The Glocalization of Shanghai Disneyland by Ni-Chen Sung

Author:Ni-Chen Sung [Sung, Ni-Chen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Popular Culture, General
ISBN: 9781000398755
Google: KLUmEAAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 56356809
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-04-11T02:17:45+00:00

Iger further suggested a local identity of “China’s Disneyland” for Shanghai Disneyland before the park opening: “I didn’t want to build Disneyland in China. I wanted to build China’s Disneyland... Not only could Chinese visitors relate to it, but they could be proud of it and could have a sense of ownership” (Levine, 2016). Philippe Gas, then general manager of Shanghai Disneyland, further stressed that Shanghai Disneyland exhibited Disney’s long-term commitment in China as “a citizen of Shanghai”: “We respect the rules of the game and the interest of the Chinese parties... We want to be a citizen of Shanghai and we have been, right from the opening day” (Nunlist, 2016). To further enhance the local image for Shanghai Disneyland, Gas stated in another interview that the park planned to hire 98 percent of its staff locally (He, 2017).

Another way to promote the local image for Shanghai Disneyland was through localized events, such as the Opening Eve Celebration, which highlighted the marriage of Disney expertise and Chinese culture. This two-hour celebration was broadcast nationwide on Dragon TV, a satellite television channel owned by state-owned Shanghai Media Group (SMG). The ceremony took place in front of Shanghai Disneyland’s Enchanted Storybook Castle, Disney’s largest castle in the world. Chinese composer Tan Dun, known for his film scores for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), was invited to conduct the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in performing his original composition for Shanghai Disneyland titled “Igniting the Magical Dream,” which blends Chinese and Western music motifs along with iconic Disney music. Famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Shanghai Disneyland’s “honorary ambassador,” played on stage “Let It Go” from Disney’s blockbuster animated feature Frozen, whose box office reached about US$50 million in China in 2014.

Local celebrities either performed Disney songs or shared their personal Disney experiences to endorse Shanghai Disneyland. In addition to the celebrities, an elderly male was invited to play Erhu (Chinese violin) side by side with a young girl playing violin with a choir of 800 members to highlight the park’s multigenerational appeal and to further salute the fusion of Chinese and Western culture, the theme of the opening eve. An informant who attended this Opening Eve Celebration did not enjoy such fusion, especially when he heard the Chinese lyrics “oh castle” repeated in the theme song. He said, “I heard that the lyrics were originally written in Chinese. But they sounded like direct translations from English. After all, in Mandarin, who would literally sing an ode to a castle?” It is possible for an audience to operate with an oppositional code and decode a message in a contrary way (Hall, 1980). My informant’s reaction was an example of an oppositional reading. In other words, local audiences do not necessarily appreciate producer Disney’s localization efforts.

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