Front Gate
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Park Bloggin’ by Kelly Ryner
Why Western theme park stories are not a threat to Chinese culture
With new theme park projects continuing to sprout up all over China, some concerns have been raised as to whether traditional Chinese stories are being overlooked in favour of Western themes. Kelly Ryner, president of Thinkwell Asia, believes there's scope for themes of all kinds, so long as the quality is there.
The opening of Shanghai Disneyland in particular has led some culture officials to express their concern that the proliferation of foreign stories could be more appealing to the next generation of children than traditional Chinese stories and legends. As a company that designs theme parks around the world, we don’t necessarily agree with this sentiment at Thinkwell. With our Asia office headquartered in Beijing comprised largely of a team
that is born and raised in China, we feel that Western stories are not at all a threat to popular Chinese culture. In fact, we believe that good stories are global in their appeal and reach across different cultures whether they are cherished native tales or foreign stories translated for new audiences. As long as the story is communicated in a way that is universally appealing, audiences will be receptive. But if the story isn’t the main incentive for Chinese visitors to make the trek to
a theme park, what then is the reason? In our experience, we believe that audiences want a quality entertainment experience. A theme park can be built around a beloved Disney story or a popular Chinese legend like Journey to the West – it isn’t as much a determining factor for visitors so long as the theming, structures, rides and characters are represented in a way that offer an enjoyable, authentic and high quality experience. Chinese audiences want to be amazed, delighted and exposed to a completely new experience built for them in their own backyard. Because family outings in China can involve many people and are often
reserved for special occasions, visitors also want a multi-generational experience that the whole family can enjoy together. Theme parks provide the ideal environment where a family can spend an entire day creating memories and enjoying experiences together, whether they are based on fabled legends and cultural stories or international intellectual properties. Thinkwell has found that Chinese developers are eager to create theme
parks that are based on local stories and legends. However, they’re learning from their American and European counterparts how best to tell those stories in a way that creates new and fantastical experiences for local audiences. Collaborating with foreign partners allows park developers to get a fresh perspective on traditional legends. We think that growth of theme park entertainment in China is just beginning
and predict that many more developments will emerge in the near future, featuring both traditional Chinese stories as well as international intellectual properties. It’s definitely an exciting time for large-scale location-based entertainment in China and local and foreign companies are working together to meet that demand.
Kelly Ryner is president of Thinkwell Asia, based in Beijing, responsible for an ever growing studio of talented team members providing localised design and management support in collaboration with the team at Thinkwell's headquarters in Los Angeles. Thinkwell's recent projects in China include Monkey Kingdom Theme Park, SongSong Town (pictured) and Eontime World.
www.thinkwellgroup.com
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