As the opening date for the highly anticipated Shanghai Disneyland nears, fans of Mickey and the gang are being reminded to behave.
Shanghai’s municipal government has issued an etiquette guide aimed at locals planning to visit the new park, due to open on June 16 in the city’s Pudong district.
City officials announced they developed six rules after “uncivilized behaviors” were observed during the mega theme park’s trial opening this month, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
The new guide warns tourists against littering, being rowdy, vandalizing, cutting in line, damaging the landscape and other “uncouth behaviors” such as lying down on the ground.
MORE: First look at the vast new Shanghai Disneyland
Indeed, the park hasn’t even opened and it’s already experienced its fair share of drama – and we’re not talking about the action on the Walt Disney Grand Theater stage.
First, scalpers jacked up ticket prices to obscene levels when tickets went on sale in late March.
Then, when the park’s metro station opened in late April, curious visitors raced to the Disney grounds, reportedly causing damage to areas outside the park gates.
Thousands more crowded outside the gates when the park opened as part of a soft launch in early May for staffers, their relatives and a limited number of invited guests.
After selling out within hours for opening day, tickets for the first two weeks have since been fully booked.
Emergency crowd control drills will be held to address potential risks, according to a report in the China Daily.
Local appeal
Shanghai Disney Resort, a joint venture between Disney and China’s Shanghai Shendi Group, has been designed to appeal to Chinese visitors.
Located next to the main Disneyland amusement park, Disneytown incorporates Shanghai’s traditional Shikumen-style architecture.
The Walt Disney Grand Theater will feature the world’s first Mandarin version of musical “The Lion King.”
Chinese zodiacs have been re-imagined as 12 Disney and Pixar characters.
The massive Shanghai project is the first Disney theme park to open in the last 10 years and dwarfs its Asian counterparts in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
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