“It is not raining, it is raining American dollars and Chinese renminbi,” said Wang Yang, the Vice Premier of the State Council, at Shanghai Disney’s opening ceremony on Thursday morning.
“It is a sign of imminent good fortune,” he added, saying that water in Chinese culture represents money. Rainy weather did not keep visitors away from the park as tens of thousands queued up for the official opening.
At the opening ceremony, Disney characters also dressed in golden variations of their costumes. Gold is a popular and auspicious colour in Chinese culture.
Strict rules against piracy
Guards blocked Taiwanese tourists who wrote “Participating in the Shanghai Disneyland Opening Ceremony” on a homemade banner while they were posing for a photo, reported Ming Pao. A guard told the tourists that “if the word ‘Disneyland’ appears it cannot be used” since it infringed on Disney’s copyright. One of the tourists said she knew that Disney graphics weren’t allowed, but she didn’t know that even words were restricted.
Apple Daily reported that a fight almost broke out as some people tried to jump the queue. Those who did not have tickets also asked those queuing up if they were selling their tickets. All tickets were reserved online for today and the ticket booths were not open.
