As Disney’s Magic Kingdom prepares to enter the Middle Kingdom, China’s richest man has geared up to do battle with Mickey Mouse for the hearts of the country’s children — and their parents’ wallets.
Wang Jianlin, billionaire real estate tycoon and chairman of the property and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, is betting his $3bn investment in a new children’s theme park will draw a newly flush middle class through its gates in big numbers.
Wanda City, a leisure resort that opened late last month in Nanchang, southern China, is banking on its ability to satisfy local tastes. It opened to a ceremony of dancing lions and obligatory speeches from local party chiefs. Attractions include China’s tallest and longest roller coasters, and a mall designed to evoke a Chinese tea set.