Sept. 23, 2005
WORLD & NATION
Pages
www.guilfordian.com
Greensboro. N.C.
Disney opens new theme park in Hong Kong
Emilie Grant
Staff Writer
Disney recently opened a
new amusement park in Hpng
Kong.
The resort is built on the
outskirts of Hong Kong's
Lantau Island and, according
CNN.com said, "Organizers
say the opening of Disneyland
Hong Kong is likely to be the
biggest media event since the
former British colony was
handed over to China in
1997."
The park opened on
Monday, Sept. 12, 2005 after
park, Chinese officials not only
hope to encourage more
tourism to the area with more
variety of things to do, but also
to revive Hong Kong's strug
gling economy.
Associate Professor of
Political Science and East
Asian Studies George Gou
to BBC World News, Disney
and the Hong Kong govern
ment hope to create a center
of attraction for primarily the
newly wealthy mainland
Chinese.
They estimate that the park
will attract 5.5 million visitors
in the first year alone.
many trial openings. The Hong
Kong government owns 57
percent of the project, and
Disney owns the rest. Since
they have invested so much
into the park, the Hong Kong
government wants to make
sure this operation runs
smoothly. By opening this
said of Hong Kong's decision
to build Disneyland, "Shanghai
will gradually replace Hong
Kong in financial system."
Not only will Disneyland
Hong Kong help boost the
depressed economy and cre
ate much-needed jobs, it will
also help secure Hong Kong's
Live From Cyprus: The ‘Cyprus Problem’
Holly Butcher
Columnist
It Is hard to picture Cyprus
as just another beach para
dise. The water is an intense
clear blue, and the landscape
is dominated by palm trees,
wildflowers, and the majestic
Kyrenia Mountain Range. But
behind the splendor lurks an
ominous problem.
Nicosia, the capital of
Cyprus, is one of the only par
titioned cities in the world.
There is a traumatic history to
an unresolved problem.
Buildings along the Green
Line stand as they were left
with broken windows and
napalm stains.
The Cyprus Problem began
with British colonization. In the
early days of occupation, the
British were well-received by
the Greek Cypriots because
they hoped that England
would help achieve enosis, or
union, of Cyprus with Greece.
Greek pro-enosis riots
emerged as early as 1931. In
the 1950's the National
Organization for the Cypriot
Struggle instigated several
attacks on British administra
tors.
While Greek Cypriots
longed for enosis, Turkish
Cypriots wanted Taksim, or
partition.
In 1959, Greek Cypriot
Archbishop Makarios III and
Turkish Cypriot leader Faisal
Kucuk met in Zurich with
British, Greek, and Turkish
administrators to discuss
Cyprus' future.
The outcome; independ
ence, with some compromis
es.
The British continued to
occupy two military bases.
The agreement established
that Cyprus would not be par
titioned. Britain, Turkey, and
Greece were granted the
power to intercede in Cypriot
affairs if they felt that the inde
pendence agreement had
been violated.
After independence on Aug.
16,1960, the British left the
island, further dividing the
Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
Turks flocked to ghettos in an
attempt to protect themselves.
The independence of
Cyprus came during the peak
of the Cold War. President
Makarios denied any political
alignment, but received
weapons and support from
communist nations, and he
place "as the most popular
tourist city in the world,"
according to Gou.
Smaller-in-size than most
other theme parks, such as
Euro Disney, Disneyland Hong
Kong ran numerous test open
ings.
These trial runs tested the
parks capability to run effi
ciently and to work out any
glitches before opening day.
One noticeable glitch and
difference from other theme
parks is the food and long
lines surrounding the food
areas.
For example, as the
Chinese order more and savor
their food longer than
Americans, new food estab
lishments were put up around
the park to lower the wait time
for food.
Overcrowding is not the only
speed bump for Disneyland
Hong Kong.
Animal rights activists have
criticized the project after offi
cials rounded up and disposed
of at least 40 stray dogs in the
area, as reported by the South
China Morning Post.
"We felt that they posed a
safety threat to our staff, so
we asked the government to
take them away," said Esther
Wong, a spokeswoman for
Disneyland Hong Kong.
According to BBC World
News, environmentalists also
have had their go at
Disneyland Hong Kong, stat
ing that the building of the
park has damaged breeding
grounds for fish and rare white
dolphins.
Criticism and accusations
have slowed future plans for
opening another Disneyland in
Shanghai.
If all goes well in Hong
Kong, Shanghai will be the
next building site for Disney.^
pushed for enosis. Turkey
grew wary of Makarios.
Violence escalated in 1967
when a coup in Greece inau
gurated a right-wing junta.
In 1974, the Greeks
planned another coup (funded
by the C.I.A.) to replace
MaTcarios with Nikos
Sampson.
Infuriated by the threat of
enosis, the Turkish invaded
the north, claiming authority
under the Zurich agreement.
Amid anarchy, 200,000 Greek
and 100,000 Turkish Cypriots
left their homes. The ruins
they left still stand In North
Cyprus: only In 2003 could
Greek Cypriots return to their
homes.
To this day, Cyprus remains
divided: the anguish of the
1974 Turkish invasion still
m
1m
lingers.
Our cab driver remembers
growing up in Famagusta: he
and his family were forced to
evacuate their home. After 31
years, our driver still called it
"home."
The next day we visited
North Cyprus and saw all the
broken buildings. Our tour
guide told us how she used to
work with her parents every
day at the factory. Today, the
factory is a derelict, but she
talks about it as if it were yes
terday.
On one side of Cyprus,
there are gorgeous beaches,
but right next doofare the
remnants of what used to be
a unified island. Now the land
is partitioned, and thousands
are refugees in their own
country.