Ask a Disney Question:Any Plans to Build a Disney Park in Beijing?

This question comes from Chelsea, who asks “Will Disney still want to build a park in Beijing?”

At this point, there aren’t any plans for another Disney park in China, with Disney for the time being focused on the construction of its hard-won park in Shanghai and the struggling Hong Kong Disney park.  That doesn’t mean that Disney doesn’t have any plans somewhere in the distant future, but we can’t find a whisper of good information on a Disney Beijing park anywhere.  Keep in mind that it took two decades of not so-secret negotiations to get the okay to build the park in Shanghai, so even if  Disney is thinking about it, it won’t happen for a very long time.

Building a Disney theme park in any country is complicated, not just logistically but psychologically.  It’s a product, after all, that’s closely associated with the United States and gives at least the appearance of transplanting a foreign culture right into Mainland China.   Add to that dealing with a communist regime, which tends to work slowly, and a country that is, for the most part, still very poor.  Most Mainland Chinese have had only very limited exposure to Disney characters. Further, theme parks are generally regarded as being for children and visiting a Disney park is still out of reach for many Chinese, even with the growing economy.    Finally, and perhaps most important, top political advisers in China are questioning the logic behind building the Shanghai park given the poor numbers that came out recently from the Disneyland Hong Kong park.

But wait!  One thing that might amuse you, is that there already is a “Disney” theme park in Beijing,  the Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park. Built in 1986, it has a castle (shown above) that strongly resembles Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle and a structure that looks a lot like Epcot’s Spaceship Earth. If you visit the park, you’ll notice characters that look a lot like Mickey and Minnie, as well as other trademarked non-Disney characters.  Disney lawyers are apparently in negotiations with the Shijingshan Amusement Park’s lawyers over these issues.   No word yet on the outcome.

And here I worried about buying a possibly bootlegged copy of Beauty and the Beast!

We’ll update if we hear anything else. Thanks for reading the blog and for your question.

Got a Disney question?  We’ve got answers. Write us here!

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Who is your Travel Agent?(Required)

Let us pick for youEric HilesStacy ReedAbbey JohnsonAlisa SullivanAlli WillisAmanda FolsomAmanda VannAmber BrillhartAmber FisherAmy SieburnAndrea SmithAngela AndersonAngie BaycuraAnna PetrilliAnnabelle DuboseApril StefanskiAshley RamseyBeth ParsonsBetsy SantoroBrandie McQueenBrian BuckleyBridget HatchBryan SchwartzCandice SneedCarrie ButlerCarson DockumCasey BoltCharleen HortonChelsea RoyChelsea WuebkerChris BoyerChristie GrubeChristina FratturaChristina SmithCourtney WhiteCraig YoderDan MercedDanielle NorcrossDarby MouritsenDavid ForrestDeborah AlvaradoEmilee BiegelEmily MorrisFaith HakesGail HatchGreg MatzkerHelen HummerHolly CurryJackie CavistonJaclyn PepitoneJamie SwansonJeanine JordanJeff CallahanJenni MaierJennifer BrownJennifer StephensonJennifer StoessnerJessica HatfieldJessica HuffJessica WunderJoe GuertinJon CarpentierJoseph SliwaJulie McCombJustin BrownKat AttridgeKathryn EberhartKathy AndersonKatie HarrellKatie PrevotKayla CookKelsey SullensKim HelmsKimberly HutchinsonKristi GallagherKyle RamsdenLauren DewlenLeanne MonterLinda DurhamLindsay AckermannLindsey VromanLissette BritoLori HardyMallory MorrisonMandi QuinnMaranda PerkinsMarisa AlvaradoMegan TeismannMeghan BlairMelissa ReedMichele KlineMike BeyerMissy McCormickMisty DickersonNancy CasteelNicole ThorntonPatrick O'ConnorPaul SulPeyton Ward-KubikRaylene CooganRegan OstranderRobbie BulusRobert ThomasSara SolbergSarah McCandlishShanna BrowningShelley BennettShelly MetzStacy CristStacy KrzyminskiStacy SmithStephanie DraganoStephanie FerencStephanie WalshSusannah McCordTara SlusserTerri MillerTiffany DobraskiTiffany DrenkhahnTina FarmerTonya LesiukTracy DaneTroy DuncanVeronica RenteriaVicki FesslerWendy CarllWendy HauserWendy KellehanWendy Shelley

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Destination(Required)

Walt Disney WorldDisneyland ResortDisney Cruise LineAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaUniversal FloridaUniversal HollywoodRoyal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian or other Cruise LineI don't know yet

# of Adults(Required)

# of Children(Required)

Check-in-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Check-out-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Comments, Questions or Special Requests

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!