Classic Disney with an Asian accent

Classic Disney with an Asian accent

Min Lee, Associated Press/Hong Kong

Mickey Mouse, Sleeping Beauty's castle and the Lion King are
all here at Disney's new theme park in Hong Kong, along with
classic rides familiar to fans of other Disney theme parks -
Space Mountain, the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Dumbo.

But in creating the Disney experience for a mostly Chinese
audience, this thoroughly American - and notoriously detail-
obsessed - company has incorporated many elements of local
culture.

Experts in the Chinese tradition of feng shui - the belief
that harmonious energy and good fortune can be achieved by the
correct positioning of furniture and other objects - were put on
the payroll.

And while Coke and hamburgers can easily be found, guests can
also dine on dim sum and sweet and sour pork. Signage is in both
Chinese and English.

On the advice of feng shui masters, the park faces the water
with mountains in the back. The feng shui experts even picked the
opening date of the park - Sept. 12.

Park officials also tweaked the layout to conform with feng
shui principles. They recommended "no fire" zones in restaurant
kitchens - with an eye to keeping the five elements of metal,
water, wood, fire and earth in balance - and water fountains. A
giant fountain near the park entrance features Mickey Mouse
surfing on a stream of water spouting from a whale. Statues of
Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse stand nearby.

Visitors can navigate the park with signs written in their
native Chinese, but the rides also include bilingual
explanations. Inside the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride, a
talking animated Buzz Lightyear figure speaks in English while
Chinese subtitles are flashed on a display board nearby.

Disney has delved deepest into local culture with the menu,
which encompasses several Asian cuisines. Apart from Chinese
staples, there's also Kashmiri chicken curry and shrimp and
vegetable tempura.

The Asian culinary delights are served in restaurants with
decidedly un-Chinese architecture, providing a sometimes bizarre
East-meets-West contrast.

The Tahitian Terrace restaurant serves roasted duck and curry
laksa noodle soup. The Viennese-influenced Market House Bakery in
Main Street, USA, uses European decor but juxtaposes Western
pastries with Hong Kong-style delicacies. Chocolate croissants
and cinnamon rolls are displayed alongside barbecued pork puffs,
egg tarts and pineapple buns.

The rest of the park - and even supporting infrastructure - is
vintage Disney. Hong Kong's subway operator has launched a
Mickey-themed train carriage - with windows and hanging straps
shaped like the character's head - to ferry visitors from a
suburban rail line to the park and back.

Hong Kong Disneyland also includes a variety of Disney
attractions found elsewhere. In addition to Space Mountain, Mad
Hatter Tea Cups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Buzz Lightyear
Astro Blasters, there is a Jungle River Cruise and the Festival
of the Lion King show, inspired by the animated movie.

Anchoring the park's skyline is a replica of the original
Sleeping Beauty Castle from Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., the
flagship park that opened 50 years ago.

And The Golden Mickeys, a Broadway-style show that until now
has been seen only on Disney cruises, has come ashore with its
debut in Hong Kong.

One standout in Hong Kong is Mickey's PhilharMagic in
Fantasyland, a 3-D show with appearances from Mickey, Donald
Duck, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Tinker
Bell and Simba.

With the help of 3-D glasses, the Disney characters appear as
if they're right in front of the viewer. When Donald Duck is
splashed with water, the audience is likewise sprinkled. The
scent of cherries fills the theater when a dessert dish shows up
on screen.

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy certainly aren't alien to
the children of Westernized Hong Kong, but the average person in
mainland China, a major target market for Hong Kong Disneyland,
is less Disney-savvy.

So Disney has launched a massive marketing campaign. It tapped
clean-cut Hong Kong pop star Jacky Cheung - a singer and actor
who is one of the biggest acts in the Chinese-speaking world - as
park spokesman.

Since July 2004, Chan has hosted a TV program aired in both
Hong Kong and China that shows classic Disney movies.

Disney has also introduced a fashion line at bargain clothing
retailer Giordano, which has 1,500 outlets in Asia, Australia and
the Middle East, 644 of which are in mainland China. The clothing
features pictures of Disney characters ranging from Mickey to
Nemo.

A heavy dosage of all things Disney aside, Hong Kong
Disneyland offers a rare expanse of space and lush greenery in a
densely populated territory better known for its towering
skyscrapers than wildlife.

The park is a landscaping achievement, reproducing a slice of
America with Asian accents.

The driveway leading to the park entrance is lined with tall
palm trees, and Adventureland mixes palm trees with bamboo
fences, torches, rock formations, straw-thatched roofs and a fake
jungle river in what resembles the set of the TV show Survivor.

Long open-air shelters that make up the bus depot are
decorated by old-style lamps and rotating fan blades hanging from
the ceiling, creating the feel of a saloon in the old American
West.

At 126 hectares (310 acres), Hong Kong Disneyland is the
smallest Disney park in the world, but Disney says expansions are
planned. One addition already lined up is the Autopia car ride in
Tomorrowland.

Pricing at the park is affordable by Hong Kong standards but
on the higher end for visitors from China. Even in the commercial
hub of Shanghai, which enjoys a much higher standard of living
than most Chinese cities, the minimum monthly wage is a paltry
690 Chinese yuan (US$85).

At the Emporium souvenir shop, a Mickey Mouse key chain costs
HK$60; a standard Hong Kong Disneyland cap is priced HK$100.

Admission is HK$350 for the weekend and public holidays,
HK$295 on weekdays - the cheapest among Disney's five parks
around the world. Children under 11 pay HK$250 on weekends and
HK$210 during the week.

The park houses two hotels - Victorian-style Hong Kong
Disneyland Hotel, with lots of towers and fussy architecture, and
the sleek-looking Disney's Hollywood Hotel.

These accommodations are steeply priced: Hong Kong Disneyland
Hotel starts at HK$1,600 a night and Disney's Hollywood Hotel's
cheapest room costs HK$1,000.

For budget travelers, staying in the city is recommended. Hong
Kong offers hotels in many different price ranges, and the park
is only about a 20-plus minute subway train ride from downtown
Hong Kong.

If You Go...

Catch the Tung Chung-bound train at the Hong Kong or Kowloon
subway stations. Switch to the Disneyland line at the Sunny Bay
station. The trip takes about 20 minutes and costs HK$18 from
Kowloon. From Hong Kong, travelers arrive in 24 minutes and pay
HK$23. For details, go to www.hongkongdisneyland.com.