Work gets underway on Shanghai Disneyland

Construction began on Friday on Shanghai Disneyland’s Enchanted Storybook Castle, which will be the world’s tallest and largest Disney castle.

The Enchanted Storybook Castle will be stationed at the heart of the theme park, which is scheduled to open in 2015.

It will be the most interactive Disney castle yet, complete with entertainment, dining and performance spaces, the company’s statement said.

A magnificent winding staircase in the heart of the castle will lead guests on a “Once Upon a Time Adventure”, featuring all the Disney Princesses.

The castle will also feature a boat-ride attraction, complete with a secret underground chamber in which fountains of light will leap and dance in shimmering pools, surrounding guests with magic, music and color.

Shanghai Disneyland, the first Disney project in the Chinese mainland, will sit on 3.9 square km, making it three times larger than Hong Kong Disneyland.

The resort is reportedly budgeted at a cost of 24.5 billion yuan ($4 billion) for the theme park and an additional 4.5 billion yuan to build the hotels and restaurant venues.

This is a rendering of a castle at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, east China. Intended to open at the end of 2015, the resort will initially be comprised of Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic-Kingdom-style park as well as two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and transportation hubs. Covering an area of 1.16 square km, the theme park inside the 3.9-square-km Shanghai Disney Resort will be the world's sixth Disney amusement park and the first on the Chinese mainland. [Photo/Xinhua]