This Day, That Year – June 16

This day in history we feature the Shanghai Disneyland. The first Disney Park in Mainland China, opens to the public on this day in 2016.

Trivia – Shanghai Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Shanghai Shendi Group, through a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Shendi. Construction began on April 8, 2011.

Related read – 50 years of sheer Disney magic!

The park operated in its first half-year with a visitor attendance of 5.60 million guests. The park covers an area of 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi), costing 24.5 billion RMB, with Shendi holding 57% and Disney holding the remaining 43%. The park currently has seven themed areas: Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Treasure Cove, Adventure Isle, Tomorrowland, and Toy Story Land. The Chinese government approved the resort on November 4, 2009. The Walt Disney Company announced on November 5, 2010, that it had signed an agreement with Shanghai Shendi Group to build the resort and park in Shanghai, with a planned opening in 2015. On April 7, 2011, groundbreaking began at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort site. On June 29, 2013, construction on the Enchanted Storybook Castle began. On May 7, 2016, Shanghai Disneyland had started soft openings. Disney aired the live broadcast of the grand opening show on its Facebook and the Disney TV stations on the night of June 15, 2016. Bob Iger, the chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, was joined by nearly 3,000 distinguished guests and celebrities for a showcase of choreography, acrobatics, costumes, and technology on grand scale, with dazzling lights, Disney music, pageantry, special effects, and fireworks. The historic event included the debut of an original song, “Ignite the Dreamer Within”, written especially for the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland.

Source – Wikipedia