Against the backdrop of Sleeping Beauty Castle and the mountains of Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland officially opened to the public this week, on Monday, September 12, 2005

Beginning with a colorful display of spinning parasols which parted to reveal children welcoming spectators in English, Chinese and Putonghua (a Mandarin dialect), the ceremony merged classic Chinese tradition with Disney heritage.

The celebrations continued with Chinese acrobats and dancers and Disney ambassadors representing all of the Disney theme parks worldwide. They were joined by the 100-voice Hong Kong Children's Choir, which sang "It's a Small World" in English and "One" in Cantonese.

The centerpiece of the ceremony was a traditional Lion Dance ritual in which the lions were "brought to life" after having their eyes dotted with brushes and red ink. Doing the dotting were Michael Eisner, Walt Disney Company Chief Executive Officer; Robert A. Iger, Walt Disney Company President, Chief Operating Officer and CEO-elect; Zeng Qinghong, Vice-President of the People's Republic of China; and Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The final ribbon-cutting was performed by Eisner, Iger, Zeng and Tsang, and observed by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and singer and Hong Kong Disneyland spokesperson Jacky Cheung.

"Hong Kong Disneyland stands before us as a living symbol of the creativity and imagination that are the heart and soul of Disney," said Eisner. "With a spirit of goodwill and friendship, we invite the people of Hong Kong, China and all of Asia to share in the magic, imagination and soaring spirit of Disney."

In welcoming Disney to Hong Kong, Tsang observed, "The arrival of the world's most widely recognized and best-loved theme park in Hong Kong will allow us to provide visitors from all over the region with a fun-filled and diversified experience . . . We warmly and wholeheartedly welcome the Disney family to Hong Kong."

Following the ceremony, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened its gates for thousands of waiting guests.

The public grand opening was preceded by a weekend preview for business and government leaders, as well as many Asian celebrities including Eason Chan, Emil Chau, Jacky Cheung, Andy Hui, Brad Kane, Coco Lee, Paige O'Hara, Lea Salonga and Joey Yung. Salonga, best known to Disney fans as the voice of Mulan, also performed during the media preview that took place the same weekend.

But the opening wasn't without some minor controversies. The park had to remove shark fin soup from its menu after environmentalists protested. They claim shark populations are in danger from the delicacy that requires fishermen to hack off the fin before tossing the fish back into the sea to die. Disneyland said it was trying to honor a local custom by selling the dish at weddings in the park.

Disney then made more headlines by asking dog-catchers to round up dozens of stray mutts near the park -- a move that doomed many of the canines to death.

Finally, Disney had to contend with nearby neighbors who were concerned about the nightly fireworks and the noise and smoke they would produce. The park, however, has not called off its plans for the fireworks, in light of tests that showed they were fully complying with regulations.

A joint venture of The Walt Disney Company and Hong Kong SAR Government, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is expected to generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion (US$19 billion) in benefits to Hong Kong over a 40-year period.

Tomorrow, I'll take an in-depth look at Hong Kong Disneyland, with upcoming stories in this mini-series to include profiles of the park's two hotels, and a look at how the park was designed with Feng Shui.

If you'd like to know more about Hong Kong Disneyland, please visit www.hongkongdisneyland.com.

Other articles in this series:

A Look At Hong Kong Disneyland
Disney's Hollywood Hotel Brings Vintage Hollywood to Hong Kong
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Offers Luxury In a Victorian Setting
Feng Shui Used in Design of Hong Kong Disneyland