Shanghai Disneyland essentially closed on Halloween and remained closed through November 2nd. The park reopened on the third. The cause for the closure was a Chinese government requirement after they reportedly discovered a single COVID case at the park. For that reason, thirty-thousand guests and cast members were locked in the park and tested. Now, China says that nobody else tested positive. However, skeptical persons might wonder if any of this is actually factual. For the Chinese Communist Party, the videos that escaped of hazmat suits and fireworks were likely less than satisfactual.
And so, Shanghai Disneyland has not only reopened, but also covered by Chinese state media. Unlike in democracies, where media is often partisan, the Chinese news media is directly run by the government, and therefore only covers narratives desired by the government to maintain power. A recent poll showed that Chinese news coverage falsely alleging that COVID began in the United States is widely believed by the Chinese populace. In effect, the western world and Chinese citizens live in two totally different realities.
All of that is to say that a news piece from state-run media about Shanghai Disney is part of propaganda of some sort. It’s only unfortunate that it appears to be coordinated with a certain mouse…
Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown have resumed operations, after a two-day closure for COVID-19 control. #GLOBALink pic.twitter.com/haZb60s1jN
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) November 3, 2021
What would Walt say?
