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Thread: Chinese Theme Parks

  1. #46
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    continued from previous

    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 instead.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #47
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    This is what scares me

    I've been on a few sketchy Chinese amusement rides already.
    3 Fall from Amusement Park's High Speed Windmill in Xi'an
    2013-09-16 10:55:37 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Yangyang


    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.
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  3. #48
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    Jackie Chan Theme Park

    I posted the original Malaysian article on the JC charity thread.
    Beijing Will Get 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


    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.
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  4. #49
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    Disney Hong Kong - Monkey King in the Haunted Mansion!

    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.

    To Lift Hong Kong Park, Disney Deploys Iron Man


    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.


    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.
    Gene Ching
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  5. #50
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    China City of America

    In upstate NY? wth?

    Mysterious plans to build upstate NY ‘China City of America’
    By Geoff Earle
    December 4, 2013 | 7:16pm


    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.”
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  6. #51
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    Slightly OT

    Attachment 8006Related to an earlier post here.

    Photos: World Chocolate Wonderland now open in Chongqing


    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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  7. #52
    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?

  8. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Syn7 View Post
    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/...-Kunming/page3

  9. #54
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    I've been there too.

    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.
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  10. #55
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    Titanic Theme Park

    That'll make a great ride.

    Titanic museum, shipwreck simulator to anchor Chinese theme park
    By Venus Wu and Joyce Woo
    HONG KONG Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:24am EST


    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)
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  11. #56
    I'm starting to love these parks just for the audacity of it all. Weird phenomenon.

  12. #57
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    Hollywood to Beijing

    Universal Studios to Build $2 Billion Hollywood-Themed Resort in Beijing
    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.
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  13. #58
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    This sounds cool

    Chow Yun Fat will have to make the opening. Embarrassingly, I still haven't seen PotC2.
    PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN COMING TO SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND
    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.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  14. #59
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
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    47,946

    Wanda

    We know Wanda.

    Ground broken on Chinese park
    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
    Gene Ching
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  15. #60
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    Too many?

    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
    By Lily Kuo @lilkuo June 26, 2014


    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.


    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

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


    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
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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