Review: Disneyland Shanghai negotiation

Rome was not built in one day. And even securing a deal to open a theme park in Shanghai could take more than 20 years.

Shanghai first entertained the idea of building a Disneyland theme park in the 1980's, after the cartoon TV series Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck,debuted on CCTV. But the Disney company did not show serious interest until the 90's, when it was looking to open a second venue in Asia.

Disney showed interest in Zhuhai but ultimately chose Hong Kong in 1999, ending Shanghai's bid.

Insiders say it was the tough negotiation conditions of the Walt Disney company that caused Shanghai to reconsider. But the spotlight returned to the Mainland's biggest city after Walt Disney announced in January, it was planning to build its sixth venue in Shanghai.