The idea is that these entertainment centers would part a growing middle-class from its spare cash, lure long queues of foreign visitors and create lots of new jobs. But the make-believe quality of such parks often seems to muddle the minds of governments and entrepreneurs alike. It's no fairy story. Tung Chee-hwa wants his city to be the London or New York of Asia. The city's not all a concrete jungle.
China is replete with chastening lessons for amusement-park operators.
Dazzled by the returns, developers piled into the industry over the past decade. More often than not, the imitations were badly thought out, poorly equipped and similarly maintained. Few have flopped more spectacularly than American Dream. Even when they are well-designed, amusement parks are risky businesses. For one thing, they are among the first treats that families do without when the going gets tough.