Michael Jackson's legion of Chinese fans won't need to fly to California for a glimpse of the Neverland Ranch, the pop icon's former home.
Shanghai may be their destination after the completion of an Asian Neverland.
It will be much smaller in scale - only 1/17 of the 2,800-acre property in southern California's Santa Barbara County. The development is set to offer "an alternative pilgrimage spot" for the pop king's fans.
"Michael's contribution to the pop music world is unparalleled. By building a Neverland here in China, we want to pay tribute to him and at the same time offer the Chinese people an outlet for expressing their love toward him," said businessman Qiu Xuefan, director of the Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, who is one of the investors in the 100-million-yuan ($14 million) project.
The announcement comes amid emotional public memorials to the King of Pop in mainland China after his sudden death last month in Los Angeles. Thousands of Chinese fans have wept and mourned their idol, emotions not often seen in public.
Wu Pei, spokeswoman for the project, said the Chinese version of the ranch would be located on Chongming Island, off the eastern coast of Shanghai. It would be very much like the original one, with some of the possessions of the superstar on display.
But designers would also add Chinese characteristics to have it blend in with the local environment, she said.
Wu also said talks with the local government were going smoothly, and that investors would like to see the project completed before the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Chongming officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. But local media quoted a township governor as saying the first phase of construction would be completed within a year.
The second and third phases, Wu said, would include a ranch and a premium club.
But would Jackson's Asian Neverland be popular in this country? Maybe not, some said.
Wei Wei, deputy director of Michael Jackson's Chinese Fan Club, said that while he embraced the idea of a pilgrimage site for the pop star, he doubted that there was enough commercial interest.
"If the purpose is simply to pay tribute to Michael, I would suggest the investors open it for free, just as Michael did for the children. Otherwise, they are just making money from it," he said.
But investors insist there were no commercial interests behind the project.
Claiming to be "a big fan" of Jackson, Qiu said he wants to help keep alive the pop icon's memory.
Questions:
1. What island off the eastern coast of Shanghai will the Asian Neverland Ranch be located?
2. What will the second and third phases of the Asian Neverland Ranch include?
3. Who is the deputy director of Michael Jackson's Chinese Fan Club?
Answers:
1. Chongming Island.
2. A ranch and a premium club.
3. Wei Wei.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.
