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A dream is becoming reality as work starts on the Shanghai Disneyland construction site. With large-scale construction set to begin in May, builders say all supporting facilities will be complete by June 2014, and the park will open to the public in 2015.
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Workers work in Shanghai Disneyland construction site. [China.org.cn] |
The development is on a massive scale. Including surrounding commercial and industrial districts, it will cover 107.1 square kilometers. Disneyworld itself will occupy 7 square kilometers. The government is to invest about 25 billion yuan (US$3.8 billion) on the core area, and 40 billion yuan (US$6 billion) on supporting facilities. In all, government investment will reach 100 billion yuan (US$15.1 billion) – more than that was spent on the World Expo.
"We are currently working on supporting infrastructure, including roads and the central lake," an official told Shanghai local newspaper Xinmin Evening News on January 5. The park's central lake will cost 275 million yuan (US$41.5 million) and will be completed in August 2011. Workers started digging four rivers around the lake last October. According to Xia Hudi, vice director of supporting infrastructure, access roads will be finished in April.
"All supporting facilities will be complete by 2015. It is a key project in our 12th five-year-plan," said Xu Lin, Party chief of the Shanghai New Pudong District.
The Pudong government hopes the Disneyworld development will attract entertainment companies, creative enterprises, conference and exhibition centers and hotels, to help diversify Shanghai's economy.
Shanghai is also cooperating with the San Jia Harbor and Lin Harbor tourist resorts to build a new Shanghai International Tourist Resort.
The park has aroused interest from the private sector and overseas companies. A plan to establish film and TV studios in New Lin Harbor City is rumored to be worth tens of billions of yuan.
The Pudong government held a promotional conference in Hong Kong in December where an agreement to build a large-scale Water World was signed. "Some Hong Kong companies visited Shanghai almost immediately after we returned. They were eager to grasp the opportunities opened up in Pudong by Disneyland."
Japanese company Oriental Land Co., Ltd., which runs the Tokyo Disneyland and Disney stores in Japan, has approached Disney with a request to participate in the operation of the park.
Japanese media reported that Disney would be happy to see Oriental Land contribute, but there has been no response so far from the Shanghai Disneyland office.
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