China Tells

Micky Mouse and Donald Duck are a must for kids all over the world, including those in China. No wonder that it is great news for the kids in Shanghai that Disney wonderland is approved to be built. While it is good news for the kids, it remains a challenge for Disney and the corp (See Article from Fortune). Outside USA, there are three disneylands worldwide: one in paris, one in Tokyo and one in Hong Kong. Unfortunately however, none shows any competitiveness even near to the one in Auckland. The Hong Kong Disneyland has been critisized as being too small, not localized enough on food and culture, and not friendly to the visitors. It clearly shows that the big name of Disney itself does not guarantee a success in oversea market such as China. In fact, a lot of theme parks start big with huge investment and heavy media coverage, but end in tears. Till today, Hong Kong government claims that their return on Disneyland is awful. Shanghai Disneyland has a born advantage of being close to much bigger population base in China’s most developed area, and people from East China still buy the concept that something American is better than something Chinese. There is a saying that even the moon in America is rounder than that in China. Whether the Shanghai Disneyland is rounder remains to be seen.