UC Riverside

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Hong Kong Dreams and Disney Fantasies: How Hong Kong Disneyland (Controversially) Indigenizes Space, Labor, and Consumption

by

Jenny Banh

Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Anthropology University of California, Riverside

Dr. Yolanda Moses, Chairperson

In 2005, Hong Kong imported the ultimate piece of Americana - Disneyland: the globe's largest media company and themepark operator. This dissertation looks at how the Hong Kong Disneyland indigenizes in terms of Space, Labor, and Consumption. In 1997 Hong Kong had faced many economic challenges, and thus in 1998 entered into a deal with Disney to economically revitalize it. This deal was touted as viable entity for the former British colony of Hong Kong, who in turn paid 90% of the 5.4 billion dollar (USD) cost of infrastructure for the park, but only gained 53% shares. Many Hong Kong students, scholars, activists, and local community members felt finagled by this transnational corporation and question the economic benefit to Hong Kong people. This dissertation chronicles fourteen months I spent in Hong Kong, SAR China from 2009-2010, in addition to two trips of two weeks visits of in 2008 and 2007. During this three-year time span I conducted 62 questionnaires, surveys, oral histories, and semi-formal interviews. My dissertation combines insights from cultural studies, globalization, and post colonial theories. I argue indigenization attempts of space, labor and consumption are a "mixed bag" with unequal outcomes for Hong Kong and Disneyland Inc. The simple East Vs

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West Culture War is flawed as it obscures local community resistance/agency/collusion, intra-national ethnic disputes, and evolving global labor processes. The subject highlights a node in the global commodity chain in line with the most recent globalization scholarship and offers a new appraisal of how community members/workers resist transnational corporations that setup in their communities with adds to the anthropology of state and popular culture literature set. My thesis is that in some ways this corporation fails at true indigenization to the community because of the original unfair state-corporate partnership terms, highly publicized sweatshop labor claims, and intra-national and international culture wars that are occurring. The locals remain very ambivalent about the park and often cite the park operation deal, labor inequality, service, and bad publicity as negatives. On the other hand feng shui, hotels, and the trilingual amenities is performed quite well. HKDL did provide thousands of jobs for Hong Kong residents and transnational workers. But the unanticipated culture wars between Mainland Chinese and local Hong Kong people mar the park goer experience. Ocean Park, the local theme park competitor is the preferred park. The international, transnational, and local rank and file workers, who complain of unequal treatment complicate full labor indigenization. This is especially seen in how Filipino dancers are treated in comparison to local Hong Kong and American dancers. Lastly locals poorly received the food consumption indigenization attempts because of prices, authenticity, and wait time. This popular culture and state project, Hong Kong Disneyland becomes a literal and metaphorical battleground for different local and transnational groups.