The smallest Disney resort and amusement park is that on the island of Lantau at the mouth of the Pearl River. The amusement park is owned jointly by the Disney Company and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and was opened on 12th September 2005. Built on largely reclaimed land, the amusement park covers only just over 310 acres, with Phase 1 of the project occupying around 100 acres of that. There are four themed lands in the amusement park, including Fantasyland with the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle.
As a result of its size, it was calculated that the amusement park could only accommodate 34,000 visitors each day and this has created problems. At
times, its popularity has resulted in long queues at the amusement park for the rides and the food outlets. The answer to this is a planned expansion of the amusement park and its adjacent facilities over the next 15 years so that up to 10m visitors annually can be catered for.
Conscious of Chinese cultural sensitivity, the amusement park was constructed in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui. Cast members use both Chinese and English to communicate to their visitors and guides to the amusement park sites are available in Chinese, English and Japanese.
Lantau Island is the largest of the islands of Hong Kong and until recently was mainly populated by the people of its fishing villages. It is heavily
wooded and hilly, with an area of sea off the north coast a protected reserve for pink dolphins. Now, not only does it have the Disney amusement park and resort, it is the site of Hong Kong airport, opened in 1998, again largely on reclaimed land.
As part of the expansion programme, "It's a Small World" was added to the amusement park, opening in April 2008. Walt Disney was determined that his
amusement parks should do more than just amuse and this attraction aims to show children each other's worlds and hopefully to promote peace among
nations - a bold but praiseworthy mission for any amusement park.
See also:
One-of-a-Kind 'It's a Small World' Debuts at Hong Kong Disneyland!
Amusement parks: Walt Disney World - a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Disneyland - a Potted History
Amusement parks: Disneyland Paris - a Potted History