Shanghai Disneyland: Ministry sanctions and land acquisions

After years of back and forth, it looks like Shanghai Disneyland has been given the go-ahead. According to news sources, the Shanghai Municipal Government Informatin offices announced the deal's approval early this morning. While details still have to be worked out between the mouse and the ministries, it seems like a pretty set deal.

To corroborate the story, it looks like Disney is in the process of buying 4.12 square kilometers for the the park, or in Disney terms, almost four times the size of Hong Kong's Disneyland! Reports state that demolition is currently going on at the site in Chuansha District, and though most of the land is uninhabited, it looks like they have started to demolish houses in the village.

It comes as no surprise that Disney has been remarkably hush-hush about the operation, as the plan to open a Disneyland in Shanghai has been delayed and set back so many times already. Then again, the signs all seem to point to a Disneyland in Pudong in the near future.

UPDATE: The New York Times has an article quoting Disney exectives with details on the deal. Read it here.