Foody tale ending: Durian a no-no at Shanghai Disney
DISNEY’S Sha ng ha i t heme pa rk is loosen i ng a ba n on outside food in the wake of a l aw s u it , but t he home of Mickey Mouse still won’t tolerate visitors taking in instant nood les or pu ngent foods such as durian.
A student surnamed Wang filed a lawsuit against Shanghai Disneyland in March after being barred from bringing in her own food, a move that garnered widespread support on Chinese social media.
Disney’s rules were criticised online as an example of double standards and discrimination against Asians since its theme parks in Europe and the US allow visitors to bring in outside edible items.
“We value the feedback from our visitors. The updated foodcarrying guidelines are implemented based on the point of safety and ensuring visitors’ satisfaction,” Shanghai Disneyland staff said.
Disney’s previous position was that the regulations were “consistent with most of China’s theme parks and Disney’s other destinations in Asia”.
T he ne w p ol i c y s t a t e s “guests are a llowed to bring out side food a nd beverage items i nto t he Park for sel fconsumption,” prov ided that they do not need to be reheated or refrigerated and “do not have pungent odors” such as durian fr uit.
Whole watermelons and stinky tofu are also excluded, according to state newspaper People’s Daily.
The company’s website shows it will continue to check all personal belongings and require all guests to pass through a metal detector in accordance with the law, despite public concerns over privacy.
Online comments mostly welcomed the changes.
“This is ver y good. There are rules while being reasonable,” one online user wrote on China’s Twitter-li ke platform Weibo.
Shanghai Disneyland previously did not allow food or alcoholic beverages to be brought into the theme park except f or “a reasonable amount of baby food, dry snacks or fruit”.
The entertainment conglomerate opened its $5.5 billion theme park in Shanghai in June 2016, Disney’s sixth theme park and third in Asia.
The instructor who helped the students to sue Disney, Yuan Li, said there was no ruling on the lawsuit yet.