Shanghai to build tourism city around future Disney resort

Shanghai will build a modern tourism city in Pudong New Area surrounding the under-construction Disney resort, the city government said on Thursday.

The 25-square-kilometer tourism resort will be developed into a core area around the Disney resort and five surrounding zones by 2030, the government said on its official microblog account.

Covering 3.9 square kilometers, the Disney resort in Chuansha in Pudong in the center of the international resort will be the first Disneyland on China's mainland. It is expected to open to the public by late 2015.

A piece of the southern part of the tourism zone will become a comprehensive entertainment area with modern venues, shopping malls and a super stage. The other piece of the zone in the south will become an intermediate development area to support other zones.

A high-end headquarters zone has been planned in the northern area. To the west, an ancient town replica, wedding theme park and tourism innovation industrial park will be built. The long-term development plans calls for international communities and cultural and art colleges in the eastern zone.