Shanghai Disneyland will enchant all of China

• Source: Global Times
• [10:02 November 16 2009]
• Comments

Mickey Mouse is coming to town and, with a wave of his hand (and wearing his blue Fantasia magician's hat), so are his cast of famous friends. From the vintage classics, like Bambi, Snow White and Dumbo, to modern day hits like Lilo and Stitch or Aladdin, Walt Disney has an unmatched archive of animated characters.

Now, that bucket of magic is being sprinkled over China as it rolls out the red carpet for a galaxy of stars that will orbit over Shanghai at the just-confirmed Disneyland theme park.

Opening in 2014, the project brings with it a huge shot of investment, rumored to be in the region of 25 billion yuan ($3.66 billion) that, if confirmed, would make it one of the largest in history. But its significance is far bigger than numbers alone.

While not the seat of national government nor the cradle of culture, Shanghai was the first city in China where millions were made and dreams came true. And it is a reality, too, that the landmark project will buoy confidence in a construction industry that can look forward to tens of thousands of new jobs.

But workers are not the only ones who will benefit. The real impact will also be felt on a local economy that will be called upon to provide sustainable employment running from summer stints for students to permanent positions for retailers, musicians and performers.

Hotels, too, are jumping in on the game. Even though the resort will have its own hospitality facilities, local brand chains, including Home Inn & Hotels Management Inc, have confirmed that they will open at least 10 more properties in and around the proposed Disney site.

Stock markets jumped on the news with the Shanghai Composite Index rallying strongly on overall sentiment though so-called Disney-related stocks fell after initial spikes. That dampened premature promises from property developers that the theme park will only bring riches for all, but does not rain on the parade.

For the young and the young-at-heart, the huge numbers being bandied around come second to a "happily ever after" ending in a fairy tale that nearly never was. Talk of a resort began back in the 1980s when Mickey, Minnie and Donald first appeared on Chinese television screens.

But progress halted after Hong Kong was chosen as the location of the country's first Disneyland and, following Tokyo, only the second outside of the United States.

For a time, it must have seemed that a resort in Shanghai was as much a figment of the imagination as the characters that leapt before us. Yet such is the power of Disney's fantasy that it is not too late. Generations of children and adults have grown up reading its stories, watching its films and listening to its soundtracks.

For China nowadays, it is a sign that where once Beijing looked to the world, so the world now wants more to be a part of China. It has been a long wait. And that makes it even sweeter.