China's keen on Disneyland

[ALIASd]

China's keen on Disneyland

Developers plan Shanghai theme park


By Clifford Coonan
Variety
March 9, 2008

Plans for a Disneyland in Shanghai, shelved after a corruption scandal involving the city's top Communist Party leaders, have been revived, with developers applying to the Chinese government to build a theme park.

Speaking on the sidelines of China's annual parliament, the National People's Congress, Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng confirmed an application had been made to the central government's planning agency in Beijing to go ahead with Asia's third Disneyland.

While a spokeswoman for Disney said there was no deal, political will from the Chinese side is clearly strong.

"We have applied to the National Development and Reform Commission, but so far we have not received any notice of approval," Han told reporters on the sidelines of the NPC.

No notice of approval had yet been given, and no specific site had been chosen, although the city's booming Pudong district is expected to be the site, and media reports say the park will be ready by 2020.

Disney spokeswoman Alannah Hall-Smith said there were no changes in the situation from their side.

"We do not have any updates. There is no deal and no announcement," she said.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=19&cs=1

[Junthor]

I hope they get it personally.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Interesting!

[GhostHost2]

I wonder if the park will be worth going to in 2020, or should I hold out for 10 years and wait for them to beef it up. LOL, I will be 35 by 2020, and that is something, I don't want to think about.

[MasterGracey]

Hopefully another Magic Kingdom-style park isn't built.

Something unique should be created. Over saturation of Magic Kingdom parks isn't a smart idea.

[Baloo]

by then Hong kong would be getting its second gate too

[Coheteboy]

Too Much!!!!

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Hopefully another Magic Kingdom-style park isn't built.

Something unique should be created. Over saturation of Magic Kingdom parks isn't a smart idea.

SINOCOT Center?

[GhostHost2]

Too Much!!!!

Yeah, I agree. With each Disney Resort built, the original loses it's importance in the public's eye sadly. Disney can build as many resorts they want to, but none of these resorts can be a substitute for the one and only Disneyland.

[BALASADA]

Shanghai Threatened by Water Shortage
The Chinese Ministry of Water Resources predicts that beginning from 2010, a serious water shortage will lie ahead of the country. By 2030, when the shortage peaks, the nation will have 40-50 billion cubic meters of water in short supply. What's more, Shanghai -- the biggest Chinese metropolis situated in the estuary of the Yangtze River, by the East China Sea -- has been added to the United Nations' list as one of the six cities predicted to experience severe drinking-water problems in this century. Shanghai Water Affairs Bureau has foreseen that during this summer, when the city uses up to 9.64 million cubic meters of water per day, there will be a possible daily water shortage of 1.5 million tons.

"Unlike north China, which is often afflicted with severe drought, what Shanghai lacks is quality water suitable for both drinking and industrial production," says 73-year-old Zhang Jiacheng, an expert of water affairs.

Although Shanghai abounds with water resources, its usable fresh water is very limited, with the total amount standing at 11.88 billion cubic meters, only 20 percent of the city's surface water. Shanghai's per capita water availability is 1,049 cubic meters, 40 percent of the country's average and 10 percent of the world's average.

"Pollution either occurs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze, or is caused by local plants," said Zhang Jiayi, director of Shanghai Water Affairs Bureau.

The Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze flowing through Shanghai, has supplied 80 percent of drinkable water for the local residents. Nonetheless, in recent years, the river has been seriously defiled by industrial wastes, pointed out Zhang Jiatuan, a senior engineer of the Ministry of Water Resources.

Furthermore, contamination in the neighboring Taihu Lake remains a direct menace to the Huangpu River. Due to discharge of domestic and industrial sewage, high content of phosphorus in the lake has led to the occurrence of potentially toxic blue-green alga over large areas, bringing severe drinking-water problems to Wuxi City at the lakeside. According to Zhang Jiatuan, as a result, in the upper reaches of the Huangpu, dense aquatic plants have been seen floating on the water surface several times since the middle of June. On severe occasions, they covered up almost one-third of the river.

Experts from the Ministry of Water Resources pointed out that along with sharp population growth and rapid economic development, the imbalance between supply and demand of water has become a bottleneck in the nation's industrial and agricultural production and urban development. A scarcity of drinking water in Shanghai will greatly hinder its developing into an international metropolis.