For Captain Jack Sparrow fans who are anxiously waiting the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Shanghai Disney Resort is offering an opportunity to relive popular scenes and mingle in person with the trickster of the Seven Seas.

The resort, scheduled to open at the end of 2015 in Shanghai, announced on Wednesday that Captain Jack will be the protagonist of one of its six themed lands.

Treasure Cove, the first-ever Pirate-themed land in a Disneyland park, will feature a new boat ride called Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure.

Officials at the resort said the ride will take guests on a treasure hunt "down to the ocean depths, through the bellies of pirate ships, and straight into the heart of a ferocious naval battle".

"We are committed to creating experiences that both honor the Disney heritage and appeal to our Chinese guests," said Mike Crawford, general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort.

With a combination of new technology and innovation, the ride "will take our guests on a first-of-its-kind pirate adventure you will never experience anywhere else in the world", he said.

Shanghai's Disneyland will be the second one in China. Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005.

Jiang Ning, the father of a 5-year-old girl, said: "Before, I thought the resort was for my kid, but now I want to go, too, to see Captain Jack."

Key structural work on the Pirate-themed attraction has already been finished. Also finished is a seven-floor hotel with 800 rooms, one of the resort's main accommodation options, which was completed in January.

When it opens in 2015, the 3.9-square-kilometer resort will have a theme park, two themed hotels, various dining and entertainment venues, recreational facilities, a lake and transportation hubs. The total investment will be 24.5 billion yuan ($4.2 billion).

Bill Ernest, president and managing director (Asia) of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said last year that the resort will feature "local flavors", one of them being local cuisine.

It will arrange various cultural events that celebrate traditional Chinese festivals, including Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, in an effort to keep visitors coming back throughout the year, Ernest said.

Three joint ventures have been set up between Walt Disney and Shanghai Shendi Group Co, a wholly State-owned company created for the development and management of Shanghai Disney Resort.

Shendi holds a 57 percent controlling stake in the two joint venture companies, and a 30 percent minority stake in the joint venture management company.

Investment and profits will be split between Shendi and Walt Disney in proportion to their ownership stakes.

gaochangxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 03/20/2014 page3)