Across China: Spring Festival gets high-tech boost at Shanghai Disney Resort

The Spring Festival celebrations being held by Shanghai Disney Resort are benefiting from rapid improvements in technology, which are also injecting energy into the daily operation of the resort, said Joe Schott, President and General Manager of the resort.

The resort is hosting a series of celebratory events from Jan. 19 to Feb. 26 to welcome the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 12 this year.

Schott said that the technology applied in the special fireworks show for the Chinese New Year is an upgrade on the resort's routine firework performances, promising better coordination of fireworks, lighting and projection, and presenting visitors with a visual feast.

As Shanghai continues to build itself into a global science and innovation center, the resort is gaining creative power from the metropolis.

The robotics technology developed in Shanghai, for example, allows the resort to manufacture mechanical devices for their animated figures locally, instead of introducing technology and talent from outside Shanghai, said Schott.

Thanks to Shanghai's digital technology, the resort has also become the first Disney resort in the world to launch an online reservation and queuing system during the COVID-19 epidemic to help tourists maintain social distancing.

The Shanghai Disney Resort announced its temporary closure in late January 2020 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It reopened to visitors in May, after the epidemic in China became more subdued.

Thousands of Disney employees will stay in Shanghai for the Spring Festival this year, and the resort will take a series of anti-epidemic measures to ensure the safety of employees and visitors, according to Schott.

Opened in June 2016, Shanghai Disney Resort will also celebrate its fifth anniversary this year, with a slew of activities and offerings lined up for visitors.

The key tourist attraction of Zootopia, Shanghai Disneyland's eighth and newest themed land, is under construction. Upon completion, it will be the first-ever land of its kind, featuring a major new attraction that blends Disney's storytelling and technologies in order to bring this fan-favorite movie and its characters to life.