Hong Kong Disneyland Opens Today

Hong Kong Disneyland officially opens today.

The new theme park had a trial opening on Sunday September 4th, and discovered that filling it to near capacity was not a good idea. At 311 acres Hong Kong Disneyland is less than half the size of the original Disneyland in California. A spokesman for the company admitted that the more than 29,000 visitors to the theme park had suffered when it was almost filled to its daily capacity of 30,000 during the charity trial run a week ago, ahead of its grand opening today.

Capacity problems aside, getting the park into the communist country has not been easy. There have been many problems along the way and the media loves to find fault in any company with such a reputation as Disney’s.

Shark Fin Soup on the wedding banquet menu was criticized for being wasteful and cruel to sharks by animal rights activists. The activists complain that shark’s fins are harvested inhumanely by fishermen who brutally hack the fin from sharks and toss the bodies back into the sea to die, a practice known as “finning.” Shark Fin Soup is a Chinese delicacy and is adored by the masses, so making a balance between cultural sensitivities and conservation can be tricky. In the end, the company said that it had made the decision to remove the controversial item from its menu because it was “not able to identify an environmentally sustainable fishing source” that could make sure the fins used for the soup were not the product of large-scale butchering of sharks in open seas.

The government of China has also had its share of rebuke for giving up too much in its negotiations with Disney. People have expressed concern over the high-profile union between two major forces in their lives: big business and government. With the government investing over $3 billion US another concern is over Disney opening an additional theme park, this time in mainland China, within only a few years – which would damage profits. Disney has announced that a new park in Shanghai could be under construction as early as 2010 if talks go smoothly.

Critics denounced Disney for euthanizing dozens of stray dogs that had lived in the area during construction. Around 40 dogs, some of which were used as unofficial guard dogs by construction workers, are believed to have been given lethal injections after being caught by government dog catchers.

The park has also been criticized for its fireworks shows adding smog to an already polluted environment.

A group of activists put a large stuffed Mickey Mouse in a cage at the entrance to the Hong Kong Disneyland on Sunday in a symbolic protest against labour exploitation.

But despite all the criticisms and logistical problems, Hong Kong Disneyland opens today and, for this Disney fan, it’s hard not to feel the magic.