Walt Disney Co. officially opened its new Hong Kong theme park on Monday, exporting a piece of the Magic Kingdom to China''s doorstep in a bold bid to gain a bigger foothold in the vast Chinese market.
A troupe of Chinese lion dancers in gold and red emerged from the gates of Sleeping Beauty''s Castle to chase away evil spirits and bring good luck.
"China is an important area for us to move forward in and building a Hong Kong Disneyland will certainly introduce everyone to who we are," Robert Braunstein, senior show program manager for the park, told reporters.
Both the company and the government have high hopes resting on the success of the park, Disney''s first in China and its second in Asia after Japan.
Disney is clearly hoping that millions of Chinese visitors to the park will bring home a taste for its products, from mouse-ear caps and stuffed toys to DVDs.
The park is also expected to give a major boost to Hong Kong''s economy, creating tens of thousands of much-needed jobs and generating $19 billion in revenue at the venue over 40 years.
Some visitors at rehearsals have complained of waiting for hours for rides and food and said that the park is too small. At 126 hectares (311 acres), it is less than half the size of the original Disneyland in California.
The park cost $1.8 billion to build, with another $2 billion spent to reclaim land for the project and build public services.
The Hong Kong government, which owns 57 percent of the park, has been accused of giving up too much in its negotiations with Disney, while other critics fear Disney could eventually open another park in Shanghai, damaging profits.
"I don''t think it would be a threat. We have two locations in America," Braunstein said.
Nevertheless, Mickey mania has swept this city of nearly 7 million people on China''s southern coast. Disney shirts and souvenirs are on sale around town and the park has received wide coverage in Hong Kong media.
Local television stations broadcast the opening ceremonies live and radio stations aired announcements from the government urging people to plan ahead if they wanted to visit the park.
Thousands of journalists and tourists have descended on Hong Kong for the opening, one of the biggest media events in the city since the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.
The park is expected to draw 5.6 million visitors in its first year, a third of these from mainland China.
(Agencies)
周一，美国沃尔特·迪斯尼公司宣布新建的香港迪斯尼乐园正式开幕。迪斯尼公司大胆地把奇妙王国引入中国，并希望能够在中国这个巨大的市场分得更大的一块“蛋糕”。
一群中国传统的舞狮演员，穿着金色或红色的演出服，舞着狮子从睡美人城堡中一路走来。他们赶走邪恶的精灵，带来好运。
“中国对于我们来说是一个非常重要的发展区域，建设香港迪斯尼乐园肯定会让每一个中国人都了解我们。”乐园负责演出的高级经理罗伯特·布朗斯坦告诉记者说。
不仅是迪斯尼公司，香港政府也对乐园的成功寄予很高的期望，这是迪斯尼在中国建立的第一个主题公园，也是继日本东京迪斯尼乐园后，在亚洲建立的第二个迪斯尼乐园。
很明显，迪斯尼公司希望游乐园的数百万中国游客在尽情游玩的同时把迪斯尼产品带回家，从印有老鼠耳朵的帽子、填充毛绒玩具到DVD光碟。
迪斯尼乐园还有望大力推动香港经济的发展，乐园提供了上万个急需的工作岗位，在未来的40年中还将给香港带来190亿美元的税收收入。
在前几天的彩排中，有游客抱怨说为了玩游乐项目或吃饭都要排队等上几个小时，他们还抱怨说乐园太小。香港迪斯尼乐园占地126公顷，面积还不到加州迪斯尼乐园的一半。
这座乐园的造价为18亿美元，另外还花费了20亿美元用来征用建造乐园的土地和公共设施建设。
香港政府占有整个乐园股份的57%，但有人指责香港政府在和迪斯尼方面的谈判中放弃了太多，还有批评担心迪斯尼公司可能最终会选择在上海再投资建造一家乐园，这样会大大影响香港迪斯尼乐园的旅游收益。
“我想那不会成为威胁，在美国我们同样在两个不同的地方建有迪斯尼乐园，”布朗斯坦说。
然而，米奇热已经席卷了这个位于中国南部海岸的将近七百万人口的城市。到处都能看到迪斯尼衬衫和纪念品，香港的媒体也纷纷为迪斯尼乐园曝光。
当地电视台现场直播了乐园的开幕仪式，电台广播了香港政府提醒市民如果想去游玩要提前做准备的通知。
上千名记者和游客已经来到香港，期待迪斯尼乐园的开幕仪式。这是自1997年香港回归中国以来最大规模的媒体盛会之一。
香港迪斯尼乐园预期第一年将吸引560万游客，其中三分之一来自中国大陆。
（中国日报网站 薛晓文译）
