USA Today: East Meets West: Hong Kong Park is Classic Disney with an Asian Accent
Dioneae muscipula
reported the opening of Hong Kong Disney.
Read the article in
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-09-07-hong-kong-disney_x.htm
An outline of the article:
* In creating the Disney experience for a mostly
Chinese audience, this thoroughly American - and
notoriously detail-obsessed - company has incorporated
many elements of local culture.
* Experts in the Chinese tradition of feng shui were put
on the payroll. The feng shui experts even picked the
opening date of the park.
* In addition to Coke and hamburgers, guests can also
dine on dim sum and sweet and sour pork. Signage is
in both Chinese and English.
* Disney has launched a massive marketing campaign. It
tapped clean-cut Hong Kong pop star Jacky Cheung as
park spokesman.
* A heavy dosage of all things Disney aside, Hong Kong
Disneyland offers a rare expanse of space and lush
greenery in a densely populated territory better known
for its towering skyscrapers than wildlife.
* At 310 acres, Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest
Disney park in the world.
* Admission is $45 for the weekend and public holidays,
$38 on weekdays. Children under 11 pay $32 on weekends
and $27 during the week. The pricing at the park is
affordable by Hong Kong standards but on the higher
end for visitors from China.
Dioneae muscipula
Times Online on the newly opened Disneyland in Hong Kong.
His comment is "Mickey's foray into China has everything -- except the
thrills."
Read the whole article in
http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,10293-1782150,00.html
An outline of his review:
* After a couple of days of discovering Disneyland Hong Kong
- which is much smaller, with fewer attractions than any of
its sister parks - I can't help coming to the conclusion that
this is Disney-Lite.
* In fact, there is only one proper thrill ride in the park -
a relatively tame version of Space Mountain.
* Todd Heiden, a Disney spokesman suggests that: "Chinese honour
youth and childhood, so we need to be careful about imposing
too many mandatory height restrictions. Also we believe that
many people are here for an immersive Disney experience, rather
than the thrill rides beloved of Western guests."
* Todd Heiden says (on the missing Haunted Mansion ride): "The
Chinese honour and venerate their dead. Our research showed
that making light of death and ghosts would be something best
avoided."
Dioneae muscipula
Mainland Chinese visitors in the newly-opened Disneyland Hong Kong. It
is estimated that 1/3 of the visitors on the first opening day came
from Mainland China.
Sina covered this issue in
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/p/2005-09-14/01497759625.shtml
The article showed several pictures: people smoke wherever they like,
kids peeing wherever they like, guys lying wherever they like, and
ladies taking off their shoes, sitting on the ground wherever they
like.
This has aroused a heated debate in Chinese news web sites on the
"uncivilized behaviors".