0003 Disney Has Feng Shui

In the world of theme parks, feng shui has not played much of a role. After all, if you can’t sell it or ride it, what’s the point? So why is Disney spending big money on a feng shui consultant at its newest theme part in Hong Kong? In a word: karma. According to the New York Times, Disneyland Paris was “roundly criticized for being culturally insensitive” which turned out to be bad for the bottom line. Hong Kong Disneyland wants to avoid this same fate. Thus a feng shui expert was called in to decide, among other things, that the angle of the entry gate needed to be shifted 12 degrees and the park’s walkways required bends to prevent the qi from bypassing the Magic Kingdom altogether and slipping into the China Sea. Good karma or just good marketing? Are they really that different? #ceas #china #tsutsui #hacker Original Broadcast Dates: October 19-22, 2005.