Irene Chan, corporate communications regional director of the Walt Disney Co. in Asia Pacific, revealed the company's plan at a news conference to announce the facilities for the Hong Kong Disneyland due to open in 2005-2006 in Penny's Bay on Lantau Island.

Though Chan did not specify the would-be location for a second Disneyland in China, she insisted that there was a big possibility that the second one will be built.

"Having two Disneylands in China is definitely feasible because when you look at the United States, with a population of 200 million, it already sustains six theme parks," Chan said.

"Surely China, with a population of about 1.3 billion, can host several theme parks. Of course, we would be very confident about that as we see China as a huge market. Two parks are not a problem," she said.

Last week, Vivendi Universal SA, Europe's leading media conglomerate, signed a deal to build China's first world-class theme park in Shanghai, upstaging Disney. The Shanghai Universal Studios Theme Park will open in 2006. Disney has said it was in talks to build a park in Shanghai.

Chan predicted that in the first year of the Hong Kong park's opening, one-third of the visitors will be coming from the Chinese mainland.

Groundbreaking is set to take place in January 2003, the company said.

The future park will feature the traditional Disney Fantasyland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland and the brand-new Fantasy Gardens.

Fantasy Gardens, which will be the only one in the world, will also feature Mulan, a Chinese character.

Thomas Morris, vice presi-dent and executive producer for creative development of Walt Disney Imagineering, said, "For Hong Kong, this is the first and only one. It's likely that if it's successful, it'll appear in one or more of other Disney parks."

(eastday.com December 13, 2002)