Shanghai Disney Resort

Shanghai Disney Resort (Chinese: 上海迪士尼度假区) is a themed resort in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It is the first Disney park resort in mainland China and the second in China, after the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The resort opened to the public on June 16, 2016.[3][4]

"Shanghai Disney" redirects here. For the park, see Shanghai Disneyland Park.
Shanghai Disney Resort
Native name
上海迪士尼度假区
Shànghǎi Díshìní Dùjiàqū
IndustryTheme parks and resorts
FoundedJune 16, 2016 (2016-06-16)[1]
HeadquartersPudong, Shanghai, China 31.1440°N 121.6570°E / 31.1440; 121.6570
OwnerShanghai Shendi Group (57%)[2]
The Walt Disney Company (43%)[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

The resort features Shanghai Disneyland Park, an entertainment district, two themed hotels, recreational facilities, a lake and associated parking and transportation hubs. Additional phases will see the development of two additional theme parks at the resort. The site will cover 390 hectares (963 acres) in Pudong, or approximately three times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland, at a cost of CN¥ 24,500,000,000 (US$3,700,000,000) for the new theme park and an additional CN¥ 4,500,000,000 (US$700,000,000) to build other aspects of the resort, totaling CN¥ 34,000,000,000 (US$5,500,000,000). The Walt Disney Company owns 43 percent of the resort; the majority 57 percent is held by Shanghai Shendi Group, a joint venture of three companies owned by the Shanghai government.[5]

History
China Eastern Airlines, the major airline based in Shanghai, painted one of its Airbus A330-300s in Shanghai Disney Resort livery

Location scouting in Pudong began in 1999 with Bob Iger.[6] The park was first envisaged in the early 2000s, and negotiation for Shanghai Disney Resort began around 2001. However, in order to help Hong Kong Disneyland grow, the Chinese national government deliberately slowed the development of Shanghai Disney. The Hong Kong resort opened in 2005, two years after the SARS epidemic devastated Hong Kong's economy, and it was hoped that Hong Kong Disneyland would help the city's tourism industry recover.[7]

On November 4, 2009, the Shanghai Municipal Government announced that the Shanghai Disney project had been approved by the national government,[8] with an estimated total investment of CN¥ 24,400,000,000. Land near the proposed production site dramatically increased in value after the announcement was made.[9] In January 2011, a government official confirmed that Shanghai Disneyland would be 2–3 times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland and would eventually contain three theme parks.[10]

On April 7, 2011, groundbreaking began at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort site.[11] Major construction work started on April 8, 2011, targeting a 2016 spring opening.[11] The resort was planned to cover an area of 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) and was expected to cost CN¥ 25,000,000,000 (US$3,660,000,000).[9] The project was financed by several large Chinese state-owned enterprises in Shanghai, who formed a joint venture with the Walt Disney Company.[9] "The first-phase of the project will be to the South of Huanglou Area, an area in Chuansha Town, the southeast suburbs of Shanghai's Pudong area; the second phase will extend further southwest," an urban developer from Shanghai stated. DeSimone Consulting Engineers were the structural engineers behind the construction work.[12]

On February 27, 2014, PepsiCo announced a strategic partnership with the resort, making the Shanghai Resort the first Disney property in 25 years to sell Pepsi products and not Coca-Cola products.[13][14]

On April 28, 2014, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced an extra US$800,000,000 investment to add additional rides and entertainment by opening day, bringing the total budget to US$5,500,000,000.[15][16] In February 2016, it was rumored that the resort was still behind schedule and was over budget, causing the United States-based resorts (Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort) to make budget cuts. That same month, Disney announced that Hong Kong Disneyland Resort reported its first loss in four years, losing HK$148,000,000, and falling 9.3% in annual attendance, to 6.8 million visitors. Analysts attributed this to fewer mainland Chinese tourists visit, hurt by a combination of China's slowdown, political unrest, and a weak yuan relative to the Hong Kong dollar, as well as the upcoming opening of the Shanghai Resort.[17] In total, more than 100,000 workers constructed the first phase of the resort over 5 years.[18] The facility incorporated 72,000 metric tons of structural steel and 130 kilometres (81 mi) of utility piping.[18] The final price tag was US$5.5 billion.[18]

Operating

Shanghai Disney Resort officially opened at noon on June 16, 2016.[19] It was reported that the "colorful opening ceremony" featured speeches, fireworks, and mostly orderly crowds in spite of the rain.[19][20][21] One of the dignitaries, Vice Premier Wang Yang, joked that the wet weather foretold good luck for the resort because it represented a “rain of U.S. dollars and RMB”.[22]

The park's first expansion, Toy Story Land, opened in second quarter 2018. On December 10, 2019, the resort began construction on its second expansion, Zootopia-themed land, next to Fantasyland.[23]

On January 26, 2020, the resort temporarily closed as a result of what became the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] The resort partially reopened on March 9, with the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, Disneytown, and Wishing Star Park resuming limited operations with new health and safety protocols in place. Disney fully reopened Shanghai Disney Resort on May 11, with new social distancing guidelines and temperature checks in place.[25]

Attractions and features

Shanghai Disneyland Park
Main article: Shanghai Disneyland Park

Like most other Disney Resorts around the world, Shanghai Disneyland Resort features a flagship park called Shanghai Disneyland Park. The park is similar in style to Disney's other Disneyland-style parks, containing traditional and newly created themed lands. One of the aims of the park is the combination of Disney stories and characters with attractions that are specifically designed for Chinese guests. An interactive castle called Enchanted Storybook Castle lies at the center of the park. Other large-scale performance venues are found across the park.[26] The original theme lands, or areas with the park are Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland.[27] With the additional theme land added, Toy Story Land,[23] the park has seven theme lands. In 2019, Disney announced a new theme land for the park, City of Zootopia, inspired by the 2016 film Zootopia.[28]

Hotels

The resort has two themed hotels.[27] The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel has 420 rooms and offer a free water taxi service across the Wishing Star Lake to the theme park. The Toy Story Hotel, with 800 rooms, features the Sunnyside Cafe, which is decorated with Chinese-style kites flown by Disney characters.[29]

Disneytown
Main article: Disneytown

The Disneytown area features large venues for retail shopping, dining, and entertainment.[30]

Transportation

Metro

Line 11: Disney Resort Station

Management structure

The resort's management structure consists of three companies:[31]

  • Shanghai International Theme Park Company Limited – 43% owned by The Walt Disney Company, 57% owned by Shanghai Shendi Group – ownership company for theme parks within the resort
  • Shanghai International Theme Park and Resort Management Company Limited – 70% owned by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, 30% owned by Shanghai Shendi Group – manages and operates the resort as a whole as well as the project to develop it, on behalf of the ownership companies
  • Shanghai Shendi Group itself comprises three companies:[32]
    • Shanghai Lujiazui (Group) Company Limited
    • Shanghai Radio, Film and Television Development Company Limited
    • Jinjiang International Group Holding Company

See also

References
  1. Smith, Thomas (January 12, 2016). "Opening Date Set for Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney's Newest World-Class Destination". DisneyParks Blog. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  2. Brzeski, Patrick (June 8, 2016). "Shanghai Disney Resort Finally Opens After 5 Years of Construction and $5.5B Spent". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  3. Frater, Patrick (June 14, 2016). "Shanghai Disney Opens With a Distinctly Chinese Focus Amid Stiff Competition". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  4. "Opening Date Set for Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney's Newest World-Class Destination". Disney Parks Blog.
  5. 上海申迪集团 [Shanghai Shendi Group]. Shanghai Disney Resort.
  6. Frater, Patrick (June 15, 2016). "Is Disney's Shanghai Theme Park a Case of Perfect Timing or Nearly Too Late?". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  7. Tam, Tammy (January 21, 2016). "China's two Disneylands: Competitors or complementary attractions?". South China Morning Post.
  8. "The Walt Disney Company Reaches Another Major Milestone on Shanghai Theme Park Project" (Press release). Burbank, California: The Walt Disney Company. November 3, 2009.
  9. "Shanghai Disneyland gets approval, land price up". Xinhua/China Daily. November 4, 2009.
  10. "Shanghai Disneyland gets its own metro station". Eastday.com. January 19, 2011.
  11. "Shanghai Disney Resort Website « About the Resort". Disney Parks. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  12. "Shanghai Disney Resorts Hotel 2 – Schematic Design – DeSimone". www.de-simone.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  13. Jourdan, Adam (February 27, 2017). "PepsiCo re-enters 'Magic Kingdom' with Shanghai Disney deal". Reuters. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  14. "Shanghai Disney Resort Signs Strategic Alliance with PepsiCo and Tingyi Holding". PepsiCo. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  15. Barnes, Brooks (April 28, 2014). "Owners to Invest $800 Million More in Shanghai Disneyland". New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  16. Brown, Eric (April 29, 2014). "Disney Announces Additional $800 Million Investment In Shanghai Disneyland". International Business Times. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  17. Daniela Wei (February 16, 2016). "Magic Fades for Hong Kong Disneyland Ahead of New Shanghai Park". Bloomberg.com.
  18. CNBC.com staff (June 16, 2016). "Shanghai Disneyland by the numbers". CNBC.
  19. Makinen, Julie; Kaiman, Jonathan (June 16, 2016). "Rain doesn't dampen the mood of opening day at Shanghai Disney". Lost Angeles Times. Shanghai, China.
  20. Kaiman, Jonathan. "At Shanghai Disney, there are fans and then there are superfans". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  21. Kaiman, Julie Makinen and Jonathan. "Rain doesn't dampen the mood of opening day at Shanghai Disney". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  22. Barnes, Brooks (June 16, 2016). "Shanghai Disneyland Opens Amid Rain and Pageantry". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  23. Knaggs, Andy (December 10, 2019). "Construction begins on Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disney Resort". Attractions Management. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  24. Pham, Sherisse (January 24, 2020). "Disney closes Shanghai park as deadly coronavirus spreads". CNN. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  25. Woodyard, Chris (May 5, 2020). "Disney's Shanghai theme park to reopen May 11 with precautions; what about US parks?". USA Today. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  26. "Work starts on Shanghai Disney Resort..." attractionsmanagement.com.
  27. Anstey, Tom (January 13, 2016). "Disneyland Shanghai sets June opening date". Attractions Management. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  28. "New Zootopia-Themed Expansion Announced for Shanghai Disney Resort". The Walt Disney Company. January 23, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  29. Los Angeles Times (June 10, 2015). "Shanghai Disneyland hotels to combine Chinese culture and Disney characters". latimes.com.
  30. "Shanghai Disney Resort breaks ground in China". CNN. April 8, 2011.
  31. "SHANGHAI DISNEY RESORT SIGNS STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH PEPSICO AND TINGYI HOLDING". Archived from the original on August 13, 2014.
  32. "About Shanghai Shendi Group – Shanghai Disney Resort". Archived from the original on July 26, 2014.
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