Star Wars fans will be able to meet the movie's characters and villains and look at its intergalactic set pieces continued next post

[GeneChing]

Disney has said it will be a Magic Kingdom-style theme park, combining its classic characters and stories with Chinese culture and themes.
Construction of Shanghai Disney Resort started in April 2011.
The park is owned by Walt Disney Company and the Shanghai Shen Di Group.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3E9C00000578-3572803-image-a-70_1462360223429.jpg
Fantasyland will be the largest of all the lands at the resort and home to the Enchanted Storybook Castle

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3E1000000578-3572803-image-a-72_1462360231889.jpg
This rendering shows Treasure Cove, where the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is located

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3E9800000578-3572803-image-a-74_1462360239523.jpg
Bronze statues of Mickey and Minnie in formal attire will welcome guests to the Shanghai Disney Hotel

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3E0300000578-3572803-image-a-76_1462360248768.jpg
The carousel located at Gardens of Imagination will pay homage to the Fantasia film with Pegasus horses

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/04/12/339D3EA400000578-3572803-image-a-78_1462360254813.jpg
Testing started taking place a few months ago at the Roaring Rapids, a rafting ride at Adventure Isle



Remember when the world used to talk about the ugly American tourist? PRC is raping us here. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

The dark side of Ocean Heaven (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55101-Ocean-Heaven).


China's Booming Ocean Parks Spell Misery For Bears, Belugas, Dolphins (http://www.courant.com/business/hc-wapo-china-ocean-parks-20160209-story.html)

http://www.trbimg.com/img-56ba2f2e/turbine/hc-wapo-china-ocean-parks-20160209-001/750/750x422
Visitors take photographs of beluga whales in Grandview Mall Ocean World in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. (Simon Denyer / The Washington Post)

SIMON DENYER
The Washington Post

Attendance has been dropping at ocean parks in the U.S. after reports on animal welfare.

ZHUHAI, China - The polar bears pace back and forth in their enclosure, heads lolling as they turn, their distress apparent. Chinese tourists crowd around display windows to snap quick close-ups on their phones.

Beluga whales nod in time to loud music, "kiss" children or spit plumes of water toward the gasping crowd. A walrus blows a trumpet, seals catch Frisbees and dolphins propel their trainers through the water on their beaks.

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom here is the largest of China's 39 ocean theme parks, the flagship of a booming industry that is capturing some of the world's most magnificent and intelligent animals from the wild and keeping many of them in cramped, inadequate conditions.

Attendance has been dropping at some of the roughly 30 ocean parks in the United States in the wake of reports about the welfare of sea mammals in captivity.

But here in China, the industry cannot expand rapidly enough to satisfy the nation's apparent hunger to watch animals perform: Sixteen more parks are under construction, and Chimelong's park in Zhuhai, close to Macao on China's southern coast, recorded 80,000 visitors on one day alone last year.

A new report by the China Cetacean Alliance (CCA), a coalition of international animal protection groups, says the parks house a total of 491 cetaceans, including 279 bottlenose dolphins and 114 belugas, as well as seven orcas, or killer whales.

Most of those animals were caught in the waters of Russia, Japan and the Solomon Islands, by methods that are "known to cause stress and fear in free-ranging individuals," the report said.

"Such captures also disrupt normal social groups," it said, adding that for some species the disruption is "definitely contributing to population decline."

In captivity, the report says, many animals are likely to be living in conditions that are "inadequate to meet the complex physical and behavioral needs of cetaceans."

Belugas, or white whales, are listed as "near threatened" under CITES, an international treaty drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife against over-exploitation. Virtually all the belugas in China are imported from Russia, where the population is falling, the CCA said, at a reported price of $125,000 to $240,000 each.

Intensely social animals, belugas can swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild and routinely dive 30 to 1,000 feet in arctic and subarctic waters. In captivity, they circle back and forth in shallow, featureless tanks and are taught to perform tricks that conflict with their natural behaviors.

Chinese media reported the first birth of a beluga in captivity here in 2014. The calf died within a month, the CCA said, citing park staff members who said it is believed to have died because the tank was too small to allow its mother to nurse it.

Chimelong has 18 belugas and 41 bottlenose dolphins, according to the CCA, and it has three polar bears on public display. Whale sharks swim in a giant aquarium beside the park's fanciest restaurant, while outside, roller-coaster rides, carousels and parades of ocean-themed floats follow the formula popularized by SeaWorld in Florida, rendered with a dash of Disney and a Chinese twist.

Still, it is the only ocean theme park in China that provides public information about financial support for the conservation of cetaceans in their natural habitat.

In a shopping mall in the southern city of Guangzhou, Grandview Mall Ocean World offers a lower-budget vision that still brings in crowds.

A lone white bear paces in a tiny enclosure; billed as a polar bear, it is most likely a cross between a brown bear and a polar bear, experts said. Five walrus calves swim in a small, dirty tank, arctic wolves lie listlessly in a room, while six belugas peer through the glass at tourists.

Neither Chimelong nor Guangzhou Mall Ocean World responded to requests for comment.

A report by the Humane Society of the United States and the World Society for the Protection of Animals argues that dolphins' intelligence appears to match that of great apes and perhaps of human toddlers. Bottlenose dolphins show self-awareness - they can recognize themselves in a mirror - as well as linguistic complexity and are capable of abstract thinking.

"The very traits that make dolphins easy to train and fascinating for audiences - their intelligence and self-awareness - arguably make confining them for entertainment purposes unethical," it said.

Those criticisms apply to ocean parks in many other countries, including the United States, but concerns are particularly high in China because of the rapid expansion of the industry, the lack of effective government oversight and the absence of transparency.

"The situation in China is far worse regarding captive marine mammal welfare than in the United States," said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, part of the CCA. "China is at the stage the U.S. was 50 years ago."

Awareness of animal welfare issues is relatively low in China, yet it is growing among the young. Images of animals on display in the Guangzhou shopping mall have provoked outrage on social media, and a few of the tourists there on a recent day could be overheard expressing concern about the "skinny" and "pathetic"-looking animals.

At Chimelong, one young girl was overheard telling her mother that the polar bears looked angry. "They are just a little bit anxious," her mother replied comfortingly.

Yet the reality may not be so comforting.

In the Arctic, some polar bears' home ranges can measure up to 50,000 square miles: The animals can smell a seal 35 miles away across the ice, run at 30 miles an hour to catch their prey and swim for hundreds of miles between ice floes. Confined in a glass and concrete box, pacing between pools of their own urine, the bears at Chimelong and the Guangzhou mall showed what experts call repetitive "stereotypic behaviors."

"The stereotypes observed in the polar bears are likely to have developed out of stress and deprivation caused by the captive situation," said Dave Neale, animal welfare director at Animals Asia. "Prolonged periods of stress are likely to cause both physiological and psychological problems."

China's ocean theme parks are ideally placed to raise popular awareness about the threats to wild-ranging dolphins, whales and polar bears and to generate public pressure for better conservation efforts.

But the parks, the CCA report says, depict the animals as entertainers, impart little or no information to the public during shows and are unlikely to leave visitors motivated to take action to preserve ocean and arctic habitats. For the animals, it is a missed opportunity of cruel proportions.

"It is very dismaying to see the expansion of ocean theme parks in China even as we are finally making incredible progress in the West," Rose said.

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland showcases Chinese influence throughout park (http://www.cctv-america.com/2016/05/16/shanghai-disneyland-showcases-chinese-influence-throughout-park)

http://i1.wp.com/www.cctv-america.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Shanghai-Disneyland-showcases-Chinese-influence-throughout-park-2.jpg?resize=800%2C500

May 16, 2016
Disney’s newest theme park will be opening in Shanghai in one month and visitors can expect to see Chinese elements in its newest park.

CCTV’s Ding Siyue reports on how The Walt Disney Co. is incorporating more Chinese elements into the park.

While Donald Duck is known around the world, few people know he’s a practitioner of the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi.

“We were thinking we could let Disney characters tell Chinese stories. I think ‘Donald Duck practicing Tai Chi’ is a wonderful combination,” Xu Chang, assistant producer for Shanghai Disney Resort said.

“I hope we could create a feeling of familiarity to the tourists through interaction between characters and tourists.”

There’s even the Garden of 12 Friends with Disney characters representing the Chinese Zodiac signs.

Chinese elements are not just in some of the storytelling or the characters, but also in a lot of the design.

The Walt Disney Grand Theater, located in a shopping and dining area and modeled after local architectural styles, will host the Chinese version of the Broadway show “The Lion King”.

I've been saying "Grasp the bird's tail" in a Donald Duck voice under my breath.

It's a good thing that there is no Year of the Duck.

[GeneChing]

Wang Jianlin promises to squash Mickey in China with his own pack of local theme parks (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/05/25/wang_jianlin_vs_shanghai_disneyland.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/mickey_wang.jpg

Despite a wealth of media coverage, sold out tickets and nearly a million visitors before the park has even opened to the public, Shanghai Disneyland is facing some serious backlash from China’s wealthiest real estate mogul.
Dalian Wanda founder Wang Jianlin, China's richest man and karaoke king, has decided to pick a fight with Mickey Mouse. Fortune reports that Wanda’s public relations team released a public statement earlier this week in which Wang foretold that the era of Disney has passed and the attraction of its signature characters, like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, is long gone. China is ready for new characters that are innovative and appeal to the local culture, Wang argues.
“They [Disney] shouldn’t have entered China. We have a [saying]: one tiger is no match for a pack of wolves. Shanghai has one Disney, while Wanda, across the nation, will open 15 to 20,” Wang said in an interview with CCTV. “Disneyland is fully built on American culture. We place importance on local culture.”
Wang also questioned the cost efficiency of Disney's $5.5 billion park in Shanghai, and believes that weather and the high production cost will soon lead to an increase in ticket prices, CNN Money reported. Coincidentally, this weekend will mark the grand opening of Wanda’s new theme park in the southern city of Nanchang. Hopefully, they've got their rollercoaster fixed by now.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/wanda_nanchang_park.png

Wanda has grown considerably in the last few years, expanding past its successful real estate business into entertainment. In addition to developing 99 plazas across China and acquiring the cinema chain AMC in 2012, Wanda also acquired Hollywood’s Legendary Entertainment studio earlier this year. Wang is prepared to take on Disney, with a plan to develop Wanda’s tourism and theme park sector across China so that by 2020, its parks will welcome 200 million tourists a year.
Shanghai Disney doesn't seem too worried. Even amid some unanticipated speed bumps, Disney still expects 10 million visitors this year and the Shanghai government hopes that they will all be on their best behavior.

By Mary Rosea
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on May 25, 2016 4:15 PM

I've been to local Chinese amusement parks. They are often sketchy, but fascinating.

[GeneChing]

Wanda Opens Nanchang Theme Park, Stirs China Rivalry With Disney (http://variety.com/2016/biz/finance/wanda-opens-nanchang-theme-park-rivalry-with-disney-1201785275/)
Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/wanda-group-logo.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1
COURTESY OF DALIAN WANDA
MAY 30, 2016 | 07:32AM PT
China’s Dalian Wanda group this weekend opened its latest theme park in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. And immediately stirred the rivalry with Disney, which will open its first theme park in mainland China next month.

Snow White and Captain America characters were reportedly seen as part of a parade at the Saturday opening of the Wanda Cultural Tourism City. Disney responded with a promise to protect its intellectual property if the sightings are confirmed.

“We vigorously protect our intellectual property and will take action to address infringement. Our characters and stories have delighted generations, these illegal and substandard imitations unfortunately disappoint all who expect more,” Disney said, according to a Bloomberg news report.

The Nanchang park is described by Wanda as its “first city-size culture and tourism project.” It includes an outdoor amusement park, an indoor theme park, hotel resorts and dining and commercial districts. All are built around a Wanda Mall with the intention of offering entertainment throughout the year and in different weather conditions.

Wanda City spans 200 hectares (2 square kilometers) and the cultural and tourism segment of the project represents a $3.35 billion (RMB22 billion) investment.

Wanda is betting hugely on theme parks as a means of corporate diversification and of driving business to its malls and entertainment properties. It already has massive parks in Xinshuangbanna (opened in 2015) and what it billed as the world’s first indoor theme park in Wuhan (opened in late 2014.)

Wanda says it will open its second Wanda City in Hefei this September and another five are planned to open within China in the next three years. “By 2020, Wanda will unveil 15 Wanda City projects in China and five overseas,” the company said.

That capital intense rivalry explains the recent verbal attack on Disney by Wanda group chairman Wang Jianlin. Speaking on China Central Television, Wang last week suggested that the Shanghai Disney resort might struggle to be competitive due to high ticket prices. He went as far as to suggest that Disney should not have entered China.

In a separate move Monday Wanda said that it was heading a consortium that is making a $4.4 billion offer to buy up the Hong Kong-listed Wanda Commercial Properties. The consortium is offering HK$52.8 per share, or 10% higher than the HK$48 per share at which it listed in late 2014. Wang has said that the shares have been undervalued by investors on the Hong Kong market and has made it clear that he expects a higher rating if they are refloated on the mainland.
And how do we know that those Snow White and Captain America characters weren't just cosplayers along for the ride? :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland opens this Thursday.


Last Modified: Mon, Jun 13 2016. 03 54 PM IST
Disney’s foreign curse could end with China resort project (http://www.livemint.com/Companies/4gM8hfVzVtyowSeYeeYlLN/Disneys-foreign-curse-could-end-with-China-resort-project.html)
The Shanghai resort represents a chance for Disney to avoid its earlier mistakes and earn a profit commensurate with the money it’s investing
Christopher Palmeri

http://www.livemint.com/rf/Image-621x414/LiveMint/Period2/2016/06/14/Photos/Processed/disneyland-kJDC--621x414@LiveMint.jpg
All systems are go for the 16 June opening of the $5.5 billion Disney Shanghai Resort, the largest foreign investment ever from the world’s biggest theme-park operator. Photo: Reuters

Los Angeles: The acrobats are practicing their flips. Chefs are learning to cook dumplings by the thousands. And invited guests are test-driving the Tron Lightcycle Power Run, a roller-coaster that races through a fluorescent space landscape at 60 miles per hour.

All systems are go for the 16 June opening of the $5.5 billion Disney Shanghai Resort, the largest foreign investment ever from the world’s biggest theme-park operator and a career milestone for Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger. If history is a guide, however, the opening could be as turbulent as the twists and turns on Big Thunder Mountain. Disney’s past international park efforts have been marked by cultural missteps and years of losses. Shanghai represents a chance for the Burbank, California-based company to avoid those mistakes and earn a profit commensurate with the money it’s investing.

“The billion-dollar question is, will it be more like Hong Kong or more like Tokyo?” asked Barton Crockett, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets & Co. “It’s much bigger than Hong Kong. In Paris, the execution has been problematic.”

In an interview with Bloomberg TV in Shanghai on 9 June, Iger said the new park’s size, commitment to technology and focus on local culture distinguish it from prior efforts.

“It combines all the things we have learned over the years from all the other parks we have operated,” he said. “In a way, it’s the smartest park we’ve ever built, based on our own learning.”

Zodiac symbols

Disney has taken steps to win over Chinese consumers. Chinese zodiac symbols combine with Disney characters at a central garden in the 963-acre resort. A giant tea house sits at the foot of the castle, the tallest of any Disney park. An app will let guests buy tickets and check wait times on rides.

Disney’s resorts division began taking steps overseas with Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. Construction of the first park there ran about 80% over its ¥100 billion budget.

But the company was insulated. Card Walker, CEO at the time, had endured kamikaze attacks on his aircraft carrier in World War II and was reluctant to invest directly in Japan, according to Dream it! Do It!, a 2013 autobiography by Disney parks designer Marty Sklar. So he signed a licensing deal with Oriental Land Co., which funded and owns what is now two parks in Japan. Oriental Land earned $692 million last year on sales of $4.4 billion. Disney collects a royalty that amounted to $366 million in fiscal 2015, much of that profit.

European parks

Things haven’t gone so well at the company’s other international resorts. Euro Disney SCA, the publicly traded owner of the two parks at Disneyland Paris, has been bailed out three times in three decades—with the US company lending a hand each time—and hasn’t made a profit since 2001. Disney has a 77% stake in that company.

Among the problems: Europeans didn’t stay overnight or spend on merchandise like their American counterparts, meaning too many of the 5,800 rooms at seven hotels were empty. Disney also took a beating in the local press for perceived cultural imperialism, such as serving too much American food, said Lee ****erell, who supervised restaurants at Disneyland Paris on opening day and is now retired from the company.

“We were overstaffed from the beginning,” ****erell said.

Hong Kong Disneyland, a 47%-owned venture with the local government, has been unprofitable for eight of its 11 years, including 2015. The smallest Disney resort at 310 acres, Hong Kong was hurt by a decline in mainland Chinese tourists last year, according to its annual statement. The resort lost $19 million on sales of $659 million.

Disney hasn’t shown a profit on its international theme park investments since the company began breaking out the business in 2004, according to filings. The results since 2011 include the still-under-construction Shanghai resort, as well as Hong Kong and Disneyland Paris, though not Tokyo.

Admission prices

Disney has invested $6.7 billion in its international parks over the past 10 years, according to filings, with about half from local partners. Disney and its Chinese partners are financing two-thirds of the Shanghai resort with equity and borrowing the rest.

The company has already endured criticism on social media for its Shanghai prices. Though the lowest in Disney’s empire, they are high by local standards. Admission on weekends and other peak periods is 499 yuan ($76). On other days it’s 370 yuan ($56). Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, who is opening a string of his own theme parks in the country, has said he will come after Disney like a pack of wolves on a tiger. Iger said he’s not concerned.

‘Immaterial to us’

“We entered this market knowing that competition existed and that competition was only going to grow,” he told Bloomberg Television. “We are bringing something that is so unique in this market. Nothing that has been said about us entering this market is bothersome, nor do we believe it’s accurate. It’s just immaterial to us frankly.”

Disney estimates 330 million potential guests live within three hours of the park. That, combined with the low cost of doing business in China and Disney’s support from the government there, means the resort could be more profitable than Tokyo, said Crockett, the FBR analyst. He predicts the resort will break even in two years and generate more than $200 million in operating income by fiscal 2019.

Macquarie Capital analyst Tim Nollen estimated it will earn $185 million before interest and taxes by then on revenue of about $2 billion and attendance of 15.7 million. Disney has said only that the park won’t be profitable this year. Expenses before the opening will reach $300 million.

Tickets for the 16 June opening day were sold out within hours of it being offered for sale online in March. On Tuesday, Disney will hold a a red-carpet premiere of the Mandarin-language version of the Broadway musical, “The Lion King,” with attendance expected by local and international celebrities.

The pay-off from a stronger presence in China could go beyond the park to include Disney’s other businesses, like film and TV. Iger plans to have a Disney-branded movie in production in China within a year. The presence of the park, he said, will boost sales of Disney merchandise and US-made films in the country.

“There’s a lot of growth ahead in the years ahead, the decades ahead, maybe even the centuries ahead,” he said.

[GeneChing]

There's a fair amount of news about this on the news feeds. This article has good photos and a vid, but they wouldn't cut&paste easily.


Disney opens ‘distinctly Chinese’ Shanghai park (http://wtop.com/money/2016/06/disney-ceo-iger-says-china-has-incredible-potential/slide/1/)
By The Associated Press
June 16, 2016 12:28 am

The $5.5 billion Shanghai Disneyland gives the Hollywood giant a chance to burnish the brand behind "Frozen" in the world's most populous film market, and to revive its struggling international theme park business.

SHANGHAI (AP) — Walt Disney Co. opened its Shanghai theme park Thursday, its first in mainland China, with speeches by Communist Party leaders, a Chinese children’s choir, Sleeping Beauty and other Disney characters.

A Chinese vice premier joined Disney CEO Bob Iger in cutting a red ribbon as the park opened, signaling the ruling party’s endorsement of the $5.5 billion investment in promoting tourism and other service industries at a time of slowing economic growth. They read out letters of congratulations from the Chinese and American presidents, Xi Jinping and Barack Obama.

Shanghai Disneyland gives the Hollywood giant a chance to burnish the brand behind “Frozen” in the world’s most populous film market and to revive its struggling international theme park business.

“This is one of the proudest and most exciting moments in the history of the Walt Disney Co.,” said Iger, speaking after the kids choir sang “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Later, actors dressed as Sleeping Beauty, Donald Duck and other Disney characters danced on stage.

Speaking as a light rain fell, Vice Premier Wang Yang quipped, “I would like to call this a rain of U.S. dollars or of renminbi,” the Chinese currency.

Wang, a member of the party’s powerful Politiburo, described the park as an example of Sino-U.S. “practical cooperation” and “people to people exchanges.”

The festive sentiment was tempered by grim news from Florida that an alligator killed a 2-year-old boy at Disney’s flagship Walt Disney World. The boy drowned after the animal dragged him into the water at a lagoon in the park on Tuesday.

The park’s opening follows a decade of negotiations, five years of construction and weeks of having over 1 million visitors try out its rides, shops, restaurants and two hotels.

Global brands like Disney are rushing to create products for Chinese tastes. The company added China-themed elements and put the emphasis on popular characters at the Shanghai park, while downplaying its American identity. At the entrance, instead of “Main Street USA,” it’s “Mickey Avenue.”

Ahead of the opening, Iger said the park was “authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.”

In a garden leading to its iconic Storybook Castle, Disney created a “Garden of the Twelve Friends” using characters such as Remy from “Ratatouille” and Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh” as animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Disney says the park’s Wandering Moon Teahouse, modeled on a building in eastern China, is the only Chinese-style structure in any of its parks.

Analysts expect Shanghai Disneyland to become the world’s most-visited theme park, attracting at least 15 million and as many as 50 million guests a year. By contrast, Walt Disney World drew 19.3 million people in 2014.

“It’s going to be a huge success. Everybody in China who has a kid or a grandkid is going to want to go to Shanghai Disney,” said Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research in Shanghai.

Despite a sharp slowdown in growth, China’s economy still is one of the world’s best-performing and tourism spending is rising.

“Even with the weak economy, Chinese are not cutting back on tourism,” said Rein. “They are still spending on experiences and on their kids.”

Shanghai represents a market of 300 million people living within three hours of the park by car or train in one of China’s most affluent regions. China’s bullet train network can draw in areas further afield.

The park should generate some $1.5 billion to $4.5 billion a year in revenue, according to Drexel Hamilton analyst Tony Wible.

Disney’s state-owned Chinese partner, the Shanghai Shendi (Group) Co. Ltd., which owns 57 percent of the 7.5-square-kilometer (2.9-square-mile) park, will get the lion’s share.

Disney’s international parks in Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo haven’t made a profit in six of the past 10 years, Wible figures. So the main advantage of the huge park may be promotion of the brand and merchandise.

China’s tourism market is filled with inexperienced but ambitious competitors for Disney, from theme parks to golf resorts to cultural parks.

Declaring he hopes to overtake Disney as the biggest global tourism company by 2020, Wanda Group opened a 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) entertainment complex in the southern city of Nanchang in May.

Wanda, founded by Wang Jianlin, Asia’s second-richest businessman, bought Hollywood studio Legendary Entertainment in January.

China is a challenging environment in other ways, with official controls on business activities and on taking profits out of the country. Live shows like Disney’s “Lion King” musical must be approved by Chinese censors.

Disney’s DisneyLife direct-to-consumer online movie and book offering was closed in April, five months after opening, amidst a Chinese regulatory review.

In the Shanghai park, Disney needs its Chinese partner’s approval to change restaurant prices and other management details.

“They are hamstrung in a lot of areas,” said Rein. But still, he said, Shanghai Disneyland “is far above anything else in China.”

YouGov, a market research firm, said 44 percent of people it surveyed in China in May said they plan to visit Shanghai Disneyland within a year. It said 80 percent plan to take family members.

“Disney is good. I had a lot of fun during the trial. It is exciting. The architecture, the castle and other buildings are very special,” said Wang Lei, who works for a food chain in Shanghai.

“I’m sure I will go again, maybe again and again,” she said. “I’ll bring my kids and relatives from my hometown.”

But Disney faces the danger that it might be so crowded potential visitors would be put off.

“People are waiting in line for long hours to have fun, which is not fun,” Wang said.

___

McDonald reported from Beijing. AP researcher Fu Ting in Shanghai and AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima in Los Angeles contributed.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid too, if you follow the link.



JUL 10 2016, 7:41 AM ET
China's Islamic-Themed 'Hui Culture Park' Is No Tourism Mecca (http://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/china-s-islamic-themed-hui-culture-park-no-tourism-mecca-n588036)
by JANIS MACKEY FRAYER

YINCHUAN, China — China's government is pouring billions of dollars into a lavish Islamic theme park to attract Muslim tourists and boost its image in the Arab world.

All that's missing are visitors.

http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_23/1568131/160607-chinese-tourist-yinchuan-jpo-353a_76283f2f8e1242bea599ba1e3619c0db.nbcnews-ux-600-700.jpg
A Chinese tourist adjusts a borrowed abaya at the Golden Palace, a replica of a mosque that is the centerpiece of an Islamic theme park in Yinchuan. Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News

The attraction boasts buildings that resemble the Taj Mahal and Istanbul's Blue Mosque — although these days it is less a "AAAA-rated national tourist site," as advertised, than a massive construction site.

The China Hui Culture Park is being expanded as part of a plan to transform a dusty plain in central Ningxia province into a tourism mecca.

The facility opened in 2005 but is less a religious experience than a large-scale promotional display for the country's largest Muslim group, the Hui.

Hui are ethnically Chinese, politically compliant and speak Mandarin, which helps ensure government approval for the practice of a state-sanctioned version of Islam in what is officially an atheist country.

"Coming here could help Arab people to know Chinese culture," Ma Guojing told NBC News. The local teacher was one of the few people willing to navigate the grime and heavy equipment during a recent visit.

The parking lot was virtually empty, and ticket prices had been reduced from about $12 to $9. A booth attendant said the price cut was because of the ongoing construction.

Many of the attractions, such as the Arabian-themed dance and laser show, are either yet to be built or have been closed.

Beyond the lavish domed main gate, visitors are diverted along a path past a small temporary museum and a deserted restaurant to where dancers at the Hui "model village" sit waiting for an audience.

http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_27/1568116/160607-hui-dancers-jpo-349a_44b59f4b54b1840f421e9a5e937ea499.nbcnews-ux-600-480.jpg
Hui dancers before a performance at China Hui Culture Park. Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News

"Tourists come from all over the country, even the world to learn about Hui culture," one folk singer said.

However, only two people watched the subsequent 20-minute performance.

Visitors wanting to take a look at the opulent Golden Palace, designed to give visitors the experience of visiting a mosque, had to cross a stretch of churned earth busy with backhoes and dump trucks.

Park officials would not comment on ticket sales, but stressed they expect to see a million visitors a year once the expansion is complete.

Optimistically, Emirates Airlines recently inaugurated direct flights between Dubai and Yinchuan, where the local airport is undergoing a 900,000-square foot expansion to accommodate the expected rush.

Wonder what a roller-coaster there would be like...:confused:

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland probably deserves its own indie thread. I should copy and split it...next time perhaps.


Bob Iger on China’s Disneyland and How He Avoided Being a ‘Cultural Imperialist’ (http://www.thewrap.com/bob-iger-on-chinas-disneyland-and-how-he-avoided-being-a-cultural-imperialist/)
MEDIA | By Sharon Waxman on July 11, 2016 @ 7:21 pm Follow @sharonwaxman

http://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Brainstorm-Panel.jpg
Bob Iger and Michal Bar Lev/Sharon Waxman

“We decided to introduce turkey legs to China,” Iger says, “Which I thought was a mistake”
Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger said on Monday that the ambitious new Disneyland park in Shanghai, China, was not only the company’s biggest investment in a theme park, but also sparked concern in him that he might be branded a “cultural imperialist” in building it.
The Shanghai park, which opened in the middle of June, has already welcomed 1 million attendees, Iger said, with people staying two hours longer per day than anticipated.
“It’s our largest-ever foreign investment,” he explained, while speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colorado. “It’s one of the biggest investments we’ve ever made.”
Iger said he spent 18 years trying to bring this idea to life. “It was a 10 year negotiation,” he recalled, and a personal exercise in patience.
Foremost in Iger’s mind was tailoring the American theme park to China’s culture. “I coined the phrase, ‘Authentically Disney, Culturally Chinese,'” he recalled. “I wanted very much to avoid being called a cultural imperialist. I wanted to bring to China something that they thought was theirs.”
In that spirit, Disneyland in Shanghai has no Main Street, one of the American and even European theme park’s signature sets. “I didn’t think that would resonate at all in 2016,” he said.
The park also serves mainly Chinese food — with a couple of exceptions. He explained: “We agreed that 70 percent of the food was Chinese, 20 percent other Asian and 10 percent American — pizza, hamburgers. Then they snuck in churros and turkey legs.”
“We decided to introduce turkey legs to China,” Iger revealed. “Which I thought was a mistake. But we’re selling 3,000 a day.”

[GeneChing]

Wonder what Wanda's theme will be? The diversification-away-from-hard-core-property-development rollercoaster?


China’s Wanda to Build $9 Billion Theme Park (http://variety.com/2016/biz/asia/wanda-to-build-9-billion-theme-park-1201845367/)
Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

http://i1.wp.com/pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/wang-jianlin-at-jinan-20160826040330812.jpg?crop=0px%2C23px%2C550px%2C30 6px&resize=670%2C377&ssl=1
COURTESY OF DALIAN WANDA
AUGUST 26, 2016 | 06:50AM PT

Dalian Wanda group Friday signed a co-development deal to build a theme park costing $9.4 billion (RMB63 billion) in the northern Chinese city of Jinan. The deal was signed with the government of the city, the capital of Shandong Province.

It will Wanda’s first park with a dominant sports theme and include a 10,000-seater ice hockey cum basketball stadium. Other facilities include a Wanda Mall, an outdoor theme park, a hotel cluster, large stage show and a bar street.

Jinan Wanda City is planned to break ground in 2017 and start operation in 202. The company said that it is expected to receive over 20 million tourists per year, create 20,000 jobs and generate large tax revenue for the local government. The park would be Wanda’s 13th city park out of a planned 15 locations.

Earlier this year Wanda’s chairman Wang Jianlin taunted Walt Disney’s Shanghai Disney Resort, suggesting that it was too highly priced and that it would be overtaken by his ‘wolf pack’ of parks. Shortly after, Wanda’s parks initiatives took a dent when it temporarily closed its indoor theme park in Wuhan after less than two years of operation.

Diversification away from hard core property development is a major theme for the group that has expanded into entertainment and leisure through its own developments as well as through acquisitions including Legendary Entertainment and European cinema chain Odeon / UCI.

On Thursday Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin was the final, keynote speaker at a high powered retail convention in Beijing. As well as giving a second wind to Wanda’s own e-commerce platform Ffan.com, Wang urged the industry and the Chinese government to help encourage Chinese consumers to do more of their shopping at home.

[GeneChing]

China unveils ambitious plan for mega-tourism project (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2016/09/05/chinese-mega-tourism-project/)
Created by Ken Foxe
September 5, 2016 at 7:00 pm

They do nothing by half in China but even by the country’s own standards, its latest plan for a tourism park may be one of the most ambitious proposals yet. A “flying cinema”, an ocean park, an adventure park and a futuristic high-tech kid zone will all form part of an enormous €8.4 billion (US$9.45 billion) investment.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/MountTai.jpg
Mount Tai, Shandong Image by kanegen / CC BY 2.0

The massive 290-hectare complex will begin construction next year and is expected to open to visitors in 2021 with plans to welcome 20 million visitors per year. The development by the Wanda Group is being described as the “world’s first culture, tourism, sports and commerce super complex”. Amongst the plans are a Tai Mountain multimedia giant rollercoaster and what is being described as the world’s first ever dome-screen cinema.

The theme park – which plans to compete directly with Disney’s recently opened park in Shanghai – will also feature three resort hotels, two of which are five-star and one six-star. Its Wanda Mall will include a “fly-by Shandong” cinema that will apparently operate in six dimensions and provide a bird’s eye view of the local province Shandong. Shandong is home to the famous Grand Canal of China and the canal reaches its highest point in the mountains of the province.

It is also home to Mount Tai, often regarded as the most sacred mountain of the country, and the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius both Unesco World Heritage Sites. The tourism park will be built in Jinan, a city that lies between Beijing and Shanghai on the high-speed rail line that connects the two mega-cities. Also planned as part of the tourism park will be a 10,000-seater indoor stadium that can be used for ice hockey and basketball, or converted to other uses. As if that was not enough, there will be a theatre venue, a street of bars and restaurants, and acres upon acres of shopping.




Wanda's (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69324-Wanda-amp-AMC) plan for world domination continues.

[GeneChing]

Space Travel Theme Park To Open In Hangzhou (http://chinafilminsider.com/space-travel-theme-park-open-hangzhou/)

By Fergus Ryan|September 6th, 2016|Featured Stories, News

Space travel company Kuangchi Science will invest USD$1.5 billion in a space-themed amusement park.
Kuangchi has yet to launch any of its rockets into space.
Growth in China’s theme park industry has been hitting new highs in recent years but Kuangchi’s development represents an astronomical leap.

http://i0.wp.com/chinafilminsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screen_Shot_2016-09-06_at_2.30.03_PM_1200x750-1.png?resize=768%2C480

Kuangchi Science, China’s answer to SpaceX, has announced it will invest RMB 10 billion ($1.5 billion) on a space-travel theme park based in Hangzhou, the city that is currently hosting the G20 meeting.

As part of the park, the Hong Kong-listed company said it is preparing for manned tests of a high-altitude balloon called the “Traveller,” which they hope will be able to take tourists into near-outer-space.

The Traveller will feature a sight-seeing cabin comfortable enough that passengers will “feel like [they’re] sitting in a limousine.” It will also be equipped with communications and weather-monitoring components, according to Kuangchi’s website.

Manned tests are planned over the next two years, the Shenzhen-based company said.

The announcement sees Kuangchi join Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic in the race to launch satellites and tourists into orbit, and comes less than a week after SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket exploded during pre-launch testing.Kuangchi Liu Ruppeng, who is often referred to as “the Elon Musk of China” by local media, said visitors to ‘Future Valley’ will be able to experience what it feels like to live in a futuristic room where furniture can move, think and reconfigure itself.

“Our mission is to develop science and technology that create a future life ecology,” said Liu, according to China Daily.

Growth in China’s theme park industry has been hitting new highs in recent years but Kuangchi’s development represents an astronomical leap.

The country has, by some estimates, as many as 60 theme parks are under construction or being planned, with other notable players including Disney, Dalian Wanda Group, Universal, and Six Flags Entertainment.

Disney opened its USD$5.5 billion Shanghai park in June this year while Universal plans to open an $8 billion theme park in Beijing by 2020. Dalian Wanda, one of China’s largest conglomerates, has taken Disney head-on with its plans to build 20 entertainment complexes in the country.

US-based Six Flags has partnered with mainland developer Riverside Investment Group to build Six Flags Haiyan in Zhejiang province, with an eye to launching in 2019.

In May, Kuangchi launched a $300-million Global Community of Innovation fund to invest in what it calls “future life” technologies. Some of the other projects the company is working on include jetpacks and aircraft which run on solar power.

KuangChi listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange through the back door in 2014 by injecting itself into a small Hong Kong paper company called Climax International.

After watching SpaceX blow up, I'm not sure I'd be that into this park.

[GeneChing]

Eager to see some images from this.


Sat Sep 24, 2016 | 6:23am EDT
China's Dalian Wanda opens $5.1 billion tourism park (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-dalianwanda-park-idUSKCN11U0AH)

http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20160924&t=2&i=1154793642&w=780&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&sq=&r=LYNXNPEC8N076
Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Wanda Group, poses for pictures after an interview in Beijing, China, August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

By Alexandra Harney | SHANGHAI
Dalian Wanda Group, the Chinese entertainment giant owned by the country's richest man, opened the first phase of a sprawling 34 billion yuan ($5.1 billion) tourism park in the eastern city of Hefei on Saturday.

Wanda is building similar projects around the country, betting that China's rising incomes will drive more domestic tourism. In an interview with Reuters last month, chairman Wang Jianlin said that Wanda would look to build at least 20 such complexes in China.

The 160 hectare (1.6 square km) first phase of Hefei Wanda City includes a theme park, hotels and a shopping mall. The second phase will be an "indoor recreation project," according to a statement from the company. Wanda intends to extend the park into a third phase, which is still in the planning stages, it said.

Wang has been open about his rivalry with Walt Disney Co, which opened a $5.5 billion resort in Shanghai in June. "At Wanda, I always say we want to ensure Disney is not profitable for 10-20 years in this business segment in China," he told state-run China Central Television (CCTV) in a May interview.

China's slowing economy has taken a toll on some areas of consumer spending. Outbound tourism numbers - which rose 16 percent in 2015 - are set to flatline this year, according to China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) data. At Wanda Cinema Line Corp, Wanda's theater arm, box office sales rose 12.8 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared to a 61.4 percent jump in the first quarter.

Wanda has been investing heavily as it seeks to triple revenues from its cultural division - which includes entertainment, sports and tourism - to 150 billion yuan ($22.5 billion) by 2020.

On Friday, Wanda announced a partnership with Sony Pictures under which Wanda will market Sony Pictures' films and co-finance some upcoming movie releases of Sony Corp's film unit in China.

In January, Wanda paid $3.5 billion for a controlling stake in U.S. film studio Legendary Entertainment. It has also acquired Swiss sports marketing firm Infront Sports & Media AG and World Triathlon Corp, owner of the "Ironman" franchise.

Hefei Wanda City will host China's first Ironman triathlon, according to the statement. The race is scheduled for October 16, according to Ironman's website.

(Reporting By Alexandra Harney; Editing by Sam Holmes)

[GeneChing]

HEY MICKEY
China’s Wanda Group has hired the ex-head of Hong Kong Disneyland to help it crush Disney (http://qz.com/810769/chinas-wanda-group-has-hired-the-ex-head-of-hong-kong-disneyland-to-help-it-crush-disney/)
Hong Kong Disneyland Managing Director Andrew Kam (C) attends a news conference in Hong Kong February 18, 2013. Hong Kong Disneyland on Monday reported a net profit of HK$109 million (13.97 million) for the financial year that ended on September 29, 2012, the first annual profit since the resort opened in September 2005.

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/rtr3dy05-e1476674055106.jpg?w=3200
Andrew Kam, now making magic at Wanda. (Reuters/Bobby Yip)

WRITTEN BY Zheping Huang
OBSESSION China's Transition
October 17, 2016

One of China’s richest men, Wang Jianlin—who presides over an entertainment empire that includes cinemas in the US and theme parks—recently threw down the gauntlet and declared war on Disneyland. To do that, he’s hired the former boss of Hong Kong Disneyland to run its theme park business.
Andrew Kam, former managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland, will join Wang’s conglomerate Wanda Group, state-run digital publication the Paper reported (link in Chinese) on Oct. 17, citing unidentified sources. Quartz confirmed Kam’s appointment with two sources familiar with the matter. Wanda representatives declined to comment on the news.
Disney is facing an uphill battle with its biggest theme-park rival in China, which plans to build 15 amusement park complexes in China before 2020. Wang said in a recent TV interview that he’ll make mainland China’s first Disneyland, which opened in Shanghai in June, “unprofitable in the coming two decades.”
Kam headed Hong Kong Disneyland for eight years, before he resigned in March “for personal reasons.” Under his stewardship, the decade-old theme park turned a profit for the first time in 2012, but fell into the red again in 2015 due to a drop in mainland Chinese visitors.
Wanda has so far opened two theme park complexes in China, the first in the southeastern city of Nanchang and the other in Hefei in the east. Both cities are within a four-hour train ride of Shanghai.

Theme parks are such a telling barometer of a nation's growth.

[GeneChing]

So China beats the U.S. in movies in 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising&p=1297680#post1297680) and theme parks in 2020. We shall see...


Across The Border
by Sarah Zheng
China’s theme park industry to become world’s largest by 2020, analysts say (http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2041636/chinas-theme-park-industry-become-worlds-largest-2020)
PUBLISHED : Monday, 31 October, 2016, 4:42pm
UPDATED : Monday, 31 October, 2016, 11:21pm

http://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2016/10/31/e3110e7a-9f37-11e6-b05c-0413422fb257_1280x720.JPG

Sarah Zheng
http://twitter.com/_szheng
sarah.zheng@scmp.com

China’s theme park market is set to become the world’s largest by 2020 thanks to the country’s growing middle class, as local and international players battle it out for dominance, analysts say.
Demand for amusement parks in the country has ridden the wave of growth in China’s middle and upper-middle classes, expected to make up around 50 per cent of GDP consumption by 2030, adding 326 million people in the next 15 or so years, according to estimates from ANZ Bank.
“The Chinese theme park market is growing rapidly,” said Tim Mackey, a lawyer with law firm Paul Hastings. “China represents a massive and growing market of consumers who have more money to spend on entertainment and media products than ever before.”
After the debut of Shanghai Disneyland’s US$5.5 billion resort this summer, there are currently about 65 major amusement parks being built or planned in China, from foreign companies such as Universal and Six Flags to domestic operators like Chimelong, Fantawild and Songcheng Performance Development, according to a Forbes article.
This growth has followed the increased popularity of Western brands and culture in China, as well as a growing interest from Chinese companies for globally recognised content, Mackey said.
“Naturally, this makes China very attractive to the major US industry players,” he said. “Disney and many of its peers have already made substantial investments in China.”
But as US companies move into the market they are clashing with Chinese firms, typified by the competitive behaviour between Wanda Group and Disney. Ahead of Wanda’s 34 billion yuan theme park launch in Hefei in September, Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin has said his company’s parks are a “pack of wolves” that will defeat Disney’s “tiger” park in Shanghai.


Domestic brands have to bring in more know-how and better understand their own attractions and their own branding
MARKUS SCHUCKERT, HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

“At Wanda, I always say we want to ensure Disney is not profitable for 10 to 20 years in this business segment in China,” Wang said in May, months before poaching Hong Kong Disneyland’s former managing director Andrew Kam to lead Wanda’s mainland theme park expansion.
But while Western brands such as Disney have “a huge power to unlock demand” in China because of their established infrastructure and reputation, local players still need time to find their footing, said Markus Schuckert, assistant professor of tourism management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
“Domestic brands have to bring in more know-how and better understand their own attractions and their own branding,” Schuckert told the Post. “[But] we can’t put all these parks into one box, or all these attractions into one basket. There are specialised parks, attractions and brands, some will have a bright future ... and there will be others who will be shaken off by the competition.”
Earlier this year Paul Noland, president and chief executive of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, said in Shanghai that big international brands can benefit China’s domestic parks because they “educate people on what a park experience is”.
Ken Wong, Asia equity portfolio specialist at Eastspring Investments, added that over the course of the next five to 10 years things will change “as more mainland visitors get [accustomed] to overseas culture and practises”.

http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/660x385/public/images/methode/2016/10/31/196b7fc8-9f38-11e6-b05c-0413422fb257_660x385.JPG
Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin has said his company’s parks are a “pack of wolves” that will defeat Disney’s “tiger” park in Shanghai. Photo: Simon Song

But the biggest concern for theme parks moving forward in China is safety, security and reliability, according to Schuckert.
“This is really the most important part, to keep everything at a very high safety level ... because this will harm reputation,” he said. “Sometimes we still have this culture [in China] of okay, we have an accident, we hide everything, close it down.”
Another important element for Chinese theme parks is the need to build on the foundation of entertainment storyboards based in popular culture or media.
“China has so many stories,” Schuckert said. “[But] you need experts to transform these stories into a product which can be experienced by the customer. Its not just dressing up in traditional costumes.”
All these factors need to be taken into consideration since theme parks are massive investments, with billions of dollars being put into venues, according to Mackey.
“From the outside, developing location-based entertainment venues and attractions can seem like a glamorous and lucrative industry, but as with any investment that has the promise of significant financial rewards, the potential risks are similarly substantial,” he said.
While Schuckert said interest in the industry has “cooled a little bit” since the opening of Shanghai Disneyland and China’s economic slowdown, he sees the sector picking up again. The industry, he believes, will develop in places where parks can be operated in a profitable way, such as in cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangdong, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.
“China is a very big market. This is definitely an asset,” Schuckert said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as:
theme parks gear up for growth

[GeneChing]

That's liu qi in Zhejiang.


Six Flags to Build Water Park in China (http://variety.com/2016/biz/asia/six-flags-to-build-water-park-in-china-1201945071/)
Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

http://i0.wp.com/pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/six_flags_china_logo5_002.jpg
COURTESY OF SIX FLAGS ENTERTAINMENT
DECEMBER 19, 2016 | 05:05AM PT

Six Flags Entertainment, the U.S. theme parks group, is to build a Hurricane Harbor Water Park in China.

The water park will be adjacent to the $4.6 billion Six Flags Zhejiang theme park that is now under construction on the coast of Hangzhou Bay. Like the theme park, the water park will be developed jointly with China’s Riverside Investment Group. Both are expected to open in 2019.

The two companies also announced the appointment of Mark Kane as general manager and park president of Six Flags Zhejiang. He was previously park president at Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags New England.

“Six Flags Zhejiang will be home to some of the most incredible roller coasters, rides and attractions in the world. The park will also feature elaborately-themed sections celebrating time-honored Chinese traditions, live shows and seasonal events along with a wide variety of culinary offerings and retail locations. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will feature thrilling water slides, a massive wave pool, a relaxing Lazy River and an intricately designed children’s water play area,” the companies said in a statement.

International and local groups are currently building a succession of theme parks in China. They include Universal’s park near Beijing and Dreamworks’ Dream City near Shanghai. China’s Dalian Wanda has announced plans to build more than a dozen Wanda City parks as its response to the opening earlier this year of Shanghai Disneyland, Disney’s first theme park in mainland China.

[GeneChing]

A TMNT (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?45508-T-M-N-T) zone would be cool, like Disney Star Wars land but in the sewer. :p


Viacom Breaks Ground on First Nickelodeon Resort in China (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-breaks-ground-first-nickelodeon-resort-china-960677)
4:52 AM PST 1/4/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2017/01/foshan.jpg
Courtesy of Viacom International Media Networks
Groundbreaking for the Nickelodeon Cultural Resort in the southern city of Foshan, China.

A $1.71 billion theme park in the country's south will allow Chinese families to interact "with iconic and beloved characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
China's booming theme parks sector has another big contender under construction.

Viacom broke ground Wednesday on the Nickelodeon Cultural Resort in the southern city of Foshan.

The Nickelodeon theme park is part of a broader development scheme called the Foshan Cultural and Ecological Coastal Project. The $1.71 billion (11.9 billion RMB) development covers an area of about 750 acres, with 250 set acres set aside for Nickelodeon-themed attractions. It is expected to open in 2020.

Viacom International Media Networks has yet to announce what attractions will be included within the park, but Ron Johnson, executive vp Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, said it will give Chinese families the "opportunity to interact with iconic and beloved characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Viacom's partners in the project are Hong Kong conglomerate Elite Global Group and the Sanshui New Town Management Committee, a government-backed entity charged with developing the Sanshui district of Foshan.

Fueled by a growing and increasingly entertainment-focused middle class, China's theme park industry is on track to surpass that of the U.S. within the next few years. By 2020, ticket sales at Chinese parks will surge to $12 billion from $4.6 billion in 2015, according to a report released in November by market research firms Euromonitor International and World Travel Market. Theme park revenue in the U.S., meanwhile, is expected to inch upward to $9 billion in 2020 from $8 billion in 2015.

Major international park brands have been hurrying to enter the market, while local real estate giant Dalian Wanda Group plans to roll out 15 mega-resorts across China by 2020.

In September, Universal Studios signed a deal with a Chinese consortium to build a multibillion-dollar theme park in Beijing, to open in 2019. Later this year, Dreamworks Animation and Chinese partners are expected to complete a $2.4 billion entertainment complex in Shanghai, featuring bars, restaurants and performance venues.

Disney's $5.5 billion theme park in Shanghai opened last June and the company says it will come close to breaking even by the end of its first full year of operation. Shanghai Disneyland broke ground on a Toy Story-themed expansion in October, just four months after opening.

Viacom last year opened the first Nickelodeon-themed attraction in Asia, Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon in Malaysia.

[GeneChing]

They're both short so I can squeeze them in one post.



Shanghai Disneyland welcomes 5.6 million visitors in first six months, is kind of a disappointment (http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/shanghai_disneyland_cny2.jpg)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON JAN 17, 2017 12:45 PM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/shanghai_disneyland_cny2.jpg

Last year, between June 16th and December 31st, Shanghai Disneyland welcomed 5.6 million guests for an average of around 28,000 visitors per day.
While those numbers -- announced by Fan Xiping, chairman of Shanghai Shendi Group, Disney's Chinese partner, on Monday -- may seem impressive, they fall far short of rosy initial projections of the $5.5 billion park's popularity, which estimated 15 million visitors over its first year. If attendance continues at its current pace, that year-end number will barely reach over 10 million.
This is the first indication of how well Shanghai Disneyland is doing since an official report in October, four months in, which found the park was struggling along at just 20,000 visitors a day.
It appears that the fall and winter months were kinder than expected for Shanghai Disney, though it's not clear if the park will ever again attain the heights it reached before it even officially opened.
But, hey, at least it's doing significantly better than its smaller rival in Hong Kong which had only 6.8 million visitors in 2015, compared to 16.6 million visitors for Tokyo Disneyland and 18.2 million in Los Angeles.
Anyway, Shanghai Disneyland's first year is still far from over. Despite complaints about long lines and expensive food, not to mention attacks from China's richest man, the theme park has persevered following an ugly trial opening. Now, we'll have to see how the resort deals with Spring Festival crowds.


Shanghaiist (https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist/photos/pcb.10155358556141030/10155358554061030/?type=3) added 4 new photos.
January 13 at 10:00pm ·
Shanghai Disneyland is getting in the Chinese New Year spirit.
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https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16105843_10155358554056030_968083407077865455_n.jp g?oh=ce0c63b8c528885d390832288f331bbd&oe=5906334E
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[Images via Xinhua]



Greedy Shanghai Disneyland visitors snatch up almost all of Donald Duck's fake candy (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/01/18/donald_duck_candy.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON JAN 18, 2017 12:30 AM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_candy.jpg

As a sweet souvenir, some visitors to Shanghai Disneyland recently snapped up nearly all of Donald Duck's sweets stash!
Images went viral on Chinese social media yesterday showing how the basket full of candy held by a Donald Duck statue in the park had mysteriously diminished over time, allegedly ransacked by greedy guests.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_candy3.jpg

Of course, despite their appearance, there is absolutely nothing at all edible inside these colorful wrappers.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_candy3.jpg

"It doesn't matter if it's fake. If they were offering free feces, then there would still be some who would want a bite," commented one Weibo user.
"Mainland China just isn't suitable for a Disneyland," wrote another.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_candy5.jpg
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More than 6 months after opening, Shanghai Disneyland has disappointed somewhat by only welcoming 5.6 million guests. Perhaps more free, fake stuff is the answer to attendance woes?
[Images via Weibo]

[GeneChing]

...well sort of. Recycled may be a better term. I thought we had a thread on this, but couldn't find it.


New China-inspired park in Houston features Forbidden Garden's old terra-cotta soldiers (http://www.chron.com/life/article/New-China-inspired-attraction-park-in-Houston-10889302.php)
By Darla Guillen, Houston Chronicle Updated 5:56 pm, Friday, January 27, 2017

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Lucky Land has a dragon dance performance every Saturday. Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / © 2017 Houston Chronicle
Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

When Nida Lee heard that Forbidden Gardens, an outdoor museum of Chinese culture in north Katy, would be closing in 2011, she was inspired to open a similar park in Houston.
The suburban spot was her muse when planning newly debuted Lucky Land, a a three-acre Chinese cultural theme park at 8625 Airline Drive nearly three years in the making.
Lee said she contacted owners of Forbidden Gardens so that she could buy the rows of terra-cotta soldiers that was its centerpiece attraction. Those sculptures are replicas of ancient China's clay-based army which was buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang, since he thought it would protect him in the afterlife.
Lee was inspired to travel to China to see the emperor's mausoleum and to determine how she might be able to bring home a slice of her culture's history.
"To me, (the sculptures) are a treasure. It's something I wanted to bring to life again," she explained.
She says she didn't want those sculptures to be destroyed, so she tracked down the remaining pieces. "We bought all of the soldiers," from the Forbidden Garden's owners, including some of the structures that once filled the site at Texas Highway 99 and Franz Road.
Lee, who co-owns Sunny Flea Market at 8705 Airline with her husband, said their empty lot next to the shopping center was the ideal place for her project. Because the two have operated this open-air market for so long, they are well aware of the potential customer base that Lucky Land might attract. Sunny draws in a large Mexican consumer population. So Lee made sure Mexican dishes are served up along with Asian fusion dishes: cuisines that include Chinese, Lao, Vietnamese and Thai.
Lucky Land been softly open for a few months, during which Lee said she has not be charging admission rates. She explained that she wants to add more to the park, including educational areas, before enforcing ticket rates in the future. She plans to set up regular history lessons and enhance some of the park's features, including bringing in rickshaws to take guests on rides around the expansive lot.
Currently, park features bronze kung fu sculptures, koi ponds, miniature Chinese architecture displays. Among the activities are lion dances and martial arts pop-up classes.
Lee told the Houston Chronicle the development process for Lucky Garden has been lengthy and involved, but she's happy to see customers fill the park.
She muses that it is satisfying to offer something like this for Chinese people living in Houston "who can't go back to China."
"It is worth it, when I see everyone so happy," she said.

[GeneChing]

Horrifying.


Family of girl killed after being flung off amusement park ride to receive 870,000 yuan in compensation (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/02/06/amusement_park_compensation.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON FEB 6, 2017 3:55 PM

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The family of a 13-year-old girl who was tragically killed on Friday afternoon after being thrown from her seat on a spinning amusement park ride will receive 870,000 yuan ($126,000) in compensation.
Following preliminary investigations, the death of Gan Tian has been blamed on a seat belt that suddenly broke, along with improper operation of park rides by park officers at the Zhaohua Culture Park in Chongqing municipality, CGTN reports.
Curiously, the equipment had passed its annual quality inspection just two months ago with no malfunction or defect detected; however, on the website of the Chongqing Municipality Special Equipment Supervision Department, the last listed inspection for the ride was carried out on November 4th, 2013.
Meanwhile, park workers allowed Gan and her 9-year-old cousin to get on the ride, despite regulations against children under 12 or under 120 centimeters boarding the ride which made full 360-degree rotations.
When Gan's seat belt suddenly broke, the safety bar was not fit snugly enough to her body to prevent her from falling. A viral video shows the girl slipping out of her seat the first time that the ride goes upside down. She is left dangling with one leg still tied to the seat belt. Unfortunately, on the second revolution she is slammed down to the ground.
Afterward, Gan was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

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The following night, Gan's father signed an agreement with the park, which will pay 870,000 yuan in compensation for his daughter's tragic death.
Further investigations are still ongoing. The ride has been shut down as have some others in the park. The State Administration for Quality Supervision announced that 18 amusement parks around the country also have the same ride. They have all been closed down.
You watch the video below, viewer discretion is advised:


https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist/videos/10155427976356030/

[GeneChing]

Outcry as atheist Chinese government spends £478 million building a grand Christian-themed park (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4200282/470m-Christian-theme-park-built-China.html?ITO=applenews)

The Xingsha Ecological Park in Changsha features a 260ft tall Christian church
Citizens are worried the attraction will undermine widespread secular beliefs
It is set to open in June 2017 and there is no word if there is an entrance fee

By Sadie Whitelocks for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 10:58 EST, 7 February 2017 | UPDATED: 13:48 EST, 7 February 2017

A new £478million Christian-themed park in China has allegedly sparked outrage among the country's largely atheist population.

The Xingsha Ecological Park in Changsha, the capital of central China’s Hunan province, features a 260ft tall Christian church inspired by Noah's Ark and a bible institute.

But many citizens are apparently worried that the religious attraction - set to open in June 2017 - will undermine widespread secular beliefs.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/07/14/3CECC76600000578-0-image-a-69_1486476568998.jpg
The Xingsha Ecological Park in Changsha, the capital of central China’s Hunan province, features a 260ft tall Christian church inspired by Noah's Ark and a bible institute

According to the Hindustan Times, some local residents were angered after learning that the local government subsidised the pricey project. This move appears to contradict the main government, which is atheist.

One commentator highlighted that Hunan is the birthplace of the late communist leader Chairman Mao Zedong and would 'never tolerate the overflowing of religion'.

A representative of the park's construction team said on local news that recreation facility wasn't intended to be controversial and it was designed as a romantic spot for couples to shoot wedding photos.

The park in covers 1.6 million square feet (150,000 square metres) in total.

It was reported that the park had a soft launch during the Chinese New Year, welcoming a limited number of families to give it a test run.

According to a 2015 study, 90 per cent of all Chinese consider themselves to be atheists or not to be religious.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/07/14/3CECC85300000578-0-image-a-70_1486476584559.jpg
Controversial: According to the Hindustan Times , some local residents were angered after learning that the local government subsidized the pricey project

Although the country has deep religious traditions, decades of Communist rule have installed a leaning towards atheism.

However, after Chairman Mao's death in 1976 many churches started reopening and over recent years a trend towards religion has flourished.

Indeed, Fenggang Yang, a professor of sociology at Purdue University in Indiana, previously forecast that China was on track to become the 'largest Christian country in the world' due to the tidal change.

Many Christian churches were demolished in the mid-20th century but recently their has been a leaning towards restoring and rebuilding houses of worship.

Professor Yang, a leading expert on religion in China, also predicted the country would boast the largest Christian congregation in the world by 2030, with more than 247 million worshipers, placing it above Mexico, Brazil and the U.S.

'Mao thought he could eliminate religion. He thought he had accomplished this,' Prof Yang told The Telegraph. 'It's ironic - they didn't. They actually failed completely.'

There is no word on if the new Xingsha Ecological Park carries an entrance fee and if construction work is running to schedule.


Interesting on China and Christianity.

[GeneChing]

Polar and ski parks are coming to Lingang (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/metro/society/Polar-and-ski-parks-are-coming-to-Lingang/shdaily.shtml)
By Yang Jian | February 15, 2017, Wednesday

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A huge polar-themed ocean park will open in July 2018 in the Lingang area in the city’s southeast — part of a Pudong master plan to revamp the area.

As well as a skiing park and planetarium, the master plan will see two new universities opening and other colleges setting up campuses, officials said.

With these new facilities, the Lingang area in the Pudong New Area aims to attract 450,000 residents and 10 million tourists annually by 2020, according to the Lingang management committee.

Shanghai Polar Ocean World, which is planned to cover 300,000 square meters, will include four marine animal interactive programs, three theaters and a further 15 entertainment facilities, its developer said. Upon completion, the park aims to showcase a broad range of Arctic and Antarctic wildlife. It’s a 90-minute drive from People’s Square in the city center.

Land preparation work has started on the skiing park named WinterStar near the polar park, which is planned to become one of the world’s largest indoor skiing resorts, according to the committee.

Construction has also started on Shanghai Planetarium, which is scheduled to open in 2020 to become the world’s largest planetarium.

Several universities will open campuses in the Lingang area, and two new ones are setting up shop — the Sino-French arts and design management school of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Sino-British International Low-carbon College. Both will start enrollment in September.

Construction is under way for a new campus for the Shanghai University of Electric Power.

A yacht training base has also been planned in Lingang, the committee added. Construction has also begun on modern office buildings, hotels, shopping malls and convention centers.

The port area of the city aims to develop itself into a new town featuring science and technology, culture, finance, trade and tourism.

The committee has announced that professionals in the area will be encouraged to apply for local hukou, or household registration, in a move aimed at attracting talented personnel to help to realize its ambition.

Such professionals will also enjoy preferential housing prices, low rents and accommodation subsidies.

In the future, Lingang will promote an 18.9 kilometer, medium-capacity traffic system, along with electric buses, as well as vehicle and bicycle sharing programs to create a green and efficient public transport system, the committee said.

China is sure getting some unusual theme parks now.

[GeneChing]

Spinning amusement park ride suddenly collapses at Gansu temple fair, 9 injured (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/03/13/swing_ride_collapse.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON MAR 13, 2017 4:00 PM

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Thrill seekers at a temple fair in Gansu province got a bit more of a thrill than they bargained for last Thursday when the spinning chair ride they were on suddenly collapsed slamming them to the ground.
Nine people were injured in the accident in Xihe county, including one child. The owners of the facilities were detained by police for questioning. A witness told reporters that it was lucky that the ride was not higher up when it collapsed, or more people could have been hurt.
The terrifying moment that the chairs dropped without warning was caught on video. The footage went viral on Chinese social media over the weekend further raising alarms about the safety of amusement park rides in China.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4csHK-LW70c

In February, one 13-year-old girl was killed when she was thrown from her seat on a spinning amusement park ride in Chongqing. The girl's family will receive 870,000 yuan in compensation for the fatal accident.
[Video via Tencent]

I barely trust U.S. carneys for setting up their rides correctly. Outside the U.S., it's a whole other issue. :eek:

[GeneChing]

Hello Kitty indoor theme park to open in downtown Shanghai next year! (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/05/12/shanghai-hello-kitty-theme-park.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON MAY 12, 2017 10:05 PM

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In what is perhaps the most significant news to hit our fair city since the opening of Disneyland last year, it's been announced that a Hello Kitty theme park is coming soon to downtown Shanghai.
The indoor theme park will span three stories inside a mall on East Nanjing Road, the Shanghai-based Shimao Group said at a press conference on Wednesday. Shimao is in charge of building and operating the park after acquiring the licensing rights from Japan's Sanrio, which created the Hello Kitty character back in 1974 and has since groomed it into an international icon worth billions of dollars each year.

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Shimao says that it will invest almost 200 million yuan ($29 million) into the theme park, which is planned to open in October 2018. According to the company's plans, the park will incorporate elements of Shanghai into its design including showcasing three different eras in the city's history -- most notably the Shanghai of the 1920s and 1930s.
"Every Chinese has some emotions with old Shanghai times, featuring romantic and legendary attributes. While for Hello Kitty, the flurry kitten has gained worldwide popularity, adored by all-age people," Shimao Vice President Eddie Yang proclaimed, according to Shanghai Daily.
Yang also added that the park will likely limit visitors to a maximum of 3,000 per day, so you will likely need to book ahead if you want to gain entrance.
Shanghai is quickly becoming the place to visit for Hello Kitty fans. Just last year, China's first official Hello Kitty restaurant opened on Nanjing Road, offering some basic western-style food, seasoned with a strong kick of Hello Kitty branding.

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But if October 2018 is too long for you to wait, then you can always head to Anji in nearby Zhejiang province to visit China's first outdoor Hello Kitty theme park. We hear it is quite the experience.

http://shanghaiist.com/upload/2015/07/hellokittythemepark-3.jpg

There was a Hello Kitty themed store in the mall nearby. It closed after a run of several years.

[GeneChing]

This sounds really un-entertaining. I guess you really gotta luv soccer. :confused:


China Building Theme Park Dedicated to Soccer Star Lionel Messi (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/messi-theme-park-china-1009730)
10:12 PM PDT 6/1/2017 by Scott Roxborough , Patrick Brzeski

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Lionel Messi

The Messi Experience Park in Nanjing is expected to open in 2019.

Cristiano Ronaldo might have that weird statue, but Lionel Messi is getting his own theme park.

The Argentine soccer superstar, whom many consider the game's greatest player ever, on Thursday announced a deal with Spanish and Chinese partners to create a theme park in Nanjing, China dedicated to his own likeness and achievements on the field.

When finished — plans are for a 2019 unveiling — the Messi Experience Park will offer, according to its backers: “the most cutting-edge technology, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in all things Messi by combining the latest-generation attractions with the very best advances in content and multimedia attractions.” Some 20 attractions are planned for the park, which will be built across 500,000 square feet of indoor space and a further 130,000 square feet of outdoor playing area.

Messi's Leo Messi Management, the group that manages the rights to his image, will develop the park together with Chinese broadcaster Phoenix Group and Spanish media giant Group Mediapro. Mediapro operates several sports-related exhibition spaces and theme parks, including the Futbol Club Barcelona Museum for Messi's home club, FC Barcelona.

The Messi Experience Park is only the latest addition to a theme park boom in China, as international media companies look to tap into the exploding market for on-site entertainment in the region. According to World Travel Market and Euromonitor, theme park revenue in China will reach $12 billion by 2020, overtaking both the U.S. and Japan, the world's two largest markets today.

The House of Mouse was the first major U.S. brand to plant its flag in the Middle Kingdom, unveiling its flagship Shanghai Disneyland Resort there last year. Rival Comcast, meanwhile, is set to open its own Universal Beijing in 2020. And Six Flags Entertainment is at work on four amusement parks in China, while the U.K.'s Merlin Entertainment has deal with China Media Capital to develop several parks in the country.

The overseas operators will have to contend with local competition from Beijing-based real estate conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, which has pledged tens of billions to building a network of 15 Chinese theme parks and vowed to dominate the sector over the next decade.

[GeneChing]

I'm really curious about how Disney characters are translated into Chinese - like is Snow White Baixue? Anyone know?


Shanghai Disneyland Hits 11M Admissions in First Year, Exceeding Forecasts (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/shanghai-disneyland-hits-11m-admissions-first-year-exceeding-forecasts-1014126)
1:19 AM PDT 6/16/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2016/06/shanghai_disneyland_band_0517zu_3754ta.jpg
Walt Disney Co.
Shanghai Disneyland

The $5.5 billion Chinese theme park celebrated its one-year anniversary on Friday.

The Walt Disney Co. announced Friday that its Shanghai Disney Resort had hit 11 million admissions in its first year, surpassing its early forecasts.

At a series of anniversary events held at the Chinese theme park on Friday, Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and CEO Bob Iger were set to speak.

"Shanghai Disney Resort’s first anniversary is cause for great celebration for everyone involved in bringing this spectacular dream to life," said Walt Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger in an emailed statement. "We’re grateful to the people of China for making this unique destination a tremendous success — more than 11 million guests have already visited, and we look forward to welcoming many more in the years to come."

"The resort exceeded every one of The Walt Disney Company’s expectations, from theme park attendance to guest satisfaction," Disney said in a statement.

The 963-acre Shanghai Disneyland Resort is already in the process of expanding. In November, Disney revealed that it had broken ground on a new Toy Story Land. Based on the hit Pixar franchise featuring the characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear, the new attraction is expected to open in 2018.

Disney said the attendance figures announced Monday reflected its confidence in the robust demand for theme-park entertainment in China.

The Chinese theme-park industry is on track to surpass that of the U.S. in the next few years. By 2020, ticket sales at Chinese theme parks will surge to $12 billion from $4.6 billion in 2015, according to a joint report by market research firm Euromonitor International and World Travel Market released late last year. Theme-park revenue in the U.S., meanwhile, is expected to inch upwards to $9 billion in 2020 from $8 billion in 2015, the researchers said.

Shanghai Disneyland currently comprises six themed lands, a Broadway-style theater, live entertainment venues, two hotels, a shopping district with over 50 retailers, a 123-acre recreational park and Disney's “tallest, largest and most interactive castle." The company says the park site still has three square kilometers of empty land available for expansion.

Guests were entertained Friday by the Mandarin version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as a montage of photos and videos highlighting events of the first year at Shanghai Disney Resort were projected on the facade of the Enchanted Storybook Castle along with actual guest videos and images.

[GeneChing]

A VR town. Where nothing can go wrong...go wrong...go wrong...


Looking for Westworld? Head east (https://qz.com/1018140/looking-for-westworld-head-east/)

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/dong-hu-vr-e1499241901756.png?w=1600
Has China found the center of the maze? (YouTube screenshot / Dong Hu VR Town)

WRITTEN BY Jennifer Katanyoutant
OBSESSION China's Transition
5 hours ago

Imagine living in a city where every inch of public space is a portal into a different world. Instead of a local park, you have a role-playing arena where citizens dress up as survivalists on the hunt for island boar. The town hall doubles as an e-sports gaming arena where people take video-game classes instead of summer school. A gamer would die happy in the real world if they could wake up here in this virtual one.
But you don’t have to imagine: It’s called Taihu Mermaid Small Town.
Located on the outskirts of Shanghai, local governors in the Jiangsu province of WuXi are planning to build a literal virtual reality Westworld . Taihu will have five live-action role-play zones, a 48,000 square meter (517,000 square foot) stage area, a 71,200 sq m commercial plaza, and a digital-industry park for engineers, scientists, and R&D labs. Two more towns, Dong Hu and Beido Bay VR Village, have started similar projects, offering entrepreneurs incentives like rent-free offices, apartments, and startup capital. Taihu will cost upward of $20 billion yuan (USD$3 billion), and is part of a broader trend to take development outside of the already vibrant economic zones of Shenzhen and Shanghai and spread it further west.

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A projected image of what Taihu Mermaid Small Town might look like, geodesic domed beach and all. (Screenshot/Taihu Mermaid Small Town)

In this way, China is future-proofing the country by dedicating entire towns to different emerging technologies—a move that’s part marketing, part politics. “New technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality are developing by leaps and bounds” said president Xi Jinping his 2016 B20 Summit keynote, and will be key to developing an “innovative world society.” Keeping to his word, Xi has increased funding opportunities in these areas, even surpassing the United States on funding AI research. If China can successfully corner the market on defining technologies of our time, it can get a leg up on the rest of the world.
That sprint has already begun. Facebook’s $3 billion acquisition of Oculus VR in 2014 set off a virtual international space race, with the US and China taking the early lead. China’s new VR towns signal their commitment to charging ahead, but the question is if they pull it off. For example, the technology needed for the arena-sized location-based gaming they promise at Taihu is not ready yet. And as one major hardware change can lead to an entire shift in the industry, it’s difficult to commit to multimillion-dollar infrastructure projects.
It’s not just money they need to make it work: It’s people, too. Large projects like these need storytelling soft skills and a cocktail of interdisciplinary talent to brainstorm what these towns would look like. A fully-functioning city will need an army of artists, researchers, designers, architects, writers, and a host of other specialties that probably haven’t been invented yet. Disney “imagineers” alone come from 140 different disciplines. Leading new location-based gaming companies like THE VOID, Spaces, and Nomadic have DreamWorks, Pixar, Google, and Industrial Light & Magic executives helming them.
And then there’s the hardware. Although some of these VR towns have already launched, none have officially partnered with any leading headset manufacturers; HTC Vive is focusing on broader national objectives while the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift is banned in China. According to the China’s president of HTC Vive, Alvin Graylin Wang, HTC has partnered with China’s National Tourism Board to promote VR in China, but have no connections to these individual city-level projects. That’s because Wang is skeptical they will work: “The people who are involved in it are not necessarily VR experts and are using it to sell more real estate or get more business interest,” Wang says. “But if you haven’t thought about how it flows into your daily lives, then it is probably not going to solve the issues.”
The reality of these towns is currently far removed from what they promise. Right now, most of these towns are just empty rooms with headsets sprinkled around. “It’s a lot more buzz than it is real right now,” he says. “Trying to make every part of your life dedicated to VR technology is, again, a little too early. Maybe in 10 years or so it will make a little more sense.”
China’s VR cities aren’t the first industry-specific towns of their kind. Similar projects have been conducted with drone cities, and they are also shifting further and further into high-tech research and development with Lingang New City, a $5.6 billion, 133 sq km satellite city near Shanghai.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__f8VcbiTXw

Wade Shepard, author of Ghost Cities of China, has been researching China’s development models for the past decade. He has noticed a new pattern where the government invests in basic infrastructure then invites in niche markets that specialize in developing one kind of industry. “A lot of these are the local governments’ pet projects, and they want them to get attention, so they build them to be different, to be extreme,” Shepard says.
This often means that local governments have to promise a lot up front to get the ball rolling, and then hope they attract the right people along the way. For example, this model was used to develop the Chinese Medical City, 30 sq km north of the Yangtze River between Shanghai and Nanjing. The area was considered a backwater in 2005, but thanks to policies that allow CMC-based pharmaceutical companies to leapfrog multiple bureaucratic levels, they were able to get their drugs directly in front of the CFDA, China’s drug regulation body.
“State-level projects are not really allowed to fail,” Shepard says. “These new areas kind of become self-fulfilling prophecies. Developers and investors know that the projects will be successful because the central government won’t allow them to fail, so they invest and ultimately make them successful.” Ten years later, this ghost city is slowly filling up with business.
It’s still too early to know if Taihu Mermaid Small Town will gain the traction it needs to survive. But if they can introduce policies that attract and retain technical and creative talent, China can strengthen its foothold over an increasingly virtual world.
“They have a master plan,” Shepard says. “Whether it works or not is kind of a big question.”

[GeneChing]

Here's Wang's 'wolf pack' comment on the WAnda & AMC thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69324-Wanda-amp-AMC&p=1295652#post1295652) - so much for the Chinese theme parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks) play...


China's Wanda Retreats From Theme Park Business With $9.3 Billion Deal (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-wanda-retreats-theme-park-business-93-billion-deal-1019589)
11:53 PM PDT 7/9/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

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Getty Images
Wang Jianlin

Just last year, the company's billionaire chairman Wang Jianlin boasted that his "wolf pack" of theme parks would drive the Walt Disney Co. out of China.

Dalian Wanda Group, led by Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, says it has reached a landmark deal to sell its theme park business to Sunac China for $9.3 billion.

The agreement — which is said to be the second-biggest real estate transaction ever in China — signals a major deescalation of Wanda's once mighty ambitions in the theme park sector. Wang, one of China's most prominent businessmen, announced plans just last year to build at least 20 major location-based tourism projects across the Middle Kingdom. At the time, he also boasted that his "wolf pack" of theme parks would drive the Walt Disney Co.'s "lone tiger" — Shanghai Disneyland — out of the country.

Under the terms of the deal with Sunac, Wanda is selling a 91 percent stake in nearly all of its current and planned tourism projects, including three recently launched theme parks, and 72 of its 102 hotels in China.

The deal is understood to be part of Wanda's drive to cut its massive debt load and bolster its case with Beijing regulators for an IPO. The conglomerate pulled its core property unit off of the Hong Kong stock exchange last year, with plans to relist in mainland China, where valuations are among the world's highest.

Wanda said Sunac will take over responsibility for the tourism projects' loans and financing, while Wanda will continue to design, build and manage the resorts under its own brand name.

Wanda did not officially state a reason for the sale, but in an interview with Chinese business outlet Caixin, Wang said the deal would substantially reduce Wanda's debt and move the company closer to the "asset-light" model he has been publicly espousing for some time.

"Through this asset transfer, Wanda Commercial's debt ratio will be greatly reduced, all the proceeds will be used to repay loans. Wanda Commercial plans to repay most of the bank loans this year," Wang told Caixin.

Best known in China as a real estate developer, Wanda began building theme parks a few years ago as part of an aggressive diversification into what China calls the "culture industry," comprising the entertainment, sports and tourism sectors. Believing the high-growth era for the country's real estate industry to be in its twilight, Wang has tried to pivot his conglomerate to capitalize on the Chinese government's efforts to transition the country towards a consumer-led economy. Wang also sought to establish his conglomerate as one of the leading flag-bearers for China Inc. overseas.

The twin endeavors have entailed acquiring domestic and international cinema chains — such as North America's largest, AMC Entertainment — and an array of overseas sports and leisure assets, such as British yacht-maker Sunseeker, the company behind the Iron Man triathlon races, and U.S. movie studio Legendary Entertainment.

The theme park sell-off could be viewed as Wanda's response to the Chinese government's mounting concerns over the level of red ink coursing through the national economy — particularly the systemic threats posed by the recent, debt-fueled buying sprees of China's large conglomerates. Last month, the China Central Banking Commission instructed state banks to assess their exposure to the debt raised by several local giants, including Wanda, to finance overseas acquisitions.

The deal with Sunac also may be a tacit admission of just how much Wanda has struggled to devise a winning formula in the complex theme parks business. The company's first major attraction, Wanda Movie Park Wuhan, opened in central China in late 2014 and closed within months after early admission numbers plummeted. Wanda said the park was shutting down temporarily for upgrades, but it has yet to reopen. The company's major theme park development in Nanchang — which Wang talked up on state television last year while publicly dismissing Disney's Chinese theme park ambitions — reported attendance of approximately 1.3 million in its first seven months. Shanghai Disneyland, meanwhile, hit 11 million visitors in its first full year.

Sunac is one of China's largest real estate developers, based in the Eastern Chinese city of Tianjin. The company is led by Sun Hongbin, whose net worth Forbes estimates to be $2 billion. Sunac has become an increasingly visible dealmaker. Earlier this year, it threw a lifeline to Beijing-based LeEco Holdings, investing $2.2 billion in the troubled tech and entertainment company.

Wanda says the $9.3 billion deal with Sunac will be finalized in a detailed agreement later this month.

[GeneChing]

Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks) meets Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57980-Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs) (and other countries) :p


5 Infamous Theme Parks That TOTALLY Ripped Off Disney (http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20120114/5744/top-5-asian-disneyland-clones)
By Brian Krosnick, Tuesday, June 24, 2014 09:20

http://www.themeparktourist.com/sites/default/files/styles/news_feature_image/public/fake-minnie-donald.jpeg?itok=3T9IjM_5
Two characters at Shijingshan

With Shanghai Disneyland in the works, it’s high time to size up the competition. Asia is full of parks that border on (and sometimes surpass) copyright infringement on Disneyland's characters, universally-known buildings, and outstanding attractions.

In fact, so many have tried to duplicate Disneyland’s success and beauty, Asia has more fairytale castles than the United States (though not all are still inhabited). So take a look at the parks below and draw your own conclusions – can Shanghai Disneyland compete with Asia’s other “Disney” parks? And can any of the alleged copycats withstand the "real thing" moving into town?

5. Wonderland (Beijing, China)

http://www.themeparktourist.com/sites/default/files/images/Wonderland%20Beijing%20Castle.preview.jpg
A fairytale castle stands as a beacon of what might have been for farmers working the fields that used to be earmarked for Beijing's Wonderland. Image: Stuck in Customs

A bid to construct Asia’s largest theme park fell through amid troubling economic times in 1998. The land was reclaimed for farm use, with fields of crops overtaking much of the 100 acres designated for the park’s use. As such, farmers found their 100-acre field protected by a twenty-five foot castle wall boundary intended as the park’s gates. Passing through the steel framework of a never-completed main street, crops were tended around the base of a unfinished concrete castle. The images are intriguing and eerie at the least.

4. Dream World (Bangkok, Thailand)

http://www.themeparktourist.com/sites/default/files/images/Dream-World_1.preview.jpeg

Dream World in Thailand’s Pathum Thani province is a truly quaint, entertaining family park with quite a few interesting gardens, family attractions, and some uniquely done rides. But in name, the park borrows quite a few Disney themes. First of all, the Fantasy Land area features “Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.” In Adventure Land, you’ll find an amalgamation of jungle and future themed rides, and a select few attractions that harken to Disneyland favorites: “Haunted Mansion,” “Monorail Tour,” “Space Mountains” and the unfortunately named “Red Indian’s Boats.” And guests entering park pass under a façade that unmistakably resembles Disneyland’s “it’s a small world.”

3. Shijingshan Amusement Park (Beijing, China)

http://www.themeparktourist.com/sites/default/files/resize/u2616/Beijing-Shijingshan-Amusement-Park-600x366.jpg

Where can you find Mickey Mouse, Shrek, Bugs Bunny, and Hello Kitty residing together in a fairytale castle next to a replica of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth? Well, nowhere. But you can find their unauthorized counterparts at Shijingshan. There, in the shadow of Cinderella Castle’s evil-twin of sorts (trading in white and blue spires for tan and red ones) you’ll find familiar characters who the park officially defends are based on Grimm’s Fairy Tales. You can decide for yourself, of course, but the park’s official slogan translated to English reads: “Disney is too far to go, please come to Shijianshan!“'

2. Nara Dreamland (Nara, Japan)

http://www.themeparktourist.com/sites/default/files/resize/images/nara-dreamland-ruins60-490x393.jpeg

From the train station and Mainstreet, to the Castle and Matterhorn, Nara Dreamland was a unique blend of Disneyland and big wooden coaster.

This now-closed theme park – made famous in the theme park community by a photo trip report on Theme Park Review – resembles Disneyland in a way few others can rival. From Main Street to the pink and blue fairy tale castle, the Matterhorn, the monorail, the Jungle Cruise, and a sparsely decorated Tomorrowland were all represented. But something was decidedly amiss – pickup trucks parked on midways, portable carnival rides in “Fantasyland,” and dilapidated, crumbling facades. Add in the aptly named Screw Coaster, a wooden playground, and the actually-decent Aska wooden coaster and you’ve got one strange grab-bag of amusement.

1. Lotte World (Seoul, South Korea)

http://www.themeparktourist.com/sites/default/files/images/lotte_world_theme_park.preview.jpeg

While it does borrow elements from Disneyland, Lotte World is a successful resort of its own doing. It imitates (and sometimes surpasses) Disney Parks in innovation and beauty.

It may be unfair to call Lotte World in Seoul, South Korea a “copyright infringing” park. In fact, Lotte World is a wildly successful and innovative resort all on its own that, like so many others, borrows from the successes of Disneyland here and there. Sometimes, the park’s rides come across as an imitation. Other times, they seem to surpass any potential “sisters” that Disney has devised. Comprised of the world’s largest indoor theme park and an outdoor amusement park built around a white and blue castle, some offerings may sound familiar.

A water, fire, light, projection, and music show called Fantastic Odyssey (perhaps a take on Disney’s Fantasmic!) resides near Jungle Adventure, an indoor river rapids ride past animatronics jungle scenes. One of the park’s most incredible attractions is Pharaoh’s Fury, an EMV ride that resembles and rivals Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure with impressive effects, incredible scenery, and out-of-control motion-base technology. And like any good Disney-esque park, you can always meet Lotty and Lorry, two anthropomorphic raccoons that wear a blue suit and a red skirt & hair bow, respectively. Whatever you call it, it is truly among the “best” borrowers of Disneyland’s ideas in that it succeeds in implementing them in new and inventive ways.

[GeneChing]

Better than Beijing Donald Duck I suppose...


Donald Duck faints from heat at Shanghai Disneyland, praised by netizens for his dedication (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/08/10/donald-duck-overheats.php)
BY SHANGHAIIST IN NEWS ON AUG 10, 2017 5:10 AM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_hot5.jpg

Feeling victimized by the oppressive August heat? Well rest assured, it could be worse. Your livelihood could involve donning an oven-like fuzzy suit and parading around under the midday sun to the dulcet tones of children swarming all around you.
Shanghai is an inferno these days, but unlike the Shanghai Zoo’s panda cohort, the "Imagineers" over at Disneyland don't get frozen apples and ice blocks to help them sweat out the summer. The recent record-setting heatwave's latest casualty was Donald Duck, who fainted from exhaustion during a parade last week.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_hot3.jpg

Video surfaced recently on Weibo of the character slumped down in a Disney "dream car" before park staff escorted him away from the scene. The incident adds to an already checkered history for the Donald at Shanghai Disneyland.

As another infamously temperamental Donald kicked off a 17-day "working vacation" at his private golf course in New Jersey, his Shanghai Disney counterpart earned praise online for his strong work ethic and dedication to his craft. Netizens applauded the employee’s heroic refusal to break character and his commitment to preserving childhood innocence amid oppressive conditions.
Anyone questioning the difficulty of the gig, look no further than laowai Donnie’s failed attempt to hold it down last summer:

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donnie_donald_duck2.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donnie_donald_duck.jpg

Shanghai Disneyland would be well-advised to give the Donald and his fellow Imagineers access to the Enchanted Storybook Castle, a place that according to Donnie, “had a great breeze and provided the only shade in the park, which goes a long way when it’s 106 ****ing degrees out.”

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/donald_duck_hot.gif

By Henry Knight
[Images via The Paper]

[GeneChing]

It may not be a 'Chinese' theme park (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks&p=1304443#post1304443), but it's Hunger Games (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?63225-The-Hunger-Games) and Twilight (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57648-Finally!-A-Twilight-Saga-thread).


https://fortunedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/hunger-games-twilight.jpg?w=720&quality=85
MOVIES
‘Hunger Games’ and ‘Twilight’ Are Getting Their Own Theme Park (http://fortune.com/2017/08/16/hunger-games-twilight-lionsgate-movie-world/)
Mahita Gajanan
Aug 16, 2017
The studio behind popular film franchises like Hunger Games and Twilight has announced plans to open a theme park in South Korea.
The movie studio Lionsgate announced Tuesday that it will open Lionsgate Movie World, a 1.3 million-square-foot theme part that will comprise seven different "zones" dedicated to a different film from Lionsgate. The park, which is the first branded outdoor theme park for Lionsgate, will be a part of Jeju Shinhwa World, a resort located on South Korea's Jeju Island.
Each "zone" of Lionsgate Movie World will be focused on different blockbusters from the studio, including Hunger Games, Twilight, Now You See Me and the upcoming remake of Robin Hood. The zones will feature reproduced streets and towns from the films, rides that bring visitors to scenes from movies and themed restaurants.The movies inspiring the zones at Lionsgate Movie World have collectively grossed about $9 billion at the global box office, according to Lionsgate. The theme park is scheduled to open in 2019.

[GeneChing]

China’s newest answer to Disneyland is a mish-mash of Eastern and Western myth and fantasy (https://qz.com/1063323/evergrande-hkg-3333-childrens-world-chinas-newest-answer-to-disneyland-is-a-mix-of-eastern-and-western-fantasies/)
China Evergrande Group Chairman Hui Ka Yan attends a news conference on the property developer's annual results in Hong Kong, China March 28, 2017.

https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/rtx330tl-e1503898183272.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1600
Hui Ka Yan owns China's biggest property developer by sales. (Reuters/Bobby Yip)

WRITTEN BY
Zheping Huang
OBSESSION
China's Transition
August 28, 2017

It looks like the job of crushing Disneyland in China has been passed from one of the country’s richest men to another.
China Evergrande Group, a property developer based in southern China and majority-owned by billionaire Hui Ka Yan, announced Sunday (Aug. 27) that it would build 15 amusement parks across the country. Hui’s plans came not long after fellow property tycoon Wang Jianlin gave up on his ambition to beat the Magic Kingdom, as his Dalian Wanda Group offloaded its theme-park assets to reduce its debt burden last month.
Branded Children’s World, Evergrande’s theme parks will be scattered in second-tier cities including Changsha in central China, Guizhou in southwestern China, and two cities in eastern Zhejiang province, a drive of a few hours from Shanghai, where mainland China’s lone Disney resort is based. Each theme park aims to attract more than 15 million visitors and generate around $3 billion in revenue from tourism-related services annually, the company said in a statement (link in Chinese). Construction will be completed between 2019 and 2022.
Evergrande has unveiled several theme parks, each costing $7 billion, with local governments earlier this year, but on Sunday the Chinese developer more clearly billed its parks as a direct challenge to Disneyland in China. Evergrande said in the statement that each of its theme parks will host 33 large-scale rides, whereas a Disney theme park usually has just 18 to 22. It added that the Children’s World will be the world’s first “all-indoor, all-weather, all-season” large-scale theme park.
How does Evergrande hope to win Chinese hearts away from Mickey Mouse? The answer is a cocktail of Chinese and Western fantasies. According to Chinese media reports, Evergrande’s Children’s World will feature Chinese mythological characters as inspiration for rides including Chang’e, the goddess of the moon, and Pan Gu, a giant who created the universe. Meanwhile, parts of the theme parks will be devoted to Western figures including Greek god of the sea Poseidon, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland (many might associate Alice and Cinderella with Disney movies, but the characters are from stories in the public domain.)
Evergrande became China’s biggest property developer by sales last year, but its growth is fueled by high debt too. People who follow its business are skeptical that climbing aboard China’s theme park bandwagon is going to make for a fun ride. Those actually sound like some really cool rides. I luv Alice in Wonderland and Chinese myth.

[GeneChing]

Yeah, this thread is good and robust. :)


Theme park operator China Travel sees 39pc rise in profit as tourist numbers and spending continue to soar (http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2108918/theme-park-operator-china-travel-sees-39pc-rise-profit-tourist)
Strong first half leaves company on track to beat full-year profit estimates
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 August, 2017, 12:32pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 August, 2017, 10:27pm
Lam Ka-sing

https://cdn2.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2017/08/30/22f8c33e-8d3a-11e7-9f40-4d9615941c08_1280x720_182102.JPG?itok=LB9YlZjS

China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Limited, which also operates whole leisure resorts, registered net profit of HK$375 million (US$47.9 million), or 6.88 HK cents a share.
The results leaves the company on track to beat its full-year profit estimate of HK$548 million, polled by Thomson Reuters on seven analysts.
“The domestic tourism industry maintained double-digit growth, compared with a national 6.9 per cent rise in gross domestic product in the first half of the year,” said its chairman Zhang Fengchun.
China Travel enjoyed strong 38 per cent growth in income, especially at its core tourist attractions to HK$311 million, Zhang said, including its “Window of the World” theme park in Shenzhen.
The firm will pay a 3 HK cent dividend per share, up from last year’s 2 HK cents per share.

The domestic tourism industry maintained double-digit growth, compared with a national 6.9 per cent rise in gross domestic product in the first half of the year CHINA TRAVEL CHAIRMAN ZHANG FENGCHUN
The company said it is considering a number of proposals to optimise asset structure, including spinning off some of its mainland attractions located at scenic spots for listing on the A-share market.
“As mainland regulations do not allow listing of ticket sales [operations], to realise the spin-off, we may need to reorganise certain transport assets and auxiliary businesses, such as marketing and sales,” said deputy general manager Tao Xiaobin.
In addition, China Travel is planning to sell its three-storey shop in Mong Kok, Kowloon. “While the book value is less than HK$100 million, the market price may reach HK$1 billion. The sale can improve the return on assets,” said Tao.
The group plans to convert its warehouse property in Hung Hom into a hotel or serviced apartments.
The company owns five hotels in Hong Kong and Macau, including the Metropark Hotel in Kowloon, and two in mainland China, which recorded a 58 per cent rise in profit to HK$61 million in the half. Their total revenue rose 29 per cent to HK$2.35 billion in the period.
The company also booked a HK$29 million gain from the sale of its Yangzhou Metropark Hotel in Jiangsu Province, in February.
The company manages 12 theme parks, natural scenic spots, leisure resorts in the mainland, and has equity stakes in all but four, which attracted some 5.2 million visitors, contributing profit of HK$68 million, up 4 per cent from last year.
The “Window of the World” park enjoyed a massive 133 per cent surge in visitor numbers generated through e-commerce, with that for revenue increasing 70 per cent. After a strong marketing push, the venue also increased group bookings by nearly a quarter.
Zhang said he is now hopeful of even more robust growth to come, as a result of China’s flagship economic programme, The “Belt and Road Initiative”, adding his firm will explore opportunities along the ancient Silk Road trading routes, which present rich pickings for tourism.
He admitted, however, he expects stiffer competition in the Chinese travel industry though the average consumer finds more money in their pockets to spend on leisure pursuits.
“Leading private and foreign-owned travel companies are accelerating their business expansions [here] and market competition is becoming more intense, bringing increased challenges to the company,” Zhang said.
“Yet, as both China’s GDP per capita and the residents’ consumption increase continuously, the demand for travel consumption is expected to grow in tandem.
“With the support of the government, investment in the tourism industry will continue to see relatively fast growth.”
China Travel’s share price dropped slightly from HK$2.29 to HK$2.27 on Wednesday, down 0.87 per cent.

[GeneChing]

Man found dead inside Hong Kong haunted house, killed by coffin (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/09/18/hong-kong-haunted-house.php)
BY SHANGHAIIST IN NEWS ON SEP 18, 2017 8:50 PM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/buried_alive2.jpg

Hong Kong's Ocean Park has closed a Halloween-themed haunted house attraction after a man died on Saturday afternoon from injuries that he sustained after stumbling into a restricted area of the ride.
The 21-year-old man surnamed Cheung was found unconscious behind the scenes of a seasonal spooky attraction called "Buried Alive." According to the park's website, visitors who dared enter the attraction would "experience being buried alive alone, before fighting their way out of their dark and eerie grave." To go down into the attraction, guests would hop into a coffin-shaped vehicle and slide downwards into the dark, experiencing the horrors within by themselves.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/buried_alive4.jpg

According to a park spokesperson, Cheung mistakenly ventured into the backstage area of the attraction that is reserved for maintenance staff only. There, he was hit in the head by a moving part of the slide, one of the mechanical coffins.
After being found, Cheung was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.
According to a preliminary investigation, the accident did not involve any instance of mechanical failure.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/buried_alive3.jpg

Ocean Park has offered their deepest condolences to the victim and his family and have promised to attempt to compensate their loss.
The haunted house attraction opened in 2001 and this is the first time that a fatal accident has occurred there. Ocean Park has closed the attraction while an investigation is carried out into the incident.
By Máté Mohos
[Images via HK01.com]

A Chinese Ghost Story (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58646-Here-s-your-Halloween-treat-Chinese-Ghost-Stories) set up at a theme park (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks) ride. The FEAR is high for Halloween 2017.

[GeneChing]

I was in Macao in 91. I wasn't impressed by the casinos back then, but they've grown.


SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 / 7:00 PM / 10 DAYS AGO
Real Madrid adds luster to China's wannabe 'Orlando' tourist hub (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-hengqin-economy/real-madrid-adds-luster-to-chinas-wannabe-orlando-tourist-hub-idUSKCN1BS00V)
Farah Master
4 MIN READ

http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170917&t=2&i=1201711636&r=LYNXNPED8G02A&w=1280
A layout of Hengqin under development is displayed inside a Government showroom at Hengqin Island adjacent to Macau, China September 13, 2017. Picture taken September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

HENGQIN, China (Reuters) - Just a stone’s throw across a narrow waterway from the world’s largest gambling hub Macau, a former oyster farming island is being transformed into China’s newest tourism haven.

Dubbed by some as China’s answer to Florida’s Orlando - a global tourist magnet with its cluster of major theme parks - Hengqin has seen property prices more than double over the past two years.

While still a dusty mass of construction sites, Hengqin now draws millions annually to its anchor attraction, the “Chimelong Ocean Kingdom” theme park, with a slew of hotel, malls and sprawling residential developments being built nearby. Spanish soccer club, Real Madrid, announced last week they would open an interactive “virtual reality” complex in Hengqin, in partnership with Hong Kong-listed developer, Lai Sun Group (0488.HK).

The 12,000-square metre venue, set to open in 2021, will include virtual reality entertainment and a museum showcasing the club’s history.

The transformation of Hengqin, which is three times as large as Macau, is part of Beijing’s efforts to bolster links between Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in the Pearl River Delta region, or so-called “Greater Bay Area”, modelled after other dynamic global bay areas such as Tokyo and San Francisco.

“Hengqin will be the Orlando of China. Macau is Las Vegas (and) Hong Kong is New York,” said Larry Leung, an executive with Lai Sun that is helping build the Real Madrid complex at its “Novotown” project in Hengqin. “Within an hour you can have them all.”

Novotown’s entertainment mix will also feature China’s first Lionsgate movie world with theme rides from blockbuster films such as the Hunger Games and Twilight, as well as a National Geographic educational center. And high-end hotel chains and luxury yacht makers are building more hotels and a marina on Hengqin.

http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170917&t=2&i=1201711638&r=LYNXNPED8G02B&w=940
Residential apartments are under construction at Hengqin Island adjacent to Macau, China September 13, 2017. Picture taken September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
EXPANDING MACAU

Chinese officials see Hengqin helping Macau diversify away from casinos to a more wholesome tourism industry. More than 80 percent of Macau’s public revenues come from the gambling sector.

Businesses in Macau have been encouraged to invest in Hengqin with the government providing cheaper rent and tax subsidies. Galaxy Entertainment (0027.HK), Shun Tak (0242.HK) and Macau Legend have also earmarked developments for Hengqin. Realtors expect property prices to keep rising once a sea bridge linking Hong Kong, and a high speed rail station are completed.

Hoffman Ma, deputy chairman of Success Universe Group, which operates the Ponte 16 casino in Macau, said Hengqin could take some convention and exhibition business away from the former Portuguese colony.

“It doesn’t make sense for Macau to do that, due to a consistent labour shortage,” he said.

Wang Lian, from Wuhan in central China, brought his daughter to watch whale sharks and polar bears at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom recently.

Industry reports show 8.5 million people visited China’s top theme park last year, more than Hong Kong Disneyland’s 6.1 million, and almost a third of the 28 million people who visited Macau last year.

“China’s population is so big they need something like this nearby ... its (Hengqin‘s) economic ties will also help Macau develop,” Wang said.

Additional reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by James Pomfret and Jacqueline Wong

[GeneChing]

There's a vid and a slideshow behind the link.


NOVEMBER 23, 2017 / 5:29 PM / 3 DAYS AGO
Virtual reality boom brings giant robots, cyberpunk castles to China (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-tech-theme-park/virtual-reality-boom-brings-giant-robots-cyberpunk-castles-to-china-idUSKBN1DO03B)
Joseph Campbell
3 MIN READ

GUIYANG, China (Reuters) - Giant robots and futuristic cyberpunk castles rise out of lush mountain slopes on the outskirts of Guiyang, the capital of one of China’s poorest provinces.

Welcome to China’s first virtual reality theme park, which aims to ride a boom in demand for virtual entertainment that is set to propel tenfold growth in the country’s virtual reality market, to hit almost $8.5 billion by 2020.

The 330-acre (134-hectare) park in southwestern Guizhou province promises 35 virtual reality attractions, from shoot-‘em-up games and virtual rollercoasters to tours with interstellar aliens of the region’s most scenic spots.

“After our attraction opens, it will change the entire tourism structure of Guizhou province as well as China’s southwest,” Chief Executive Chen Jianli told Reuters.

“This is an innovative attraction, because it’s just different,” he said in an interview at the park, part of which is scheduled to open next February.

The $1.5-billion Oriental Science Fiction Valley park, is part of China’s thrust to develop new drivers of growth centered on trends such as gaming, sports and cutting-edge technology, to cut reliance on traditional industries.

In the push to become a center of innovative tech, Guizhou is luring firms such as Apple Inc, which has sited its China data center there, while the world’s largest radio telescope is in nearby Pingtang county.

http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20171124&t=2&i=1211031581&r=LYNXMPEDAN020&w=940
A view of the Oriental Science Fiction Valley theme park at sunset, in Guiyang, Guizhou province, China November 16, 2017. Picture taken November 16, 2017. REUTERS/Joseph Campbell

The park says it is the world’s first of its kind, although virtual reality-based attractions from the United States to Japan already draw interest from consumers and video gamers seeking a more immersive experience.

The Guiyang park will offer tourists bungee jumps from a huge Transformer-like robot, and a studio devoted to producing virtual reality movies. Most rides will use VR goggles and motion simulators to thrill users.

Slideshow (10 Images) (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-tech-theme-park/virtual-reality-boom-brings-giant-robots-cyberpunk-castles-to-china-idUSKBN1DO03B)
“You feel like you’re really there,” said Qu Zhongjie, the park’s manager of rides. “That’s our main feature.”

China’s virtual reality market is expected to grow tenfold to 55.6 billion yuan ($8.4 billion) by the end of the decade, state-backed think-tank CCID has said.

Farmers in the nearby village of Zhangtianshui said they were concerned about pollution from big developments, but looked forward to the economic benefits a new theme park would bring. Most were less sure about virtual battles or alien invasions, though.

“There are lots of good things that come out of these projects,” one farmer, Liu Guangjun, told Reuters. “As for the virtual reality, I don’t really understand it.”

($1=6.5849 Chinese yuan renminbi)

Reporting by Joseph Campbell in GUIYANG; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Clarence Fernandez

[GeneChing]

LOOK: Shanghai Disneyland reveals what will be inside its new Toy Story Land (http://shanghaiist.com/2017/12/01/shanghai-disneyland-toy-story-land.php)
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON DEC 1, 2017 10:00 PM

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/toy_story_land23.jpg

Just because 2017 sucked, that doesn't mean that 2018 has to as well. After all, just look at all the things we have to look forward to in Shanghai: a massive polar theme park, a hotel fit for a supervillain, and a new zone opening up in Shanghai Disneyland.
The resort first announced that it was expanding to infinity and beyond last year. Now, it has revealed some details and concept art, showing what the new Toy Story Land will look like.
Of course, if you've been to either the Hong Kong or Paris Disneyland, you aren't likely to be too blown away. Just like in those two parks, the Toy Story Land will feature a U-shaped RC Racer coaster (to be called Rex's Racer), which can be pretty fun, but short and plagued by long lines.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/toy_story_land20.jpg

Along with Slinky Dog Spin, a family-style carousel ride.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/toy_story_land21.jpg

However, there will be no Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop ride in Shanghai. The attraction will instead be replaced by "Woody's Round-Up," which promises to be some sort of spinner ride.
"Sheriff Woody has rounded up a herd of ponies, each one pulling a cart, in a ranch set up by Andy. Guests can climb aboard the carts as the ponies start a little square dance swinging their carts to and fro in time to the lively music," reads the press release.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/alexlinder/toy_story_land22.jpg

Right next to Woody's Round-Up will be an Old West town facade where you can take photos with Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye. Elsewhere, there's an "Al's Toy Barn" where you can buy stuff and a "Toy Box Cafe" where you can eat.
Toy Story Land will be the seventh themed land at the Shanghai Disneyland and the first added since its opening. It's currently under construction and is set to open next summer.

The Toy Story ride at Anaheim is one of my favs.

[highlypotion]

I have never been but I have always wanted to. Maybe in our next trip, we could finally visit China.

[GeneChing]

I hadn't really thought about this much, but there are a lot of Chinese marine parks. I guess that was part of the inspiration for Jet Li's Ocean Heaven (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55101-Ocean-Heaven).


SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 / 11:06 PM / UPDATED 9 HOURS AGO
Tidal wave of Chinese marine parks fuels murky cetacean trade (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-marineparks-insight/tidal-wave-of-chinese-marine-parks-fuels-murky-cetacean-trade-idUSKCN1M00OC)
Farah Master
8 MIN READ

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Eight beluga whales jump in unison out of a bright blue indoor pool, flipping their tailfins and spewing fountains of water, as a packed audience cheers and snaps photographs.

Whale shows like the one at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, located in Zhuhai on China’s southern coast, are proliferating at new marine parks across the country, driving demand for threatened species, according to scientists, executives and activists.

Orcas and beluga whales are among the marine animals caught up in a shadowy trade in which individual cetaceans - often caught illegally - sell for millions of dollars, they say.

Marine parks and aquariums are opening monthly in China, with more than 36 large-scale projects set to launch in the coming two years. This comes as many live animal shows in the United States and Europe are being scrapped due to widespread opposition.

“We’ve had great progress in shutting down marine parks in the West but China is saying, ‘it’s my turn now’,” said Ric O’Barry, founder of the Dolphin Project, an advocacy group.

Lured by booming domestic tourism, companies such as Haichang Ocean Park (2255.HK), Guangzhou R&F Properties (2777.HK), Dalian Shengya and Chimelong Group are spearheading the rapid growth of the industry.

Haichang’s Shanghai Ocean World, which is due to open in November, and Chimelong’s Ocean Kingdom are preparing live orca shows for the first time in China.

O’Barry, who captured and trained dolphins and orcas before launching a campaign against captive marine mammals in 1970, said China was the main driver of the industry globally.

Over 60 marine parks already operate in China, ranging from large-scale developments like Chimelong’s Ocean Kingdom, to small facilities which are typically add-ons to big property projects, said industry executives.

https://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20180920&t=2&i=1306261732&w=1200&r=LYNXNPEE8J0EK

Chimelong, Haichang, Dalian Shengya, Zhonghong Group and Rizhao Ocean Park did not respond to multiple requests for comment. R&F said its planned resort would only include wild captured cetaceans if they had been rescued, or came from reputable zoos and aquariums.

Cities often initiate marine park projects as an eye-catching way of raising their profiles, and offer developers vast tracts of land and cheap loans to build them.

Noble Coker, president of Apex Parks and Entertainment Services, which works with theme parks in Asia, said marine facilities were often a secondary consideration in an overall deal to acquire land from municipal governments.

Developers benefit from the quick development and sale of residential or commercial property, he said, with elements like marine parks typically paid for by the property sales.

“All of the incentives for the developers are in the short-term, so the 20-year moral and ethical impacts of the park or aquarium they are building are rarely, if ever, considered,” said Coker.

ILLEGAL CAPTURES

Since 2014, 872 cetaceans - which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises - have been put into captivity in China, according to the China Cetacean Association.

There are currently no local government regulations or international standards to monitor the trade, said Lucio Conti, vice president for marine facilities at Atlantis Sanya, a resort located in China’s tropical Hainan province.

Conti said Atlantis was working with the government to establish an animal welfare standard at a time when there was growing illegal trade of endangered wildlife.

“If you go to the fishermen here on the island they can get you whatever you want. They can get you a whale shark, they can get you every species, endangered or not because there is no such control.”

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism referred a request for comment to the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, which is in charge of wildlife issues.

The administration referred questions to the State Oceanic Administration, which in turn referred questions to the Ministry of Natural Resources. That ministry referred questions to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Many Chinese marine parks feature whale sharks, belugas, dolphins and manta rays. But no orcas - or killer whales, known for their distinctive black and white coloring - have been displayed publicly up to now.

At least 13 Russian orcas were imported to China between 2013 and 2016, according to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Another two were sent in 2017 and more are set to be imported this year, according to Oxana Fedorova, head of Dolphin Project Russia.

CITES did not reveal the companies involved.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a UK-based group, said Chimelong Ocean Kingdom possesses nine orcas, Shanghai Haichang Polar Ocean World has four and two more are at Wuxi Changqiao Ocean Kingdom.

Russia, which is the sole supplier of wild orcas and beluga whales to China, in July announced an investigation into the illegal sale of 7 killer whales.

Four companies were involved in the sale of the orcas to China, according to a statement from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office. It did not name the companies or the destination of the orcas.

Russia approved a capture quota for 13 orcas in 2018. Several killer whales have already been caught in Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk, said activists monitoring the hunt in August.

“The problem is the demand that is being created in China,” said Fedorova, who worked with the team, organized by Ocean Friends. She said the team of seven had been threatened, shot at and robbed by the hunters.

The activists said they were unable to record the captures on film as their drone was shot down.

However, a photograph from Ocean Friends showed transportation tanks on a Russian ship called Jurii Shvezov holding two orcas.

A representative from Kupets, the company that owns the ship, said it was engaged in the transportation of orcas and did not catch them. She declined to comment further.

DISPOSABLE MANNER

Naomi Rose, a Washington-based marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, said the captures were unsustainable and inhumane.


Haichang Ocean Park Holdings Ltd
1.67
2255.HKHONG KONG STOCK
+0.01(+0.60%)
2255.HK
2255.HK2777.HK
She added that the prospect of high profits would continue to attract a criminal element.

“When you have that much money involved - where an animal is worth several million dollars- you are going to have crime and danger.”

Once in captivity, the rate of mortality is extremely high, said activists. This forces companies to continually repurchase marine animals.

“They just suffer in captivity. Especially for orcas, they are the most unsuitable to be put in a tank. Their culture is in the wild,” said Taison Chang, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society.

Squalid conditions and poor welfare practices are growing concerns amid the increasing flood of marine parks.

In June, for example, an online video showed a trainer from Ocean World in China’s port city of Dalian applying bright red lipstick on a beluga whale. The company later apologized and promised to strengthen the animal protections, according to local media.

Activists worry that once China’s biggest players start orca performances, it will spawn a copycat effect at smaller, less experienced parks around the country.

Peng, who was watching the beluga show at Ocean Kingdom with his wife and son, said he had not realized belugas were endangered and that he had enjoyed the show.

“It’s not cruel for them. They feed them and didn’t beat them.”

Reporting by Farah Master; additional reporting by Bobby Yip in Zhuhai, Ben Blanchard and Gao Liangping in Beijing, Timothy Chan, Maggie Liu and Holly Chik in Hong Kong, the Shanghai newsroom and Polina Nikolskaya in Moscow; Editing by Philip McClellan

[GeneChing]

Lucky Tourist Crosses Terrifying Gap Bridge in China as Safety Rope Breaks Off (https://nextshark.com/lucky-tourist-crosses-terrifying-gap-bridge-china-safety-rope-breaks-off/)
by Carl Samson 1 day ago

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FEATURED-11.png
A male tourist in central China narrowly escaped likely death when he reached the end of a gap bridge just as his safety harness broke off.

The incident took place on Monday at the Wansheng Ordovician Theme Park, a thrill-seeker’s paradise 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Chongqing.

In the video, the tourist is seen hopping on individual planks that make up the cliffside bridge 150 meters above the ground.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-11.jpg

To his surprise, the tourist found his safety rope detached just as he reached the last plank.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-10.jpg

The video quickly drew alarm on Chinese social media, with many calling to shut the theme park down.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/4-7.jpg

Following an investigation, officials from the Wansheng Economic Development Zone announced Thursday that the terrifying mishap was caused by an error on a staff member’s part.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/5-6.jpg

As a result, the attraction, known as “Extreme Leap,” was closed until further notice.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/04.jpeg
Image via Sohu

Interestingly, a theme park spokesperson claimed that the video was nothing but a marketing stunt by a private enterprise.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/02-4.jpg
Image via Net Ease

Aside from “Extreme Leap,” the park is known for its high-altitude, adrenaline-pumping attractions, including a triangular glass-bottomed bridge that extends 80 meters from the base and a bunch of cliffside swings that dangle riders 300 meters above the ground.

There are no safety nets reported in any of the attractions.

https://nextshark-vxdsockgvw3ki.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/01-5.jpg
Image via China News

Netizens feared the dangerous attraction (via Asia One and South China Morning Post):

“If someone had died in the video, what would they call it then?”

“This marketing tactic only successfully demonstrates that the activity is far too dangerous.”

“If it’s a marketing ploy, I hope it closes down soon.”

“It’s not marketing – it’s true. The [authorities at this] scenic area just want to hide the facts. The video is so clear – the safety cord really broke off. You must not go, you’d be risking your life.”
THREADS
Chinese Bridges (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68983-Chinese-Bridges)
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)

[GeneChing]

HOME FILM ASIA OCTOBER 31, 2018 8:19AM PT
China’s Wanda Completes Exit From Film Studios and Theme Parks (https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/wanda-completes-exit-from-film-studios-and-theme-parks-1203015923/)
By PATRICK FRATER
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/wanda-movie-metropolis-qingdao.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: WU HONG/EPA-EFE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Dalian Wanda has completed its exit from the domestic Chinese theme park business by selling its parks management companies to property developer Sunac for $900 million (RMB6.28 billion). The deal includes operations managing the massive film and TV studios that Wanda constructed in Qingdao and 13 the.

The sale of Wanda Cultural Management comes less than three years after Wanda’s chairman Wang Jianlin warned Disney that it would launch a pack of Chinese tigers to defeat Shanghai Disneyland. And it comes barely a year after Wanda sold its theme park businesses and part of its hotel portfolio as part of a massive debt-reduction program.

Sunac last year paid RMB44 billion ($6.31 billion at current exchange rates) to buy the parks and studios. But it left operational control with Wanda Cultural Management.

“The transaction will further clarify the operation management aspect of the cultural and tourism projects acquired by the group and further improve our management efficiency,” Sunac said in a regulatory filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Sunac now has the right to rebrand the parks and studios.

Wanda has been forced into retreat across many of its business sectors. It was recently announced that U.S. finance firm Silverlake was to buy a substantial portion of Wanda’s stake in U.S. movie theater group AMC. It has also been reported that Wanda is negotiating to sell its stake in Legendary Entertainment, the Hollywood producer that it bought in 2016 for up to $3.5 billion.

THREADS
Wanda & AMC (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69324-Wanda-amp-AMC)
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)

[GeneChing]

Oh bother.


Could Winnie The Pooh Be Removed From Shanghai Disneyland? (https://themeparkuniversity.com/disney/could-winnie-the-pooh-be-removed-from-shanghai-disneyland/)
By JOSH YOUNG | Published: NOVEMBER 24, 2018

Believe it or not, there’s a good chance that Winnie the Pooh might be removed from Shanghai Disneyland in the near future. That’s right, no more character meet-and-greets, no more merchandise and the attractions could get re-themed. For those unfamiliar, Shanghai Disneyland has two Pooh attractions: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a duplicate of the attractions found in Florida and Hong Kong, and Pooh’s Hunny Pot Spin, a one-of-a-kind teacup ride. Both attractions are found in Fantasyland at Shanghai Disneyland.

https://themeparkuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/HPS4896877.jpg

Why would Shanghai Disneyland go to the expense to re-theme two attractions? One word answer: ego. The current president of China is a guy by the name of Xi Jinping. Over the years, the people of China have used Pooh as a way to mock their president by comparing him to the Disney-famed “chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff.”

https://themeparkuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/170718140012-china-winnie-pooh-censor-trnd-exlarge-169.jpg

This all started with a visit former US President Barack Obama made to China back in 2013. The above picture went viral in China when Obama was compared to Tigger and Jinping was referenced as Winnie the Pooh. Now, if this were the United States, those references would be all over the internet, late-night television, etc. In communist China, they have one of the strictest internet filtering policies in the world. And it seems that if you even mention Pooh on any of their social media, it immediately gets censored or erased.

According to CNN, if you search for Winnie the Pooh on certain Chinese social media sites, you’d get a message saying the search was against Chinese law. Even on certain platforms like WeChat (China’s most popular social media app), if you send the above picture comparing Obama and Jinping to Tigger and Pooh in a group chat, it won’t show up in the group message. It will automatically be blocked.

https://themeparkuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/christopher-robin-759.jpg

More recently, the release of “Christopher Robin” was banned in China after the worldwide release in 2018. While no official reason was given for the denial, The Hollywood Reporter claims it is due to the on-going “war on Winnie the Pooh” that has been going on between Jinping and the people of China. To be fair, China limits the number of films that can be released that come from foreign countries each year. Earlier in 2018, “A Wrinkle in Time” was also denied. (You’re welcome China.)

https://themeparkuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/kingdom-hearts-3-china-winnie-the-pooh-screenshot-740x389-1145569.jpeg

In the latest in the “Pooh war,” Pooh has been digitally removed in all Chinese advertisements of “Kingdom Hearts 3.” Indeed, reports have confirmed that when you play the Chinese version of “Kingdom Hearts 3,” Pooh will be censored (as seen above) in the game. Characters from the Hundred Acre Wood will be interactive with a white blob that will be moving around the game as if it wasn’t there when it releases in 2019.

https://themeparkuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DSC00736.jpg

Which leads us back to Shanghai Disneyland. It is very plausible that Shanghai Shendi (the company who operates Shanghai Disneyland on behalf of Disney) and the Chinese government are quietly working on ways to remove Pooh from the park. Can the Chinese government require Disney to remove all Winnie the Pooh references from Shanghai Disneyland? It seems like that answer is a yes. Might they come to a compromise and just remove character meet and greets and certain forms of signage? That is also a possibility. Regardless of the outcome, this is a story we will be watching in the coming months. Your thoughts?

[GeneChing]

Hong Kong Disneyland Takes Loss Despite Record Revenue (http://chinafilminsider.com/hong-kong-disneyland-takes-loss-despite-record-revenue/)
BY ISABELLE LI MAR 8, 2019

http://chinafilminsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Disney-HK-e1523266456708.jpg

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has reported a net loss for the fourth year running in 2018, albeit one that was much smaller than the previous fiscal year because it had more visitors, and they spent more.

The resort’s loss narrowed 84% to HK$54 million ($6.88 million) for the 2018 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 29, according to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s annual report, released Monday.

The amusement park, which opened in 2005, was the second and most expensive Disney theme park to open in Asia, but it has only rarely turned a profit. In its 14-year history, it was in the black only in the fiscal years of 2012, 2013 and 2014.

In comparison, the Shanghai Disneyland resort broke even in its first year after opening in June 2016, becoming the world’s eighth most visited theme park in 2017 with 11 million visitors. The Hong Kong resort had 6.1 million visitors that year.

Hong Kong Disneyland highlighted its improved finances in its annual report, boasting that it took in a record HK$6 billion in revenue for the fiscal year, up 8%. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 48% to HK$1.4 billion.

The company attributed the revenue growth to higher attendance and greater visitor spending. Annual visits rose 8%, with growth of international visitors — particularly from South Korea, Japan and the Philippines — hitting a record for the second straight year, the company said.

Operating expenses however jumped 11% to HK$4.67 billion, primarily due to higher costs from new hotels and attractions.

Last year, Hong Kong Disneyland began a multiyear expansion (link in Chinese) that cost more than HK$10 billion.

“The launch of a new Marvel-themed attraction as part of a multiyear expansion and the addition of year-round entertainment offerings and products, along with the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section), will allow us to continue our positive momentum,” Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Managing Director Stephanie Young said in the report.

http://chinafilminsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ant-man-and-the-wasp-attraction-1024x562.jpg
Ant-man and the Wasp © Disney

Young came on board as the new head of Hong Kong Disneyland on Feb. 1. The resort announced the change of its managing director in December, its second change in its leadership in the past three years.

The resort employs more than 5,200 full-time staff and 2,300 part-time employees on average each year, contributing approximately HK$8.9 billion to Hong Kong economy, or around 0.34% of the region’s GDP, its annual report said.

HK already is sort of a Disneyland...;)

[GeneChing]

A two-fer today, although this one is actually from last month. :o


Universal Studios theme park in Beijing named Universal Beijing Resort
25th February 2019

https://d302e0npexowb4.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/25140157/universal-beijing.jpg
The Universal Studios theme park under construction in Beijing, has been given its official name: Universal Beijing Resort.

The project was originally announced in 2014 with a budget of $3.26bn, which later doubled to $6.5bn to accommodate retail and entertainment space, as well as improved planned attractions.

Now, construction of the initial phase has reached its final stage in the Eastern suburb of the Tongzhou district.

A subway station that will serve the resort and two subway lines will be completed and operational by the final quarter of 2019, and will link the resort with Beijing Universal City Avenue.

Throughout the year, construction will continue on projects such as the NUO Resort Hotel, the Universal Studios, Beijing Universal City Avenue, and the world’s first Universal Studios-themed hotel, with all building companies having begun the final preparations for construction.

Two further theme parks are planned for the resort in the future.

In the meantime, the creation of a number of other amenities that will support the development of the park is in progress by Tongzhou district government, at an investment of around 53 billion yuan ($7.6 billion).

Among them are the interchange node of the East Sixth Ring Road, the greening of the East Sixth Ring Road’s protection forest, the Beijing-Harbin Expressway, the new interchange node of the Beijing-Harbin Expressway, a bus transit centre and the north hub of the Universal Studios.

According to a source in the WSJ, Universal expects its Beijing park to draw 10 million visitors in its first year, an increase of 3 million from initial projections.



Lalla Merlin
Lalla studied English at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University. A writer and film-maker, she lives in rural Devon with husband, children, and an assortment of badly-behaved animals, including an enormous wolf.

[GeneChing]

I've ridden Chinese slides. (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=6) They are truly death defying. The one we were on almost took out the RZA (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1062).


Two killed, 12 hurt in Chinese theme park slide accident
Six children among the injured as group of people fall off ride at Children’s Garden in Sichuan province on Labour Day (https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3008555/two-killed-12-hurt-chinese-theme-park-slide-accident)
Local government says it has detained person ‘responsible for the business’
Linda Lew
Published: 3:10pm, 2 May, 2019

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2019/05/02/e9bb5cd4-6c9a-11e9-994e-1d1e521ccbf6_image_hires_165149.jpg?itok=Nl5cVZlv
A woman who witnessed the accident said the slide was similar to this one shown in a video shared online. Photo: V.qq.com

Two people were killed and 12 injured on Wednesday after falling off a slide at a theme park in southwest China.
The accident happened at the Children’s Garden attraction in Taiping, Sichuan province, on the first day of the Labour Day holiday, the town government said in a statement on social media.
The park had been closed and “the person responsible for the business” had been detained pending an investigation, it said.
The statement did not give details of the people killed, except to say they were both adults. Of the 12 people hurt, six were adults and six children, it said, adding they were being treated in hospital.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/05/02/ef9b8f7a-6c9a-11e9-994e-1d1e521ccbf6_1320x770_165149.jpg
The theme park says it has 32 different slides. Photo: Children’s Garden

A woman who was at the park with her daughter when the accident happened said she thought the ride might have been overcrowded.
“I was on a rope bridge and saw four or five rubber lifebuoys with people on them all crowded together and sliding down,” the woman, who declined to give her name, said.
“The people were screaming, I’m not sure whether from fright or excitement, but within seconds they all flew off the slide.”
She said it had been raining on the day and she thought the ride, which ran down a steep hill, might have been running faster than normal.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/05/02/e93a6732-6c9a-11e9-994e-1d1e521ccbf6_1320x770_165149.jpg
A witness said it had been raining on the day of the accident. Photo: V.qq.com

In a now deleted post on WeChat, the theme park said it had 32 slides of various sizes. A video posted on V.qq.com shows a young boy riding down a slide similar to the one on which the accident happened. The guard rails appear to be about 50cm (20 inches) high.
The park posted a notice on WeChat on Thursday saying it was closed for upgrading, but did not mention the accident.
Wednesday’s accident is not the first at Children’s Garden. Just two days after it opened in July 2017, three people were injured when a rope walkway they were on collapsed, Chengdu Economic Daily reported at the time.
News of the latest accident drew angry reactions on Weibo, with people questioning what had been done to improve safety at the park.
“I’m a local and have never gone there,” a person wrote. “How connected is its boss? No one is regulating this?”

[GeneChing]

I know, I know. This is Japan, not China. But I love Studio Ghibli and after this opens, I'll put it on my bucket list.



MAY 31, 2019 5:34AM PT
Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli to Build Japan Theme Park (https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/japan-studio-ghibli-theme-park-hayao-miyazaki-1203229993/)
By MARK SCHILLING
Japan Correspondent

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/princess-mononoke.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: MOVIESTORE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Japan’s iconic Studio Ghibli animation house has joined forces with local partners to build its first theme park.

Together with the government of Aichi Prefecture and the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper, the company will develop a park within Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park. The venue, not far from Nagoya in central Japan, was a world’s fair held for 185 days in 2005 that attracted nearly 22 million visitors to its 460-acre site.

Details were announced Friday by Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, Aichi governor Hideaki Omura and Chunichi CEO Uichiro Oshima at a press conference in Tokyo. The park is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022, with additional attractions opening a year later. The construction budget was not announced.

Ghibli will handle the creative side of the project. Five-themed areas are foreseen, based on Hayao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Princess Mononoke,” as well as other Ghibli films.

Miyazaki, who is currently working on a new feature, “is really worried about the Ghibli park,” Suzuki jokingly told reporters. “He can’t leave anything up to other people. He’s a meddlesome old man.” Miyazaki’s only son Goro Miyazaki “is working hard (on the park project), but (Miyazaki) is not the type to look on supportively from a distance,” Suzuki continued. “He starts in right away with ‘do this’ and ‘don’t do that’.”

Earlier this month it was confirmed that Ghibli’s “Spirited Away” is to get a theatrical release in China, on June 21, 18 years after it opened in Japan and elsewhere.

[GeneChing]

That's a pretty authentic tsunami. :eek:


Chinese tourists injured after ‘tsunami pool’ malfunctions at water park (https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3020823/chinese-tourists-injured-after-tsunami-pool-malfunctions-water)
Scores of swimmers at theme park near North Korean border were injured by a sudden tidal wave that operators say was caused by damaged electronic equipment
Some of the 44 people injured suffered fractured ribs after problem with wave-generating machinery caused accident
Laurie Chen
Published: 5:59pm, 31 Jul, 2019

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2019/08/02/76d2f904-b49b-11e9-8f9c-a6398a9f90a9_image_hires_044411.JPG?itok=F_rkxRsn&v=1564692256
Forty-four tourists were injured by a bigger-than-expected wave at a water amusement park in northeast China. Image: Youku

Forty-four tourists have been injured by a bigger-than-expected wave at a “tsunami pool” in northeast China, according to a local government announcement.
The incident occurred at Yulong Shuiyun Water Amusement Park in the city of Longjing near the border with North Korea.
Five people were still being treated in hospital for injuries, including fractured ribs, but their condition is stable, according to a notice posted on Weibo by the Longjing city government on Tuesday.
“According to the initial stages of the investigation, the incident was caused by a power cut that damaged electronic equipment in the tsunami pool control room, which led to the waves in the tsunami pool becoming too big and injuring people,” the notice said.
The park had closed down the tsunami pool while an investigation was ongoing, the notice said.
A video clip of the incident published by online news outlet Beijing Time shows a sudden tidal wave overwhelming dozens of swimmers, including screaming children and families, in a large pool at the theme park.
A theme park worker told Beijing Time on Tuesday that an “accidental breakdown in machinery” caused the incident.
“Online rumours say that a worker wrongly operated the controls, but in reality it was a problem with the equipment,” the employee was quoted as saying.
“The park closed for a day for repairs, but the investigation is over and the park will open as usual tomorrow.”https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/08/02/552f2722-b370-11e9-8f9c-a6398a9f90a9_600x_044411.jpg
44 tourists were injured after a giant wave swept through a “tsunami pool” in northeast China. Photo: Weibo

The water park is billed as the biggest of its kind in the Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture in Jilin province and contains various attractions.
In May, two people died and 12 were injured after falling off a water slide at a children’s theme park in Sichuan province, southwest China.

[GeneChing]

Yifei really stabbed herself in the foot with this one. :o



In China, Disney's #BoycottMulan Problem May Only Be Growing (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-disneys-boycottmulan-problem-may-be-growing-1233417)
3:28 PM PDT 8/20/2019 by Patrick Brzeski , Tatiana Siegel

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2019/07/disneys_live-action_mulan-publicity_still_6-h_2019.jpg
Walt Disney Studios
Crystal Liu in Disney's 'Mulan.'

As the star of its Chinese warrior epic sides with police amid growing pro-democracy protests, the company may be "dragged into" taking sides as a mass sit-in at Hong Kong Disneyland is considered.
On Aug. 14, Crystal Liu, star of Disney's upcoming live-action Mulan, weighed in on Hong Kong's police crackdown of pro-democracy protesters. "I support Hong Kong's police, you can beat me up now," she wrote to her 65 million followers on social media platform Weibo, adding the hashtag "IAlsoSupportTheHongKongPolice," with heart and arm-flexing emojis.

Backlash, and talk of a boycott of Mulan, greeted Liu's post, with many pointing to the various international organizations that have accused the Hong Kong police of brutality and excessive force. And while Disney has chosen to remain silent so far, the problem may not go away any time soon for the studio, whose 10 tentpoles in the past year have earned 12 percent of their $8.85 billion in grosses from China. On a huge film like Avengers: Endgame, which became the all-time box-office champ with $2.8 billion in worldwide ticket sales, China accounted for a stunning 22 percent of that total.

"Disney can't support the protesters because their business in China is too important," notes Stanley Rosen, a professor at USC who specializes in the Chinese entertainment industry. "But they obviously can't be seen as pandering too much to China either, because that could backfire as well, depending on how the situation in Hong Kong unfolds."

The studio's studied silence at the least risks tainting the idealism of its brand and inflaming the international #BoycottMulan campaign. But if Disney instead distances itself from its star's statement, it will almost certainly invoke the ire of China's Communist Party authorities, who view control over Hong Kong as one their most urgent concerns.

A source close to Liu, 31, says she is being unfairly singled out given that other Chinese celebrities have voiced support for Beijing over the Hong Kong protest movement, including the city's own Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Though protesters bristle at all stars who parrot an autocratic government's talking points, they have an ideal wedge with Liu as the lead of the upcoming global tentpole Mulan — about a young Chinese female fighter of injustice — that Disney will release March 27.

The studio's apparent decision to try to duck the difficult PR dilemma has put it in the awkward spot of aligning its interests with Beijing and the Hong Kong government, both of which seem to be hoping that the protesters will lose their nerve.

And yet, it's not as if Disney CEO Bob Iger hasn't taken a stance on hot-button political topics before. He stepped down from President Trump’s business advisory council in response to the president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate deal, calling the decision “a matter of principle.” Iger also said “I rather doubt [Disney] will” continue shooting in Georgia after the state passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

The Hong Kong movement's determination not to simply fade away was on display Aug. 18, when an estimated 1.7 million protesters braved heavy rain for a peaceful procession through the heart of the city. Protesters are considering staging a mass sit-in at Hong Kong Disneyland next, possibly as soon as Aug. 24. (Some are concerned that the theme park's location — on a remote corner of Hong Kong's Lantau Island — could leave protestors cornered and vulnerable to mass arrests.)

Should they forge ahead — and should police respond — Disney may not have the luxury of avoiding comment if global newscasts show tear gas wafting over Hong Kong Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. "If things polarize even further in Hong Kong and China resorts to even greater violence to assert its authority, it will become much harder for [Disney] not to get dragged into it," adds Rosen, noting that further comments from Liu could also inflame tensions. "It's not unthinkable that the release date for Mulan could have to be moved beyond March 2020."

At the very least, Beijing's refusal to compromise an inch combined with the protestors' unflagging conviction has left even the most informed observers uncertain of how the standoff could conceivably unwind. Thus, Hong Kong's pro-democracy cause could very well continue to be a major news item come early 2020, when Mulan launches its worldwide marketing campaign — with star Crystal Liu front and center, facing the press gauntlet.

Karen Chu contributed reporting.



THREADS
Mulan - Live-Action (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68640-Mulan-Live-Action-Disney-project)
Hong Kong protests (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?23536-Hong-Kong-protests)
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)

[GeneChing]

Wizarding World and Kung Fu Panda land coming to Universal’s future Beijing theme park (https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/14/20914385/universal-unveils-beijing-resort-wizarding-world-transformers-minions)
Kung-Fu Panda Land of Awesomess > Wizarding World
By Petrana Radulovic@Pet_rana Oct 14, 2019, 4:30pm EDT

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4SXVB3c7ovtnpECoz4KProaRkqk=/0x0:1900x1097/920x613/filters:focal(798x397:1102x701):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65465414/Universal_Beijing_Resort_Unveils_Vision_to_Bring_I ncredible_Experiences_to_China.0.jpg
Universal Studios

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will soon be coming to China. On Monday, Universal revealed that its planned Beijing resort will include seven themed lands from across all Universal properties. In addition to the popular Harry Potter land, Beijing will also be the home of Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, Transformers: Metrobase, Minion Land, Jurassic World Isla Nublar, Hollywood Boulevard, and WaterWorld.

The Kung Fu Panda land will be the first Kung Fu Panda-themed land. The entirely indoor experience is designed to transport visitors to “legendary China.” Also unique to Universal Beijing Resort will be the Transformers: Metrobase land, which will expand upon the character of Metrobase and turn visitors into “guest agents.”

The Jurassic World area, however, is new to Universal parks, though three existing Universal Studios locations have Jurassic Park-themed areas.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter will get the Hogsmeade area for its the Beijing location. Meanwhile, WaterWorld continues to get a lot of love in Universal Studios’ Asia locations, as does Minion Land. Both appear in Universal Studios Japan and Singapore, with WaterWorld also in Universal Studios Hollywood.

These attractions will make up the Universal Studios component of the Universal Beijing Resort. Another park is in development, though no details have been revealed. In addition to the park areas, Universal Beijing Resort will boast a City Walk entertainment, dining, and retail complex, six different hotels, and eventually a water park. The first phase of the Universal Beijing Resort is set to open in spring 2021.

THREADS
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)
Harry Potter (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?37539-Harry-Potter)
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?61308-Kung-Fu-Panda-Legends-of-Awesomeness)

[GeneChing]

ASIA OCTOBER 16, 2019 11:00PM PT
Universal’s Beijing Resort to Partner With Alibaba on Digitization (https://variety.com/2019/film/news/universal-beijing-resort-alibaba-comcast-nbcuniversal-1203373766/)
By REBECCA DAVIS

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/kung-fu-panda-31.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Amid fierce controversy about the leverage China has over U.S. entertainment firms with significant mainland operations, Universal Beijing Resort and Alibaba announced a strategic partnership Thursday to digitize the forthcoming theme park in China’s capital.

Facial recognition and the use of big data will be the norm at the new resort, which will use an Alibaba operating system for park management and operations, the companies said. For visitors, this means they will be able to use Alibaba’s facial-recognition technology to enter the park, access lockers and express lanes, and pay for merchandise and meals. They can also skip lines and order food via an Alibaba app. Tmall, Alibaba’s e-commerce platform, will work with the park to co-market products.

Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts made the trip to Beijing for Thursday’s announcement, marking the project’s importance for the company.

Roberts said that operating a park was about “making it fun and easy for our guests to enjoy their time with family and friends” as much as it was about the rides. “Our partnership with Alibaba will help us do exactly that,” he said.

Foreign companies in China must have a local partner in order to do business in the country and access its enormous market. Universal Beijing Resort is owned by Beijing International Resort Company, a joint venture between Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Company and Universal Parks and Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal.

The collaboration will allow for the enactment of a “multi-dimensional data-enabled operations management solution for the industry” and the establishment of a “truly digitized theme park,” said Daniel Zhang, Alibaba Group’s executive chairman and CEO. “The future of commerce is driven by technology and big data, and digitization will be the source of brand-new growth opportunities for all businesses.”

Located in the suburban outskirts of Beijing, the theme park was first announced in 2014; construction began in 2016. Its opening date has been pushed back twice from 2019 to 2020 and now 2021. Once fully built, it will be the largest Universal park in the world. It is the fifth Universal resort worldwide and the third in Asia.

On Saturday, the resort announced new details for the park’s layout. It will be divided between seven themed lands: “Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness,” “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” ”Transformers: Metrobase,” “Minion Land,” “Jurassic World Isla Nublar,” ”Hollywood” and “WaterWorld.”

“Our theme park will showcase the best Universal rides, as well as all-new, unique experiences specially created to reflect China’s rich cultural heritage,” said Universal Beijing Resort president and general manager Tom Mehrmann.

The “Kung Fu Panda” land will be a world first, and the “Transformers” section will feature an expanded story about the character Metrobase, who chooses Beijing as the site of a new headquarters.

The last two “Transformers” films have been bigger hits in China than in the U.S., with last year’s “Transformers: The Last Knight” earning $229 million in China – $99 million more than in U.S. – and 2014’s “Transformers: The Age of Extinction” grossing $320 million, outpacing its $245 million performance in the US.

The finished resort will feature a Universal CityWalk entertainment and retail complex and at least two official on-site hotels: the Universal Studios Grand Hotel and the NUO Resort Hotel, set to open in 2021. A new subway station for the park is also currently under construction.

Disney, which opened its Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, was recently the subject of harsh criticism in a controversial “South Park” episode that took the studio to task for giving in to Chinese censorship demands in exchange for market access.

THREADS
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)
Guy uses facial recognition software on his cat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?34819-Guy-uses-facial-recognition-software-on-his-cat) (so delighted to find and ttt a facial recognition thread here. I anticipate that it will become quite relevant in future posts. :cool:)
Jack Ma & Alibaba (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69642-Jack-Ma-amp-Alibaba)

[GeneChing]

https://interpark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Construction-starts-for-Shiyan-Happy-World.jpg

CONSTRUCTION STARTS FOR SHIYAN HAPPY WORLD (https://interpark.co.uk/construction-starts-for-shiyan-happy-world/)
BY GABRIELLE
23 DEC 2019

Construction of the large-scale cultural tourism complex resort in China known as Shiyan Happy World, has officially began.

Building of the 4,500-acre site commenced on December 16, 2019. The resort is to integrate natural resources and iconic cultural elements of Qinba, Hanshui and Wudang Taoism.

Investment for the ambitious cultural tourism project was signed by the Chongqing Guorui Holding Group in September 2017 and investment was agreed by the Zhangwan District government. Chongqing Guorui Holding Group is investing 10 billion yuan into the project.

Shiyan Happy World will feature a diverse range of areas, including an ecological shopping park, a water town, performing arts theatre, lighting water show, hot spring hotel, healthcare communities, mountain and sea parks, magic parks, research bases, happy farms, and more. I guess this is a theme park? :confused:

[GeneChing]

As we are just about to transition to the Year of the Rat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71622-2020-Year-of-the-Rat), here's a last Year of the Pig (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71112-Year-of-the-Pig-2019) gem at a theme park (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks) no less.


Chongqing theme park apologizes after forcing pig to bungee jump (https://shanghai.ist/2020/01/20/chongqing-theme-park-apologizes-after-forcing-pig-to-bungee-jump/?fbclid=IwAR2Mbn91GHYiygqjsD-tOjD7jaBdNglv2tUWwffRhWU668lBaBhzOn3Hn6s)
The park said the pig made it out of the ordeal unscathed before being sent to the slaughterhouse
by Alex Linder January 20, 2020 in News

https://i1.wp.com/shanghai.ist/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/pig-bungee.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1

The management of a tourist spot in Chongqing has issued a half-hearted apologized after causing Chinese netizens to squeal in anger by making a pig into an unwilling bungee jumper.

Video from the Meixin Red Wine Town theme park out in the city’s Fuling district shows the 100 kg porker being shoved off the 68-meter-high bungee platform and screaming in terror on the way down. Close-up footage shows that the animal was essentially hog-tied and wrapped in what would seem to be a purple cape.

While pigs may enjoy diving, it seems like bungee-jumping is not their thing.

The stunt took place on Saturday, on the bungee jump attraction’s opening day. It was evidently not merely an inhumane attempt at finally making a pig fly, but also a reference to plummetting pork prices and a commemoration for the end of the Year of the Pig.

Management offered this explanation while apologizing for failing to put enough consideration into the event, adding that the pig was not hurt in the jump and was promptly sent off to the slaughterhouse afterward.

[GeneChing]

...how inauspicious for the Year of the Rat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71622-2020-Year-of-the-Rat). :(


Shanghai Disneyland Closing In Response To Coronavirus Outbreak (https://deadline.com/2020/01/shanghai-disneyland-closing-response-coronavirus-outbreak-1202839957/)
By Nellie Andreeva
Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV
@DeadlineNellie
January 23, 2020 11:33pm

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/shutterstock_editorial_9624523aa.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
(
Photo by Sipa Asia/Shutterstock

Disney is temporarily closing its theme park in Shanghai as efforts continue to contain the coronavirus outbreak in China.

“In response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and Cast, Shanghai Disney Resort is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown including Walt Disney Grand Theatre and Wishing Star Park, starting January 25, 2020,” the company said in a statement posted on the Shanghai Disneyland website. “We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and be in close contact with the local government, and we will announce the reopening date upon confirmation.”

Disney’s decision follows the announcement that all local film releases scheduled for the highly lucrative Chinese New Year period have been canceled as authorities try to stave off a potential spread of the coronavirus.

The cities of Wuhan and neighboring Huanggang were in virtual lockdown, with transport in and out of the cities closed, and restrictions in place in other areas as well. The latest outbreak has killed 25 people and infected more than 800.

The $5.5B Shanghai Disneyland, which opened in mid-2016, was Disney’s first theme park in mainland China. The estimated financial impact on the closure was not immediately clear.

Disney said guests who purchased tickets or booked hotel rooms would be reimbursed for the cost.

THREADS
Coronavirus (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-Wuhan-Pneumonia)
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Park)

[GeneChing]

Ocean Park is drying up. Anyone ever been?



Ocean Park’s fight for survival: can home-grown Hong Kong attraction be brought back from the brink? (City WeekendOcean ParkTourismHong Kong economyChinese touristsCOMMENTSKanis LeungKanis LeungKanis is a reporter for the City desk. She joined the Post in 2018.)
Bosses have outlined HK$10.6 billion plan to rejuvenate the theme park, but lawmakers are balking at the bailout
The Post looks at the details of the proposal, how Ocean Park got to this point and the questions still to be answered
Kanis Leung
Published: 11:00am, 1 Feb, 2020

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2020/02/01/080d674e-3d0c-11ea-a16e-39b824591591_image_hires_142022.JPG?itok=xwbrwF34&v=1580538038
Ocean Park still attracts millions every year, but numbers are dwindling and its finances woeful. Photo: Martin Chan

Hong Kong’s cash-strapped Ocean Park faces an uphill battle to secure the legislature’s approval for a HK$10.6 billion (US$1.4 billion) bailout.
With just HK$400 million in the bank, senior management at the theme park warned it would run out of money this year without fresh capital, blaming the downturn partly on intensifying competition in the region.
But the ambitious proposal to revamp the attraction was met with widespread scepticism as one lawmaker dubbed it “a failed business”, while some feared the debt burden would endure even with the cash injection.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/01/243ef202-3d0c-11ea-a16e-39b824591591_1320x770_142022.JPG
How the Azure Bay section of a revamped Ocean would look. Photo: Handout

What is the HK$10.6 billion plan?
Aimed at turning the amusement park into an adventure-themed resort, the government-backed plan strives to make better use of its scenic shoreline while appealing more to families.
The 43-year-old park in Aberdeen would be divided into seven themed zones, embracing a total of more than 20 new attractions by 2027.
More than 10 existing popular attractions would be upgraded or remodelled, with others demolished.
One highlight would be a new section called Azure Bay, which under the plan would boast a pier from where visitors could board ferries to a new promenade at Deep Water Bay and Tai Shue Wan. En route, passengers could enjoy the coastal scenery around the south of Hong Kong Island.
Another zone Ocean Square – providing dining and retail facilities – would be open to the public without paying an entrance fee.
The park’s deputy chairman Lau Ming-wai said the business would make good use of tree houses and campsites in that area to help them tap into the study tour market.
Attendances at Ocean Park are expected to rise from 5 million in the financial year 2022-23 to 7.5 million in 2027-28, which comes close to its 7.7 million record posted in 2012-2013.
Bosses also stated the park would not be able to repay HK$2.3 billion in commercial loans, and another HK$3.67 billion owed to the government, both due within two years.
Part of the proposal includes an eight-year delay in repaying the government.

A failed business?
The amusement park unveiled its proposals last month after scrapping an annual salary review for some 2,000 full-time staff for 2020, amid a tourism downturn triggered by the ongoing anti-government protests in the city.
The policy, along with measures such as reining in operating and discretionary expenses, was the park management’s response to its sharp plunge in visitors numbers in the later half of 2019.
On January 20, the park’s chief executive Matthias Li Sing-chung revealed in a Legislative Council panel meeting: “We now have HK$400 million in cash.”
The shocking revelation of the paltry sum sparked criticism from pro-establishment lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who is also an executive councillor.
“But you owe debts amounting to billions,” the New People’s Party chairwoman said. “If you were an actual business, you would have gone bankrupt. This is a failed business.”
Holden Chow Ho-ding, vice-chairman of the city’s largest pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said it would be relatively hard to support the proposal with the information provided, and asked whether a short-term revival plan should be worked out first.
But the park’s chairman Leo Kung Lin-cheng insisted the time had passed for simply making minor changes.
While the pro-democracy camp’s Civic Party opposed the proposal, the park had received the government’s backing.
Commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah said he had faith in the home-grown brand of Ocean Park, and its prospects under the plan.
Where did it go wrong for Ocean Park?
The theme park’s performance has slipped over four consecutive years, with waning visitor numbers, a lack of new major attractions and growing regional competition blamed.
The number of visitors to the park have fallen from 7.6 million in 2014 to 5.7 million last year. The deficit ballooned from HK$241.1 million in 2016 to HK$557.3 million last year.
It has lost money four years in a row to 2018/2019, even as Hong Kong was breaking records for tourist numbers in 2018.
Former chairman Allan Zeman, who was known for cosplaying as a dolphin, an octopus and even a vampire to promote the park during his time at the helm, sensed changes in the venue’s atmosphere after his departure in 2014.
“Maybe after I left, I didn’t see the same kind of vibrancy,” he said.
Brian King, associate dean of Polytechnic University’s school of hotel and tourism management, said Ocean Park had tried to work as a commercial theme park and a site for wildlife conservation.
“That formula has not been working well in that highly competitive environment,” he said.
Last year, anti-government protests in Hong Kong sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill dealt another heavy blow to the attraction.
Its guest numbers plummeted by over 30 per cent to 1.9 million, from the period between July and December 2018 to the same months last year.
The park added that if the trend continued, attendance would drop by more than 40 per cent to 3.3 million in the year to June.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/01/97316020-3d0b-11ea-a16e-39b824591591_1320x770_142022.JPG
The park will try and make more of the natural scenery that surrounds it. Photo: Martin Chan

More bad news emerged last month when the park’s management revealed its state-of-the-art water park attraction had exceeded its HK$2.29 billion budget by more than HK$1.4 billion.
Its opening, which is now due this year, has been delayed by about three years. The extra cost of that saga is not dealt with in the latest expansion plan.
The park’s plight has been shrouded in yet more uncertainty by its closure since January 26, for an indefinite period, as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.
How are its rivals performing?
King, of PolyU, said a threat to the park was competition from Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, which opened in 2014 in Zhuhai, mainland China, and had already welcomed 5.5 million guests in its first year.
The two parks share similar positioning and branding, he said.
According to a report published by Themed Entertainment Association and the Economics practice at AECOM, a consultancy firm, Chimelong ranked 10th in the world for attendance in 2018, with 10.83 million guests.
The figure was 1.87 times that of Ocean Park’s, which came 20th in that report.
“As soon as Chimelong came aboard, Ocean Park has not managed to compete effectively,” King said.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/01/5fa824a8-3d0c-11ea-a16e-39b824591591_1320x770_142022.JPG
Ocean Park’s troubles have been blamed in part on the rise of rival attractions such as Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in mainland China. Photo: Nora Tam

He noted Ocean Park was also dependent on mainland travellers, who would find the Zhuhai entertainment hub easier to visit.
The same firm was behind the design of both Chimelong and Ocean Park’s Grand Aquarium, he added.

What are the unanswered questions?
Lawmakers have demanded more information and justification for the HK$10.6 billion plan. There are no details available for the individual price tags of each of the planned attractions.
King said the proposal was about getting customers to increase how much they spent rather than just filling the park with large numbers of people.
“Can they get back to these [attendance] numbers? Probably. But the question is more on can they get the economic impact by persuading these visitors to spend a lot, a lot more,” he said.


Kanis Leung

Kanis is a reporter for the City desk. She joined the Post in 2018.

[GeneChing]

Entertainment giants brace for outsize hit from theme park closures, cinema shutdowns (https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/entertainment-giants-brace-outsize-hit-theme-park-closures-cinema-shutdowns-n1147506)
"China alone is a third of the world’s movie screens. I can’t think of anything comparable," said one entertainment expert about the financial impact of cinemas across China remaining shuttered.

https://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2020_10/3252246/200302-shanghai-disney-ew-550p_6d83d1f27be6bb5b0f9e971ef96725ea.fit-2000w.jpg
A security guard wearing a protective facemask is seen at the temporarily closed Shanghai Disney resort in Shanghai on Feb. 23, 2020.Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images file
March 3, 2020, 6:02 AM PST
By Claire Atkinson

Major entertainment and media conglomerates have been grappling with the unstoppable coronavirus contagion in Asia and Europe, and now it’s arrived on American shores.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has already claimed six lives in the United States, with almost 100 confirmed cases nationwide, making some Americans cautious about spending time in public spaces.

"This virus has so many unknowns and is clearly highly contagious. Why take the risk, being in huge public places like theme parks or contained on a cruise ship?” Stacey Bendet, chief executive of Alice+Olivia fashion company, told NBC News.

Shares of some entertainment stocks fell on Monday, with Live Nation, SeaWorld Entertainment and Six Flags showing declines for the day. Disney and Netflix stocks rose — along with fitness company Peloton — as interest in "at-home" entertainment gathers strength.

“If [the virus] is a major issue in the U.S. into the May/June time frame, all bets are off," said James Hardiman, a managing director at Wedbush Securities. "I wouldn’t think we are there yet,” he said, noting that the big regional parks aren’t yet open for the season.

China has not been so lucky. Shanghai's $5.5 billion Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland both closed indefinitely on Jan. 26, which Disney said would ding its bottom line by $175 million. In Japan, the two Disney-branded theme parks in Tokyo are closed until March 16 as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.

"The precise magnitude of the financial impact is highly dependent on the duration of the closures," Disney's Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said last month.

Universal's Osaka theme park has also closed down for two weeks as part of the government mandate. Universal Beijing Resort, a giant theme park under construction and penciled for a spring opening, has emergency staff back on the job. They are being monitored with thermal equipment and some have been encouraged to work at home, according to a spokesperson for the company. Universal is owned by Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.

Television show production has also been hurt. CBS said on Friday it would postpone filming on its global adventure TV series, “The Amazing Race,” citing "increased concerns and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus around the world."

Film producers have been left in limbo. “This has thrown a wrench into filming schedules,” said Rob Cain, a partner in Pacific Bridge Picture, which works closely with Chinese companies. Cain said it was unclear how insurance policies would deal with the problem, given all the lost revenue.

China began closing some 70,000 movie theaters on Jan. 23, with no word on when they might open again.

"China alone is a third of the world’s movie screens,” Cain said. “I can’t think of anything comparable, and I’ve been in the business 30 years."

Global box office revenue clocked in at $42.5 billion in 2019, with China representing $9.2 billion.

“It is an enormous impact,” said Stanley Rosen, an expert in U.S.-China relations and a professor of political science at the University of Southern California. He pointed to the potentially delayed release of Disney’s $200 million Chinese warrior movie “Mulan” in the China market, which is slated to open in late March globally.

In Europe, AMC Theatres closed its cinemas in Northern Italy to help local governments contain the spread of the disease. Half of all Italian cinemas are now closed, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Cannes Film Festival said it was monitoring the epidemic, but would move ahead with its May event, even though a Cannes resident tested positive for the virus.


Claire Atkinson
Claire Atkinson is the senior media editor for NBC News.

THREADS
Chollywood rising (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising)
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)
covid-19 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)

[GeneChing]

ASIAMARCH 8, 2020 9:37PM PT
Shanghai Disney Resort, Closed in January due to Coronavirus, Set to Partially Reopen Monday (https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/shanghai-disney-resort-disneyland-reopen-china-coronavirus-1203527299/)
By REBECCA DAVIS

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/shanghai-disney.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
CREDIT: IMAGINECHINA/AP

The Shanghai Disney Resort has said it will reopen some of the shopping, dining and entertainment options on Monday, though the main theme park will remain closed to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

The move is the “first step of a phased reopening,” it said in a statement posted Monday to its website. The resort has been closed since January 25.

Certain facilities at Disneytown, Wishing Star Park and the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel will operate with limited capacity and at reduced hours, and parking lots will reopen, the resort said. The Disneyland theme park itself will stay closed as the park “continue(s) to closely monitor health and safety conditions.”

Visitors will be required to wear masks during their entire time within the Disney Resort area, submit to temperature screenings upon arrival, and “present their Health QR code” when entering dining areas.

Walt Disney Co. owns a 43% stake in the Shanghai Disney Resort. It is one of four Disney-branded theme parks in Asia, alongside one in Hong Kong, which has also remained shut since late January, and two in Tokyo.

In an earnings call, Disney said a two-month closure of the Shanghai park could cost $135 million in lost earnings, while a two-month of closure of Hong Kong could cost $145 million.

In Japan, the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea parks shuttered for a two-week period starting Feb. 29 to stem the spread of coronavirus, and are expected to re-open on March 16. In a normal year, they welcome about 30 million visitors.

This has got to be so tough. I'm sure Shanghai Disney was looking to cash in on the Year of the Rat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71622-2020-Year-of-the-Rat)(mouse).

THREADS
Coronavirus (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-Wuhan-Pneumonia)
Chinese Theme Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Park)

[GeneChing]

Jan 18, 2021 6:51pm PT
China’s Enlight Media Moving Ahead on $2.5 Billion Theme Park (https://variety.com/2021/biz/asia/china-enlight-media-moving-ahead-on-yangzhou-theme-park-1234887618/)

By Patrick Frater

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Enlight4-2-cr-res.jpg
Courtesy of Enlight Media
Chinese film and TV studio Enlight Media says it is moving ahead with development of a movie-inspired theme park in Yangzhou, eastern China. It has selected Hollywood firm Legacy Entertainment as the designer of the park’s core Enlight Epicenter component.

Plans for Enlight Movie World were first announced in 2018. And Enlight says that its first foray into location-based entertainment requires an investment of $2.5 billion (RMB16.4 billion). The company says that the park will eventually encompass a massive 651 acres (2.63 square kilometres), but it has not publicly confirmed a completion date.

The Enlight Epicenter will feature experiences and attractions inspired by Enlight’s popular animated film properties. Offerings will also include themed retail and dining experiences, anchored by a family entertainment center, and be connected by a series of so-called ‘Art Gardens.’

Subsequent phases will include a wide variety of uses, including a theme park and expansive film and television production facilities. Enlight has been responsible for hit films including “Ne Zha,” which grossed $580 million, and live action father and son drama “Looking Up,” which grossed $123 million in 2019.

“Unlike studio-themed parks in America and Europe which tend to look towards the past, the relative youth of China’s homegrown IP-based LBE industry is all about looking forward,” said Eric Carnagey, Legacy’s MD and co-owner, in a statement. “We get a unique chance to imagine and create the ‘film studio and movie theme park of tomorrow’ by utilizing Enlight’s prominent position as a China-based film production and distribution company alongside their widely recognized properties.”

Legacy has previously worked with China’s Hengdian World Studios, which claims to be the world’s largest film studio, on its recent expansions. Its Hengdian Shanghai Bund debuted in 2019 with a mix of theme park-style rides, shows, and production facilities. The company has also worked with the Cirque du Soleil.

Within Asia, Legacy has several past and upcoming developments. These include the Galaxy Macau Resort, Macau Studio City resort, Lotte World expansion in Korea, and the recently-opened Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park. Upcoming openings include the Lotte Magic Forest theme park in Busan, Korea, and Chimelong Marine Science Museum in China’s Zhuhai.

I think the last Enlight film I saw was Nezha (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71408-Nezha).

[GeneChing]

Architecture
Hong Kong Disneyland's new castle is an architectural vision of diversity (https://www.cnn.com/style/article/disneyland-castle-of-magic-dreams-diversity/index.html)
Published 25th March 2021

Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_1078,c_fill,g_auto,h_607,ar_16:9/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210325205643-03b-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
Written by Elissaveta Brandon, CNN
Much has changed in the 55 years since Walt Disney died -- not just in the fortunes of his brand, now one of the world's most influential corporations, but in the characters it creates and the values it promotes.
So, when the company went about building a new fairytale castle at Hong Kong Disneyland, it took into consideration something that would have barely factored into discussions when its first resort opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955: diversity.
The new Castle of Magical Dreams, completed in November and reopened last month after Hong Kong's Covid-19 restrictions loosened, nods to the wider variety of female characters now featured in Disney movies. Unlike the Cinderella Castles in Florida and Tokyo or the Sleeping Beauty Castles in California and Paris -- all of which were partly inspired by the 19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany -- the design represents not just one heroine but over a dozen.
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324023647-07-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
Hong Kong Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle had been in place for 16 years. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
The new structure was built atop the existing Sleeping Beauty Castle, the centerpiece of Hong Kong Disneyland since the resort opened in 2005. As such, Princess Aurora still holds a special place in the new castle, with a tower dedicated to the "Sleeping Beauty" protagonist standing the tallest.
But the other 12 towers pay homage to a variety of different princesses, queens and heroines, including historical or folk figures fictionalized by Disney, like the Chinese warrior Mulan and the Native American figure Pocahontas. (Anna and Elsa from "Frozen" share a tower between them).
Diversity is also reflected in the eclectic architecture, which sees rose gold domes mixed with embossed turrets and spires. Disney's so-called "Imagineers" -- the artists, designers and engineers behind the theme parks -- incorporated the characters' storylines into the design of each tower, such as an apple lattice pattern in Snow White's ("Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"), scalloped detailing for Ariel's ("Little Mermaid") and a water lily motif for Tiana's ("The Princess and the Frog"). Elsewhere, the structure boasts gold-tipped finials, stained-glass rose windows and columns with hand-carved embellishments.
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324023500-06-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
Mulan's cherry-blossom tower. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Design challenges
Hong Kong's original Sleeping Beauty Castle was directly inspired by the first Disneyland resort in California. This castle had been dreamed up in the 1950s by Walt Disney, who envisioned an amusement park for the entire family, complete with a replica of an old-fashioned American main street and distinct "dreamlands."
To honor its founder's vision, Disney decided to preserve Hong Kong's Sleeping Beauty Castle when it embarked on a major expansion in 2016 -- instead of demolishing it entirely, designers built atop and around it.
"The original castle is a foundation of Disney, so we wanted to build upon that," said Hilcia Pena, a senior architect at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) in a video interview.
The result is a palimpsest of sorts, where versions of many castles -- the California original, Hong Kong's 2005 replica and the brand-new Castle of Magical Dreams -- come together as one. After the multi-year, 10.9 billion Hong Kong dollar ($1.4 million) expansion, which also saw the park welcome multiple new attractions, the re-imagined castle is over twice the height of the old one.
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324023101-04-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
The new Castle of Magic Dreams. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
According to Pena, this means that the castle is no longer dwarfed by the mountainous landscape of Lantau, the island where Hong Kong Disneyland is located. Imagineers even used helium-filled balloons to help them visualize the height of the prospective structure in relationship to its backdrop. They then used 3D technology to model how the old castle and new castle would connect.
One of the biggest challenges was finding a way to build on top of the existing castle while keeping the park open to visitors. The team landed on modular construction, which sees individual parts of a building, or "modules," constructed in a factory before being transported to the site. In this instance, the castle was built from 15 large parts, each prefabricated, painted and assembled off site. Individual towers and other components were then shipped in and craned into place over a period of three months.
Together, the towers form a mosaic of cultures through color, symbols and patterns, with each offering different elements of their respective characters' worlds. Jasmine's fuchsia tower is embellished with an Arabic fabric pattern and crowned with a turquoise dome. Mulan's tower is embossed with a cherry blossom motif. And Merida's tower is replete with Celtic patterns, a reference to the four clans in the 2012 movie "Brave."
Each tower culminates in a gold-tipped finial unique to each character: a golden seashell for Ariel and an enchanted rose for Belle. Meanwhile inside, guests will find 13 columns topped with details dedicated to the protagonists' friends, like Ariel's Flounder and Sebastian, Merida's triplet brothers and Moana's pet pig Pua and rooster HeiHei. continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324023756-08-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
Snow White's gold-tipped finial is in the shape of an apple -- the poisoned fruit that brought on a sleeping death. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
"We're understanding different parts of the world, so we can't just focus on one group, or one princess or one location," said Pena. "Our stories continue to grow, and we get to learn about different cultures around the world. So how do we put that into the buildings and stories we try to tell?"
The only direct depictions of the 14 heroines are found inside, where Imagineers designed bronze statues of each one. Their evolution -- from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, whose lives rely on a man's kiss, to assured and empowered characters like Merida and Moana -- tells a story about how Disney has repositioned itself over the years. But even the older characters' statues have been designed with contemporary values in mind.
"Instead of portraying them in a very submissive way, we portrayed them (all) as powerful women in a very engaging pose," said Amanda Chiu, a producer with WDI Asia, pointing to the depiction of Ariel standing proudly as she exercises her newfound freedom and Jasmine riding solo on the magic carpet.
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324023349-05-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
Bronze statues of princesses from "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) and "Moana" (2016) stand side by side in the new castle. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Local inspiration
In line with the characters' origins, Imagineers drew inspiration from Europe, China and the Pacific Islands. "A European castle has one style and the same detailing everywhere," said Pena. "This one has different architectural styles -- even the domes are very different in style."
It is fitting, perhaps, that such an eclectic castle exists in Hong Kong, one of Asia's more diverse cities. "Hong Kong is a city of rich cultural fabric and cultural diversity," said Chiu, who was born and raised in the territory.
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324022649-02-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
The bauhania flower detail appears throughout the castle's design. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
As well as taking inspiration from around the world, Disneyland Hong Kong was also built according to the principles of feng shui, an important aspect of design and architecture in parts of Asia. Based on an ancient Chinese system, the ancient practice involves positioning objects or buildings in relation to one another and their surroundings to encourage happiness and good fortune. In 2005, for instance, the angle of the resort's front gate was shifted by 12 degrees in the belief that it would keep positive energy, or "chi," flowing through the park. Feng shui also informed the design of the new castle.
"Feng shui is about the balance of the five elements," said Chiu, referring to wood, fire, earth, metal and water. "We want to draw on that harmony and apply that to castle."
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_585,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F210324022511-01-hong-kong-disneyland.jpg
A gold seashell is the crowning feature atop Princess Ariel's tower. Credit: Courtesy Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Wood and earth are symbolized by the castle's landscaping -- a mix of living plants and artificial foliage -- which helps it blend in with its surroundings; fire will be used in pyrotechnic shows at night; metal can be found in the towers' gold finials; and water is used in the castle's moat and dancing fountains. "All of these elements come together in good harmony," Chiu added.
While still rooted in tradition of sorts, Hong Kong's Castle of Magical Dreams nonetheless symbolizes Disney's attempts to modernize. With an increasingly global customer base, and several resorts in Asia, diversity might not just be a matter of values but good business, too. See any hidden mickeys?

[GeneChing]

34,000 visitors trapped at Shanghai Disneyland for hours after a woman tested positive for COVID-19 (https://nextshark.com/shanghai-disneyland-covid-19-closure/)
Jiselle Lee
7 mins ago
https://nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/disneyland-800x460.jpg
Shanghai Disneyland Park locked its doors on about 34,000 theme park visitors and staff after a COVID-19 scare in order to test them for the virus.

What happened: A woman from nearby Hangzhou traveled to Shanghai over the weekend and tested positive for COVID-19, prompting an extremely thorough response from the theme park.

On Sunday, first responders clad in Hazmat suits entered the theme park and tested everyone before they could leave, including visitors, families and staff.
The testing lasted hours after the theme park usually closes and people were finally able to leave the park around midnight.
Theme park visitors were escorted back home via 220 special buses.
It is unknown if the woman who tested positive visited the theme park or not, according to Bloomberg.
On Monday, the 34,000 theme park visitors and staff tested negative for COVID-19. They are still required, however, to isolate themselves for two days before retesting.
The park will be closed from Nov. 1 to Nov. 2 in accordance with the park’s pandemic requirements.
According to the Shanghai Disneyland website, the park reserves the right to refuse admission of guests holding general admission passes on days predicted to have high attendance. This is in accordance with government guidelines on maximum capacity.
“We will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations,” wrote the theme park in an announcement on their website. “We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide refund or exchange for all guests impacted during this period.”

Featured photo from @realjack_lee

threads
Chinese-Theme-Parks (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)
covid (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zheCfD-qo2Y

threads
Monkey-King (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50181-Monkey-King)
Chinese-Theme-Parks (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)

[GeneChing]

My head just exploded...


2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition Launched In China (https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/01/2022-chevy-menlo-ev-mickey-kung-fu-edition-launched-in-china/)

BY DEIVIS CENTENO— JAN 5, 2022

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Exterior-001-front-three-quarter-720x340.jpg

Strengthening the strategic collaboration it established a couple of years ago with Disney in China, General Motors has just launched a new version of the Chevy Menlo EV in the Asian country. The automaker introduced the 2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition, the latest themed variant of Chevrolet‘s electric crossover designed in conjunction with the entertainment giant for the Chinese market.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Exterior-002-front-three-quarter.jpg

The 2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition went on sale at the end of December in China – the only country in the world where this electric vehicle is marketed. This new limited-production version of the crossover is focused on young families looking for a vehicle with a more amusing personality. In addition, customers who purchase the Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu will get exclusive Disney-sponsored benefits.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Exterior-003-front-end.jpg

The 2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition is the third limited-edition themed model released by Chevrolet and Disney in the Chinese market over the past twelve months, following the Menlo EV Mickey Magic Edition and Menlo EV Mickey Space Edition that were introduced last year. The new edition is based on the Mickey Kung Fu saga, where Disney’s most popular animated character practices martial arts of Chinese origin.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Exterior-004-side-profile.jpg

The new 2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition comes with a white body, a black painted roof with thousands of patterned Mickey Kung Fu silhouettes as well as orange accenting on both the exterior and interior. At the same time, it features Mickey’s D-pillar martial arts “Mi” badge and a distinctive self-luminescent wheel hub cover with the Mickey icon.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Exterior-005-rear-window.jpghttps://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Exterior-006-Mickey-icon-wheel.jpg

Inside, the 2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition has a dark cabin with contrast orange trim, along with ambient lighting that illuminates parts of both the dash and doors. The steering wheel is wrapped in Alcantara with a center position line and orange stitching, while the state-of-the-art infotainment system features a custom interface with themed icons.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-Chevrolet-Menlo-EV-Mickey-Kung-Fu-Edition-China-Interior-002-cockpit-center-stack-central-module-instruments-panel.jpg

The 2022 Chevy Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition is now on sale at the Chevrolet dealership network in China. In addition to the extended driving range of 518 km or 322 miles introduced with the new model year, customers who purchase the Menlo EV Mickey Kung Fu Edition will receive an exclusive gift box, concierge service and special privileges at Shanghai Disneyland. Pricing is set at 179,900 CNY, about $28,300 USD at the current exchange rate.

Threads
Kung Fu Stock Cars (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?43327-Kung-Fu-Stock-Cars)
Chinese Theme Parks (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)
Disney+ (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71104-Disney)

****, the photo links don't share... click the link to see

[GeneChing]

Pair charged with conspiracy for using investors’ money for ‘Chinese Disneyland’ to fund Trump campaign (https://nextshark.com/chinese-american-conspiracy-trump-campaign/)
Ryan General
4 hours ago

https://nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/chinaparktrump.jpg.webp

Two naturalized U.S. citizens originally from China are accused of funneling a portion of investors’ money intended for a China-themed park to the re-election campaign of then-president Donald Trump in 2017.

Sherry Li, 50, and Lianbo Wang, 45, were arrested in Long Island, New York, and charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Although local officials had rejected the pair’s proposal for a theme park, Li and Wang reportedly told investors that the project was still pushing through development, even sending them images of a construction site.

Most of the millions raised were reportedly used for personal expenses, while a portion of the amount was used to make large political donations to be seen with Trump and other prominent politicians.

Following their first appearance at a federal court in Brooklyn, Li and Wang are now being held without bail.

A pair of naturalized U.S. citizens from China are accused of funneling a portion of investors’ money intended for a China-themed park to the re-election campaign of then-president Donald Trump in 2017.

Sherry Li, 50, and Lianbo Wang, 45, were arrested in Long Island, New York, and charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Prosecutors say the pair illegally used $600,000 from Chinese and Singaporean investors who thought they were funding a park to be built in upstate New York.

According to court records, Li and Wang never completed the park despite raising $27 million in foreign investments.

A portion of this amount was used to make large political donations to be seen with Trump and other prominent politicians. Prosecutors alleged that at least $2.5 million of the investors’ money was spent by Li, Wang and others on jewelry, vacations and exorbitant meals, among other personal expenses.

On June 28, 2017, Li and Wang reportedly contributed funds in their own names to a committee hosting a fundraiser for Trump. The amount, however, came from 12 foreign donors who each paid the pair $93,000 to attend the event.

Election law expert Kenneth Gross noted that while campaign finance laws in the U.S. prohibit foreign individuals from contributing to political candidates, they are not barred from attending fundraisers.

Prior to their arrest, Li and Wang were business partners who lived in the same home on Long Island, along with some of Li’s relatives.

For years, the pair had been seeking investor support for a development project that started as a proposed cultural theme park called the China City of America. When local officials later told Li that zoning would not allow the planned “Chinese Disneyland,” the project was turned into a proposal for a for-profit college campus. The project, called the “Thompson Education Centre,” also was rejected by local officials in 2017.

Despite the rejection, Li and Wang reportedly told investors that the project was still pushing through development, and they even shared images of a construction site. The photos turned out to be from a house Li was having built at a different location.

To appear more credible to investors, the pair tried to foster an image of power and influence by showing themselves rubbing elbows with politicians, according to reports.

A photo the pair took during the June 2017 event, in which Li is seen smiling with Trump and then-first lady Melania Trump, was purportedly used to solicit investment for the theme park project.

Trump and other politicians, including Democratic then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were also featured along with Li or Wang in brochures distributed to potential investors.

The large political donations from Li and Wang drew journalists’ attention in 2017 amid the number of donors linked outside the U.S. who were supporting Trump’s administration at the time.

Following their first appearance at a federal court in Brooklyn, Li and Wang are now being held without bail. Their lawyers may file an argument for bail in succeeding hearings.


Featured Image Donald J Trump

I guess they liked how he pronounced "China"

[GeneChing]

Shanghai Disneyland Locked Down Again Over COVID, With Guests Trapped Inside (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/shanghai-disneyland-locked-down-covid-guests-trapped-1235252580/)
Viral videos showed scenes of costumed guests rushing toward locked gates, as China's strict COVID prevention measures forced another snap shutdown of Disney's largest theme park in Asia.

BY PATRICK BRZESKI

OCTOBER 31, 2022 9:07PM
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/enchantedstorybookcastle.jpg?w=2000&h=1126&crop=1
Shanghai Disneyland THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

The Walt Disney Co.’s flagship Shanghai Disney Resort abruptly closed its doors on Monday in response to China’s strict COVID-19 prevention measures, with all guests at the time of the announcement required to stay inside the park until they could present a negative test result. The decision marks the second time in 12 months that Disney has been forced to suddenly halt operations of the theme park due to China’s draconian pandemic response.

Videos of guests running to the locked gates of the theme park in hopes of escape briefly went viral on Monday before authorities scrubbed them from social media and messaging services. The incident echoed reports from a locked-down Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, Apple’s largest manufacturer of the iPhone, where employees were filmed climbing a fence to escape the strict response to a COVID outbreak.

A notice posted to Shanghai Disney’s official social media accounts Monday said that the sprawling theme park and surrounding facilities would be shut until further notice. Many visitors to Disney on Monday had arrived to participate in Halloween-themed shows and events.

“We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide refunds or exchanges for all guests impacted during this period,” Disney said in a statement. “We will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations.”

The Shanghai government put out its own statement saying that all visitors would be tested and exits only allowed upon the presentation of a clear PCR test.

Disney’s Chinese park was closed for a full three months earlier this year during Shanghai’s lengthy, city-wide COVID lockdown.

Although numbers remain low by global standards, China has seen a spike in reported COVID cases over the past few weeks. Holding fast to its increasingly controversial dynamic COVID policy, the Beijing government has been boosting control measures in provinces across the country in response to the recent spread. Last week, Beijing’s Universal Studios theme park was temporarily shut after a visitor tested positive and the gambling hub of Macao recently locked down a major casino. Major manufacturing centers such as Guangzhou have also been hit by rising case counts and sharply suppressed business activity.


Chinese-Theme-Parks (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62642-Chinese-Theme-Parks)
covid (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)