Shanghai wants to be the first city in Mainland China to have a major amusement park, such as Disneyland. This is of course a direct threat and competition to Hong Kong’s recently opened Disneyland. The proposed plan sees the new park opening in the Pudong area. Now it seems that Beijing want to muscle in on this opportunity and has announced plans of their own to build a Disneyland theme park by 2010.

Funny thing is that Disney admits to be in negotiations with Shanghai, but denies any such talks with Beijing. Beijing thinks by filing some official looking documents they can supersede Shanghai’s plans.

Beijing’s competitive Mayor, Wang Qishan, is believed to be behind the Disney bid, which was part of a blueprint for a new entertainment complex in the southern suburbs released on Sunday at the opening day of the city’s week-long Municipal People’s Congress.

According to the blueprint, written by the city’s development and reform commission, the 10 billion yuan ($A1.6 billion) complex in the Daxing district is to involve five to 10 leading entertainment companies, including Disney, and is one of six new “cultural” hubs to be created in Beijing in the next five years.

Sure, The Disney theme park was always part of it’s plans and had nothing to do with the fact that Shanghai was in active talks. Land in Pudong had already been earmarked for use in the Disney project. This Shanghai-Beijing rivalry is nothing new. It seems to be ingrained in both cities, such as noted in this article:

The duelling reports and behind-the-scenes rivalry they represent would mirror a similar clash earlier this decade between Beijing, which calls itself China’s cultural capital, and Shanghai, which wants to recapture its past glory when it was known to many as the Paris of the East.

In that battle, separate groups announced competing plans to build Universal Studios theme parks, one in Shanghai and another in Beijing, within months of each other.

The Universal Studios plans went mysteriously awry when Shanghai failed to obtain the “necessary permissions”. How convenient for Beijing. Come on Bejing, you already have the 2008 Olympics, don’t be greedy! I think you just need to let the best city win and not pull rank on Shanghai because you are the seat of the Government.

One way or another, Shanghai could really use a big theme park or amusement park. I think it is just what this city needs to round off its entertainment offerings. Though, it could be 2010 before we see any open around here.