More than 5,000 families in China are expected to be ordered to relocate to make way for Disney's newest theme park.
"My husband and I are very worried," Jin Xinmei told Bloomsburg News. Jin, a 72-year-old retired farmer, was recently notified by the government that she would have to relocate from their native village so Disney could build their newest theme park. "We don't want to move because our meager income is not enough for us to live in the city, where everything costs more."
Jin was not told how much she will be paid for her 323-square-foot home, including the backyard where she grows Chinese cabbage, potatoes and strawberries in an effort to save money.
“We understand that the local government is offering resettlement packages to local residents,” Disney spokeswoman Alannah Hall-Smith told Bloomsburg News in an email. “The local government is also offering other forms of assistance to local residents, and Disney and our Chinese partners will strive to support these local efforts.”
The relocation efforts are expected to cost just over $954 million dollars, according to the state media.
The $3.6 billion park, which was green-lighted by the Chinese government earlier this month, is scheduled to open in 2014.