中國首富與米老鼠過招
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“神奇王國”(Magic Kingdom)準備進軍“中央王國”之際，中國首富磨拳擦掌，要與“米老鼠”(Mickey Mouse)爭奪中國童心——以及兒童父母的錢包。
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.
主營地產與娛樂的大連萬達集團(Dalian Wanda Group)董事長、億萬富翁房地產大亨王健林，正押注其投資30億美元新建的一個兒童主題樂園將吸引大批中國中產階層新富。
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.
上月底在中國南方城市南昌開業的休閒勝地萬達城(Wanda City)，寄望於自己有能力滿足本土品味。開園儀式上進行了舞獅表演，而且依慣例由當地黨政領導發表講話。園中最吸引人的遊樂設施包括中國最高、最長的過山車，以及一處造型類似中式茶壺的購物中心。
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.
與此同時，全球最大娛樂公司迪士尼也在押注中國民衆在休閒娛樂活動方面的新需求。迪士尼在中國內地的首座迪士尼樂園(Disneyland)將於6月16在上海開業——該項目由迪士尼與三家中國國企聯合投資550億元人民幣（合80億美元）興建。
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.
這家美國傳媒集團寄望於其在全球熱映的大片來吸引易受感染的年輕人以及願意順從他們的父母。這座新建樂園的特色在於，許多遊樂設施依據《加勒比海盜》(Pirates of the Caribbean)以及超級英雄大片如《鋼鐵俠》(Iron Man)和《復仇者聯盟》(Avengers Assemble)的故事情節而建。
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動漫人物——包括2013年熱映大片《冰雪奇緣》(Frozen)中的艾莎(Elsa)與安娜(Anna)——吸引中國各地的遊客。中國的人均收入在一代人時間裏增長了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，並不害怕迪士尼在知名度以及擁有衆多偶像方面的巨大優勢。萬達集團計劃在中國各地新建大量更廉價的休閒樂園，吸引那些希望利用週末“一日遊”（而不是耗資巨大的正式度假）的白領階層。據《福布斯》(Forbes)雜誌估計，王健林身價爲340億美元。
“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.”
“現在已經不是看米老鼠、唐老鴨(Donald Duck)爲之瘋狂的年代了，”他上月在中國中央電視臺(CCTV)上表示，“好虎架不住羣狼——上海只有一個迪士尼，而萬達則在全國其他地方開了15到20個樂園項目。”
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
中國娛樂諮詢公司藝恩網(Ent Group)合夥人侯濤(Tiger Hou)表示，因爲擁有知名動漫人物，迪士尼相對中國本土主題公園擁有“真正優勢”。他補充說：“對於願意花錢看自己和孩子最喜愛的動漫人物的中國消費者，迪士尼樂園足夠特別。本土主題公園提供的體驗比較遜色，許多樂園都大同小異。”
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.
從歷史上看，連鎖主題公園一直是財力雄厚企業的專屬，因爲它們需要投入鉅額資金以維護現有遊樂設施，還要年復一年地經常開放新的遊樂設施以吸引回頭客。
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.
在美國，迪士尼與有線電視運營商康卡斯特(Comcast)都是大型主題公園運營商。康卡斯特旗下擁有環球(Universal)連鎖主題公園。但迪士尼整體票價漲幅已連續數年高於通脹率，如果票價超出中產階層父母的承受範圍的話，這一模式將難以爲繼。迪士尼正考慮在每年的淡季提供較便宜的“非高峯期”票價，以增加入園總人數，並緩解季節性擁擠。
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.
在中國，迪士尼門票價格是萬達樂園的兩倍：迪士尼週末單日門票售價高達499元人民幣，而萬達樂園只要248元人民幣。
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.
除了門票更便宜，王健林的樂園寄望於自己有能力適應當地文化和氣候——雖然當記者最近走過萬達城樂園時，看到的是遊客挨着《星球大戰》(Star Wars)系列電影中的帝國風暴兵(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.
針對近期一位身穿白雪公主(Snow White)服飾的女性現身萬達購物中心的情況，迪士尼表示將採取法律行動。
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.
但萬達城也在設法創造獨特的中式體驗。遊客可以在購物中心乘坐飛行模擬器飛越江西省，乘坐龍舟穿越水上公園，或者穿過10米高的竹林去乘坐中國最長的木製過山車。
On a recent visit, resort attendants, always in groups of threes, beamed around every corner, staffing cafés and buffet restaurants.
在最近的一次參觀中，記者看到主題公園三人一組的工作人員笑容滿面地站在各個角落，在咖啡館和自助餐廳提供服務。
“Wanda reflects my principles — to bring happiness to families across China,” says a young tour guide, Zou Jiali, with a steady smile.
“萬達反映了我的原則——給全國各地的家庭帶來歡樂，”一直保持微笑的年輕導遊鄒佳麗（音）說。
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，這兩家娛樂巨頭間的競爭對雙方應該都有好處——如果這種競爭爲中國缺少資金的主題公園產業注入活力。迄今中國消費者還不願在遊樂設施上大把花錢。投資銀行野村證券(Nomura)駐香港的中國娛樂產業分析師Richard Huang表示，中國每年在主題公園上的人均支出僅爲3美元，而美國是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旅遊集團中國公司總經理雷託•威廉(Reto Wilhelm)表示，迪士尼和萬達還將受益於中國政府設定更多國定假日以及修建更多高鐵的計劃。
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.
爲中國主題公園提供諮詢的劉朝輝（音）估計，70%的中國主題公園虧損，主要原因是管理不善。他表示：“迪士尼的好處在於它將爲該行業帶來像樣的管理。”
“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：“當中國擁有高品質主題公園時，這一產業將呈現出一番完全不同的景象，因爲供給將創造需求。”
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，當迪士尼在香港開設主題公園時，鄰近的海洋公園(Ocean Park)曾擔心出現遊客流失，但實際結果是到海洋公園的遊客增加了。
