I typically stay out of Spirit threads as they don't really do anything for me (yeah, I am one of the guys that brings up cheesesteaks and Wawa). Let's just say that this type of discussion around politics, censorship, foreign affairs, is not why I visit the
@wdwmagic site (the site whereby all other Disney sites pale in comparison). If I want that, I seek out other news outlets for such weighty topics. Neither do I seek out to bring down the "
vanilla on toothpaste" helmsman of TWDC (unbiased reporting indeed). That is Spirit's path to tread. I will even go on record to say that I am not a fan of how Spirit expresses his opinion of things, that he is way too abrasive in his delivery and that I disagree with him on many topics. Off the boards, he is probably a decent individual, but the narcissism of his forum persona is a little hard to take at times.
Now that I got that off of my chest, I am going to say one thing. Even though I do not lay palms at your feet when you ride your donkey into town, on this particular subject,
@WDW1974, you actually did move me to read up on this subject. So, even though I am a detractor of your 'style' I will say that you peaked my interest. Now I am certain that you will sleep easier at night knowing that.
I found some interesting quotes in an article on the subject matter:
1) SHANGHAI: The towers of Disney’s planned Magic Kingdom in Shanghai are wreathed in scaffolding and mystery after the US entertainment giant pushed back the opening of its first mainland China theme park to 2016. On a tightly guarded, 3.9-square-kilometre site east of China’s commercial hub, a grey turret of the unfinished “Enchanted Storybook Castle” rises into the sky. There is no Disney branding at the main entrance, only a sign reading: “Shanghai International Tourism and Resort Zone”. [Interesting choice of words.
Not Disney resort zone]
2) It was originally due to be transformed in time to open this year, but Disney chairman and chief executive Bob Iger last week announced a delay, pushing the opening back to next spring. He attributed the change to an expansion in the park’s size and number of attractions. “The artistry, complexity, the magnitude and the detail, it’s all quite astonishing,” Iger said, calling the facility “spectacular”. But Shanghai authorities have not confirmed any plans to expand the project, and people familiar with it point to it following stricter environmental and labour standards than normal in China.
3) One Chinese academic estimates it will contribute $3.3bn to Shanghai’s economy every year and account for one per cent of the city’s annual gross domestic product.
4) Chinese construction is normally staggeringly fast, with towering skyscrapers and multi-lane highways changing urban landscapes at extraordinary pace. But a Shanghai official told AFP that a delay arose after contaminated soil on the site failed to meet environmental standards, prompting Disney to bring in a foreign contractor to remedy the problem. Workers removed topsoil up to a metre deep. A worker said that the builders were insisting on a standard eight-hour work day, preventing faster construction — unlike many other sites in China where labour laws are loosely enforced and routinely violated. Disney did not respond to a request for comment on the delay.
5) He Jianmin of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, who has consulted for the city on the tourism zone, forecast the park will initially attract seven million visitors a year, eventually rising to 16 million.
It is interesting to note that the first point falls well within Spirit's own mantra that this is China's Disney park, and not Disney's Disney park. The other part that interests me are the issues regarding a failure to meet current environmental standards, and that Disney's mistake and subsequent response likely is what caused the opening day delay into 2016, not a park expansion. What did not surprise me is that Disney had no response. Shocker.
This was pulled from a middle east news agency (Dawn.com). I tried to stay away from a publication that either Disney or the Chinese government were involved in so that the article could not be redacted post publishing like some other article we were familiar with (for about 2 seconds).
