1st LD-Writethru: Xinhua Insight: First Disney resort in Chinese mainland opens in Shanghai

Shanghai Disney Resort, with its unique blend of Disney magic and Chinese culture, officially opened Thursday.

Among the first group of visitors, Shanghai resident Wan Wenqiang visited the theme park together with her mother and seven-year-old son.

"I have visited the resorts in California and Tokyo, and I feel so proud that we can visit Disneyland in our home city now," she said.

"Visiting Disneyland on the opening day is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I just can't wait to see how they combine Disney with traditional Chinese elements," she said.

Shanghai resident Elsie Xiao arrived at the park's gate around 7:30 a.m. and waited for the park to open at noon.

"I heard there would be some special events on the first day, so I couldn't miss it," she said, "my child is taking exams, so I just came by myself, next time I will bring my family here."

Located in Pudong District, the 3.9-square-kilometer resort is the first Disney destination on the Chinese mainland and the sixth around the world.

The resort includes the theme park Shanghai Disneyland; two themed hotels; Disneytown, a shopping, dining and entertainment district; and the recreational Wishing Star Park.

With investment of around 34 billion yuan (about 5.2 billion U. S. dollars), the resort is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group.

The resort took five years to build and it will be further expanded, according to Walt Disney.

During the trial operation last month, about a million people went to the resort and more than half of them visited the theme park, according to Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company.

"Watching their reaction to what we've created. That's been the thrill of a lifetime for me," he said.

TELLING DISNEY STORIES IN CHINESE

"Authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese" is the guiding principle of Shanghai Disney Resort.

Visitors were offered with a chance to see Disney characters with Chinese re-styling, watch a Mandarin production of a Broadway musical, and taste different Chinese cuisine.

The blending of Disney storytelling with Chinese styles is a result of Chinese and foreign experts and staff.

Jodi McLaughlin, executive producer of Walt Disney Imagineering Shanghai, said the "authentically Disney" aspect can be seen in the park's Fantasyland, which is based on Disney films.

"The 'distinctly Chinese' part of it is how those stories are told," McLaughlin said, "we have Chinese and English on our graphics. We have food offerings that are distinctly Chinese."

Mi Bo, 29, a Chinese designer working for Disney designed the castle tops of Fantasyland.

Explaining why she chose peony, lotus and magnolia flowers to decorate the castle tops, Mi said, "Peony is a famous Chinese flower, lotus represents pure hearts in our culture and magnolia represents Shanghai."

Fred Hemminger, general manager of Walt Disney Grand Theatre, said the Chinese version of Disney musical "The Lion King" was not only done in Mandarin, but local touches were added through the procession, translation and performers.

OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES TO WORLD

Shanghai Disney Resort is a successful business cooperation and is expected to offer more opportunities to the world.

Iger said the resort both symbolizes cooperation between Chinese and American businesses and reflects how China has developed as a market.

Wang Jian, manager of the Shanghai Disney store under the American company Build-A-Bear Workshop, said it was the company's first store on the Chinese mainland and more stores are expected to be launched here later.

"During the trial operation, our products were quite popular with children and young adults," he said, "that is a good start and our company is looking forward to future expansion."

He Jianmin, professor with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, believes that the resort will inject new vitality to Shanghai.

He said the establishment of the resort has a profound influence on the city's environment, service industry, and employment sectors.

Meanwhile, more people around the world will be attracted to Shanghai as a result of the opportunities and entertainment created by the resort, he added. Endi