Disney Teaches English in China
Disney operates amusement parks in Hong Kong and Tokyo,
with one planned for Shanghai in 2014
Disney is entering the English-language instruction industry, according to the Wall Street Journal. The entertainment giant already has a flagship school in Shanghai and plans to move to other major Chinese cities in the coming years.
While Disney explicitly claims their only goal is to teach English, and that in no way is this new venture seen as a marketing opportunity, it’s hard to separate Disney from its icons and its branding. Additionally, Disney represents US culture in many ways, so there is some undeniable strategy attached to exposing Chinese students and their parents to such aspects of culture, both new and old. Teaching English the Disney way, with Mickey Mouse and Ariel the Little Mermaid, among other fictional characters, will impact generations of students’ perception of the language, which has important implications for their relationship with other English speakers and English-speaking countries. One effect that seems obvious to me is the orientation Disney takes towards the individual in its storytelling, which runs counter to China’s group-oriented culture. The Disney “…classroom and homework exercises introduce the kind of Disney books, TV shows and movies that China’s government otherwise tightly restricts.” This alone will impart a level of influence that isn’t normally seen by most Chinese, so this new business, if successful, could have a lasting and significant effect.
