Disney now has six theme parks in the world since the opening of the new Disneyland park in Shanghai, China. Just because it is labeled as a Disney park, does not mean that it is identical to all the Disney parks. Shanghai Disneyland is supersized! It covers 963 acres, which is 11 times the size of Disneyland in California. Size is not the only thing that separates Shanghai Disneyland from the other Disney parks. It also does not plan to conform to the "American Disney." They're not changing every aspect of the park, just including Chinese culture. Here are some of the things that Shanghai Disneyland is adding and/or changing about the park to make it more "Chinese friendly."
1. Food
This is the biggest change that they are making. Shanghai Disneyland will still have food that represents the Disney characters, but it will not just be made with Western cuisine. The food will be about 70 percent Chinese cuisine, 20 percent other Asian cuisine, and 10 percent Western cuisine. This will also change how restaurants are designed. The main restaurant has red lanterns and will look like a traditional tea house.
2. Location Names/Attractions
Shanghai Disneyland is avoiding anything "too American." This includes some of the street names in the Disney parks. "Main Street USA" will be called "Mickey Avenue." Shanghai Disneyland will also not have the zone Frontierland/Westernland in their park. A new attraction named, "Tron" will be featured in Shanghai Disneyland. "Tron" is a roller coaster based off of the science fiction films with the same name.
3. Miscellaneous
Shanghai Disneyland will also offer other changes that are not quite so drastic. Mickey and Donald can be seen in silk jackets. There will be more benches placed around the park for grandparents to sit upon. Also, on The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Captain Jack Sparrow will speak Putonghua, China's official language.
This new Disneyland sounds exciting! It will provide a more at home feel for Chinese natives and a fun cultural experience for visitors.
