Shanghai Andersen Paradise celebrates 1st birthday
An auction was held to raise money for impoverished children on Sunday at the Shanghai Andersen Paradise to mark the first anniversary of its opening.
Consuls-general of Greece, Finland, Hungary, Norway and Sri Lanka, as well as Chinese calligrapher Zhou Siyan, offered items such as photo albums, teas and calligraphy to help raise 22,300 yuan (US$3,412).
The money will be donated to impoverished families via the Fengxian district branch of Shanghai Charity Foundation.
The park was opened on June 28 last year as the world's first theme park centered on Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Covering 81,300 square meters in Yangpu's Xinjiangwan Town and featuring the world's only Andersen museum outside Denmark — along with seven areas in theme with Andersen’s classic works — the park attracted more than 1 million visitors over the past year, according to Gui Haozhan, chairman of Shanghai Andersen Paradise Co, the developer and operator of the park.
The company also signed agreements with five organizations to develop more products.
They include a program jointly launched by the park and the Haha Children’s TV Channel to develop courses, using the 166 Andersen fairy tales to teach kids science knowledge. The courses are expected be broadcast on TV and the Internet, and can also be taught in communities and schools.
Another program, in cooperation with Shanghai Visual Arts, will develop online artistic courses and parent-child amusement spaces in communities.
The company will also cooperate with other parties to develop more parks in the theme of European culture around China.