Shanghaî Disneyland Construction begins ! First Pictures by Stefan Zwanzger

Thanks to Stefan Zwanzger - aka "the Theme Park Guy" - you will discover the very first pictures of Shanghaî Disneyland construction. Yes, that's right, works already began on the land reserved for the SDL Resort. Don't expect, though, to see on the pictures below the Shanghaî Disneyland castle rising from rice fields as we are at the very very very beginning of the works and we'll have to wait at least two or three years before something more sexy than cranes appears on the pictures.

Still, Stefan did a good job, not only in finding the right place where the park will be build but also by providing these first pictures. Here is a selection that i did from his post and you'll find many more pictures including some of village and villagers living around the SDL area on his blog HERE. And, as Stefan is travelling often in Asia you better bookmark his blog and have a look at it regularly as he will be the one who will have new Shanghaî Disneyland updates in the next years!

So, what about works on the Shanghaî Disneyland site? Well, on the top image you can see the first cranes and according to Stefan "A huge swathe of Shanghai suburbia has been flattened to make way for the future Shanghai Disneyland site and a wall just over half the height of the Berlin Wall protects the new depopulated hole that gapes in the area and separates the remaining Chinese villages from the Disney site. The on-site construction office is currently taking shape, supplied by armies of trucks that race through small village roads, blowing the winds of change through the thinning hair of old Chinese men on bicycles."

Below, a picture of the "wall" which runs all around the SDL site...



And here the Disney site with the separation wall in the back.



The SDL construction office is almost built and work is going on around it...





Below, the SDL construction office from above, on the other side of the river.



Considering the huge land on which SDL will be build some people were living on this land and according to Stefan the villages he pictured on his previous update have completely vanished. You will see on his blog pictures of demolished houses. It seems that the government offered relocation package to villagers and although i perfectly agree that it is really sad for villagers who were living here to leave their land one of them who didn't moved yet told Stefan that if they ask him to leave he'll be okay to take the relocation package.

As you know the Shanghaî World's Fair ended three days ago and i think we can expect an official announcement later this month or in December. And all we're asking for is to have the first renderings released! The Shanghaî Disneyland design is a well kept secret and just like you i'm very curious to see the final design of the project. Normally we shouldn't have to wait too long, now.

All pictures: copyright Stefan Zwanzger - The Theme Park Guy site