China’s richest man battles Mickey Mouse
中国首富与米老鼠过招
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As Disney’s Magic Kingdom prepares to enter the Middle Kingdom, China’s richest man has geared up to do battle with Mickey Mouse for the hearts of the country’s children — and their parents’ wallets.
就在迪士尼(Disney)的“神奇王国”(Magic Kingdom)准备进军“中央王国”之际，中国首富磨拳擦掌，要与“米老鼠”(Mickey Mouse)争夺中国童心——以及儿童父母的钱包。
Wang Jianlin, billionaire real estate tycoon and chairman of the property and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, is betting his $3bn investment in a new children’s theme park will draw a newly flush middle class through its gates in big numbers.
主营地产与娱乐的大连万达集团(Dalian Wanda Group)董事长、亿万富翁房地产大亨王健林，正押注其投资30亿美元新建的一个儿童主题乐园将吸引大批中国中产阶层新富。
Wanda City, a leisure resort that opened late last month in Nanchang, southern China, is banking on its ability to satisfy local tastes. It opened to a ceremony of dancing lions and obligatory speeches from local party chiefs. Attractions include China’s tallest and longest roller coasters, and a mall designed to evoke a Chinese tea set.
上月底在中国南方城市南昌开业的休闲胜地万达城(Wanda City)，寄望于自己有能力满足本土品味。开园仪式上进行了舞狮表演，而且依惯例由当地党政领导发表讲话。园中最吸引人的游乐设施包括中国最高、最长的过山车，以及一处造型类似中式茶壶的购物中心。
Disney, the world’s largest entertainment company, meanwhile, is also betting on the new thirst in China for leisure activities. The US company’s first Disneyland resort in mainland China opens in Shanghai on June 16 — a Rmb55bn ($8bn) joint venture with three government owned companies.
与此同时，全球最大娱乐公司迪士尼也在押注中国民众在休闲娱乐活动方面的新需求。迪士尼在中国内地的首座迪士尼乐园(Disneyland)将于6月16在上海开业——该项目由迪士尼与三家中国国企联合投资550亿元人民币（合80亿美元）兴建。
The US media conglomerate is banking on its international movie hits to attract impressionable youngsters and obliging parents. Its new park features attractions based on Pirates of the Caribbean and superhero pictures such as Iron Man and Avengers Assemble.
这家美国传媒集团寄望于其在全球热映的大片来吸引易受感染的年轻人以及愿意顺从他们的父母。这座新建乐园的特色在于，许多游乐设施依据《加勒比海盗》(Pirates of the Caribbean)以及超级英雄大片如《钢铁侠》(Iron Man)和《复仇者联盟》(Avengers Assemble)的故事情节而建。
The US company is deploying its globally recognised characters, including Elsa and Anna from the 2013 hit Frozen, to draw visitors from across China, where per capita income has grown 20-fold in a generation.
迪士尼正利用其全球知名的动漫人物——包括2013年热映大片《冰雪奇缘》(Frozen)中的艾莎(Elsa)与安娜(Anna)——吸引中国各地的游客。中国的人均收入在一代人时间里增长了20倍。
But Mr Wang, with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $34bn, says he does not fear Disney’s big advantage in name recognition and icons. His group plans to create a plethora of cheaper venues across the country to woo white-collar workers looking for a quick weekend day out rather than a blowout holiday.
但王健林表示，并不害怕迪士尼在知名度以及拥有众多偶像方面的巨大优势。万达集团计划在中国各地新建大量更廉价的休闲乐园，吸引那些希望利用周末“一日游”（而不是耗资巨大的正式度假）的白领阶层。据《福布斯》(Forbes)杂志估计，王健林身价为340亿美元。
“The days of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck creating a frenzy are over,” he told China Central Television last month. “One tiger is no match for a pack of wolves — Shanghai has one Disney, while Wanda, across the nation, will open 15 to 20 Wanda Cities.”
“现在已经不是看米老鼠、唐老鸭(Donald Duck)为之疯狂的年代了，”他上月在中国中央电视台(CCTV)上表示，“好虎架不住群狼——上海只有一个迪士尼，而万达则在全国其他地方开了15到20个乐园项目。”
Tiger Hou, a partner at Ent Group, the Chinese entertainment consulting firm, says Disney has “a real edge” against local theme parks because of their famous characters. “Disney parks are special enough for Chinese consumers to be willing to pay a premium price to see their and their children’s favourite characters. Local theme parks can provide only a lesser experience, and many are homogeneous,” he adds
中国娱乐咨询公司艺恩网(Ent Group)合伙人侯涛(Tiger Hou)表示，因为拥有知名动漫人物，迪士尼相对中国本土主题公园拥有“真正优势”。他补充说：“对于愿意花钱看自己和孩子最喜爱的动漫人物的中国消费者，迪士尼乐园足够特别。本土主题公园提供的体验比较逊色，许多乐园都大同小异。”
Historically, theme-park chains have been the reserve of companies with the deep coffers needed to pour billions into upkeep of existing attractions, as well as regularly opening new rides to draw customers back year after year.
从历史上看，连锁主题公园一直是财力雄厚企业的专属，因为它们需要投入巨额资金以维护现有游乐设施，还要年复一年地经常开放新的游乐设施以吸引回头客。
In the US, Disney and Comcast, the US cable company which owns the Universal chain of theme parks, are among the big operators. But Disney has been raising overall ticket prices above the rate of inflation for several years running, a pattern that could become unsustainable if it pushes the parks out of the reach of middle-class parents. The company is considering offering cheaper “off peak” prices at slower times of the year to increase overall attendance and counteract seasonal crowding.
在美国，迪士尼与有线电视运营商康卡斯特(Comcast)都是大型主题公园运营商。康卡斯特旗下拥有环球(Universal)连锁主题公园。但迪士尼整体票价涨幅已连续数年高于通胀率，如果票价超出中产阶层父母的承受范围的话，这一模式将难以为继。迪士尼正考虑在每年的淡季提供较便宜的“非高峰期”票价，以增加入园总人数，并缓解季节性拥挤。
In China, Disney’s ticket prices are double those of Mr Wang’s Wanda Park: a weekend day admission is a steep Rmb499 compared with Rmb248 for Wanda Park.
在中国，迪士尼门票价格是万达乐园的两倍：迪士尼周末单日门票售价高达499元人民币，而万达乐园只要248元人民币。
As well as being more affordable, Mr Wang’s parks rely on their ability to adapt to the local culture and climate — although a recent walk through a Wanda City park showed revellers taking photos next to storm trooper characters from the Star Wars movies.
除了门票更便宜，王健林的乐园寄望于自己有能力适应当地文化和气候——虽然当记者最近走过万达城乐园时，看到的是游客挨着《星球大战》(Star Wars)系列电影中的帝国风暴兵(stormtrooper)造型合影。
Disney said it would take legal action after a woman in a Snow White costume was spotted in the Wanda mall recently.
针对近期一位身穿白雪公主(Snow White)服饰的女性现身万达购物中心的情况，迪士尼表示将采取法律行动。
But Wanda City is also seeking to create a uniquely Chinese experience. Revellers can fly over Jiangxi province in a flight simulator in the Wanda mall, or dragon-boat across the water-park, or follow a path through a 10-metre high bamboo forest to reach China’s longest rollercoaster, made of wood.
但万达城也在设法创造独特的中式体验。游客可以在购物中心乘坐飞行模拟器飞越江西省，乘坐龙舟穿越水上公园，或者穿过10米高的竹林去乘坐中国最长的木制过山车。广州动漫翻译公司、动漫翻译服务。
On a recent visit, resort attendants, always in groups of threes, beamed around every corner, staffing cafés and buffet restaurants.
在最近的一次参观中，记者看到主题公园三人一组的工作人员笑容满面地站在各个角落，在咖啡馆和自助餐厅提供服务。
“Wanda reflects my principles — to bring happiness to families across China,” says a young tour guide, Zou Jiali, with a steady smile.
“万达反映了我的原则——给全国各地的家庭带来欢乐，”一直保持微笑的年轻导游邹佳丽（音）说。
Analysts say the competition between the two entertainment heavyweights should be positive for both companies if it energises the country’s cash-starved theme park industry. Up to now, Chinese consumers have been reluctant to splash out on attractions. They spend a mere $3 per person annually on theme parks, compared with $58 in the US, says Richard Huang, who analyses China’s entertainment industry for Nomura investment bank in Hong Kong.
分析人士表示，这两家娱乐巨头间的竞争对双方应该都有好处——如果这种竞争为中国缺少资金的主题公园产业注入活力。迄今中国消费者还不愿在游乐设施上大把花钱。投资银行野村证券(Nomura)驻香港的中国娱乐产业分析师Richard Huang表示，中国每年在主题公园上的人均支出仅为3美元，而美国是58美元。
Both Disney and Wanda should also benefit from the government’s plans to create more national holidays and high-speed rail lines, says Reto Wilhelm, general manager for the Chinese arm of the Thomas Cook tourism group.
Thomas Cook旅游集团中国公司总经理雷托•威廉(Reto Wilhelm)表示，迪士尼和万达还将受益于中国政府设定更多国定假日以及修建更多高铁的计划。
Liu Zhaohui, who does consulting for theme parks in China, estimates that 70 per cent of China’s theme parks lose money, mainly due to poor management. “Disney’s advantage is that it would bring proper management to the sector,” he says.
为中国主题公园提供咨询的刘朝辉（音）估计，70%的中国主题公园亏损，主要原因是管理不善。他表示：“迪士尼的好处在于它将为该行业带来像样的管理。”
“It’s going to be a whole different landscape when you have quality theme parks, because the supply will create the demand,” says Mr Huang.
Richard Huang表示：“当中国拥有高品质主题公园时，这一产业将呈现出一番完全不同的景象，因为供给将创造需求。”
He noted that when Disney opened a Hong Kong theme park, the nearby attraction Ocean Park feared losing customers but in fact gained attendance.
他指出，当迪士尼在香港开设主题公园时，邻近的海洋公园(Ocean Park)曾担心出现游客流失，但实际结果是到海洋公园的游客增加了。
