The Glocalization of Shanghai Disneyland

115 Pages·2021·1.43 MB·English

by  Ni-Chen Sung

The Glocalization of Shanghai
Disneyland
Focusing on Disney’s production of Shanghai Disneyland, this book
examines how the Chinese state and the local market influence Disney’s
ownership and production of the identities and the representations of
Shanghai Disneyland. Qualitative methods are here applied to com-
bine both primary and secondary data, including document analysis,
participant observation, and in-depth interviews.
Shanghai Disneyland is purposely created to be different from the
other Disneylands, under the “authentically Disney and distinctly
Chinese” mandate. In order to survive and thrive in China, Disney
carefully constructs Shanghai Disneyland as Disneyland with Chinese
characteristics. Previous studies tend to link Disney with cultural
imperialism; however, this book argues that it is not imperialism but
glocalization that promotes a global company’s interests in China. In
particular, the findings suggest state-capital-led glocalization: glocal-
ization led by economic capital of the state (direct investment) and
economic capital with the state (market potential). Furthermore, the
four categories of glocalization with different conditions, consider-
ations, and consequences illustrate various global–local dynamics in
the process of a global formation of locality.
The Glocalization of Shanghai Disneyland will appeal to students
and scholars of sociology, communication studies, business studies,
and Asian studies more broadly.
Ni-Chen Sung is experienced in the entertainment industry across the
region. With The Walt Disney Company, she was head of creative in
Taiwan, and director of production in China. Dr. Sung has research
interests in globalization and the cultural industries.
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5. The Glocalization of Shanghai Disneyland
Ni-Chen Sung
The Glocalization of
Shanghai Disneyland
Ni-Chen Sung
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2021 Ni-Chen Sung
The right of Ni-Chen Sung to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-67550-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-67588-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-13190-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by SPi Global, India
Contents
List of figures vi
List of tables vii
Acknowledgments viii
Author biography ix
1 Introduction 1
2 Histories of Disney 8
3 Ownership structure of Shanghai Disneyland 28
4 Construction of local identities for Shanghai
Disneyland 45
5 “Distinctly Chinese” representations of Shanghai
Disneyland 65
6 Implications of the differences of Shanghai
Disneyland 83
Index 96
Figures
1.1 Analytical framework and organization of the book 5
5.1 Themed lands at Shanghai Disneyland 66
6.1 Production’s relationships with state, market, park
identity, and park representation in the case of
Shanghai Disneyland 84
6.2 Dual encodings of “state-capital” in the concept of
state-capital-led glocalization and respective outputs in
the case of Shanghai Disneyland 88
6.3 The approach of political economy of communication
and Shanghai Disneyland 90
6.4 Four categories of glocalization 92
Tables
1.1 Disneyland and the opening dates 2
3.1 Ownership structure of Shanghai Disneyland 28
3.2 Disney’s ownership in Disneyland outside of the
United States 31
4.1 Identity of Disneyland outside of the United States 46
5.1 Dual encodings of the “distinctly Chinese” discourse
for Shanghai Disneyland 76
6.1 Four categories of glocalization 94
Acknowledgments
Experienced in the industry yet young in the academia, I would not
have started this project without solid academic training at The
Chinese University of Hong Kong. First, I would like to thank
Professor Anthony Fung, who helped me coin the term, state-capital-
led glocalization, while I worked on my doctoral thesis. Deep gratitude
to Professor Joseph Chan and Professor Jack Qiu who led me through
the broad literature on cultural globalization. My sincere thanks to
Professor Ven-hwei Lo, Professor Paul Lee, and Professor Eric Ma
who encouraged me to believe in myself, keep thinking, and follow my
dreams.
I am grateful for my time with Disney. To some extent, this is a
reflexive study to decode my over-one-decade working experiences
across the region with the company. My unfeigned thanks to my
Disney informants and friends who shared their wisdom. I am also
thankful to my former team members who flew to Hong Kong for a
surprise Christmas dinner to wish me the very best on my research.
Finalizing this book during the 2020 global pandemic helped allevi-
ate anxiety. When I clarified my thoughts by virtue of writing, there
existed hopes to generate humble knowledge for a better understand-
ing of the world. Heartfelt thanks to my Routledge contacts who made
this quest possible. My genuine thanks to Stephanie who recognized
this project and facilitated the greenlight. My thanks also go to Emily
and Balambigai who shared the know-hows for publication.
Profound gratitude to my family who taught me the values of integ-
rity, curiosity, and diversity. I owe a debt of gratitude to my mom who
gave me the strength to leave my comfort zone. She is now in Heaven
but love will never end. Special thanks to my spiritual mentor, Master
Sheng-Yen. This book witnesses the power of faith.
Author biography
Dr. Ni-Chen Sung received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from
National Taiwan University, Master’s Degree in TV-Radio-Film from
Syracuse University in the United States, and PhD Degree in
Communication from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and has
research interests in globalization, film studies, and the cultural indus-
tries. New in the academia but experienced in the industry, Dr. Sung
has nearly two decades of regional experiences in the entertainment
industry. With The Walt Disney Company, she was award-winning
writer/producer in Singapore, head of creative in Taiwan, and director
of production in Beijing and Shanghai. She also worked on some proj-
ects with Singapore’s MediaCorp Channel 8 and Discovery Networks.
Dr. Sung aims to leverage industry experiences and academic studies
to generate humble knowledge for a better understanding of the world.