Hong Kong Disneyland Opens

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/09/12/44@18798.htm

2005-09-12 12:08:02 CRIENGLISH.com

CRI Exclusive by Shen Min - The long-anticipated Hong Kong Disneyland Park, the 11th Disneyland in the world and the first in China, successfully opened to the public on Monday after 6 years' preparation.

Chinese Vice President, Zeng Qinghong, who is currently on a three-day inspection tour of Hong Kong, hosted the opening ceremony and delivered his greetings.

Chinese A-list actresses, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, were also among the celebrities on hand at the grand opening.

The theme park held a dazzling evening party on Sunday night, the eve of its official opening, featuring pop stars including Coco Lee, Joey Yung and Jacky Cheung, and climaxing with a fireworks show.

About 1,000 reporters from around the world flew in to cover the opening of the park on Hong Kong's outlying island of Lantau, which is Hong Kong's largest island and about a 30-minute subway ride from central Hong Kong. The train features windows in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head and the subway cars sport velvet theater seats and statues of Disney characters.

Hong Kong Disneyland is smaller than the other Disneyland parks at just 121 hectares, but the ticket price for each tourist is the lowest in the world at 350 HK dollars, or just over 45 US dollars.

The US$3.5 billion theme park is a joint venture between Disney and the Hong Kong government. It employs 5,000 workers - or "cast members" as Disney likes to call them.

The park estimates that it will attract 5.6 million visitors in its opening year and is expected to draw up to 7.4 million annually after 15 years.

Disney confirmed they'd been talking to the government in Shanghai about opening a park there, though that park would not open until at least 2010.