In this shot from 1985, it is obvious that we are inside the China Pavilion. Check out the construction on the Nine Dragons restaurant that opened on October 23, 1985. The workers on top have an interesting view of World Showcase.So, the China Pavilion opened without a major restaurant?
Dave Smith writes:
It seemed a little odd that World Showcase opened with China but no Chinese Restaurant, because of the popularity of Chinese cuisine. The omission was remedied three years later, and the resulting restaurant has been honored with awards for its blend of Chinese cuisine from many of the provinces.The Lotus Blossom Cafe opened in September of 1985.
--Disney A to Z, the Official Encyclopedia. p 359.
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3 comments:
The lack of Nine Dragons in 1982 escaped even my notice until about a year ago - if you open up the Richard Beard book you can probably find some photos of the grassy hill that used to be where it is now. It's weird to imagine but it does explain the weirdness of where Lotus Blossom Cafe and the Shopping Gallery meet.
That is great photo. I had thought the Nine Dragons had opened in 1982 but clearly that is not the case. Here is another shot from 1983 that shows its absence. http://www.flickr.com/photos/96525092@N00/2571476537/
I'll agree with the others - great photo. Somewhere in the back of my brain I knew Nine Dragons opened late, but I think that I assumed its opening was only slightly delayed, like the Imagination ride. I had no idea it was as late as 1985. And I didn't know Lotus Blossom was even later than that!
I guess the question is, why wasn't there a restaurant at opening? One would think having a "familiar" cuisine would have been at the top of the priority list...
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