Mickey and Minnie Mouse All Set for Chinese New Year

Hong Kong (AHN)-Hong Kong Disneyland's Mickey and Minnie Mouse are all dressed up for Chinese New Year next month. Mickey in a bright red Mao suit (named after Chinese leader Mao Zedong) and Minnie in a cherry blossom red dress, both outfits revealed on Monday were designed by Vivienne Tam and will also be available at her stores.

The entire Hong Kong Disneyland is decorated in preparation for the Chinese New Year celebrations-decked up with red lanterns, scrolls with Chinese good luck messages, red firecrackers and orange tangerines as per ancient traditions.

The festivities will kick off on the first day of the Chinese New Year on Feb. 7 with a traditional dragon dance. Even the food items available in the theme park will be popular Chinese fares such as fried turnip cake,, red bean pudding, spring rolls among others.

Hong Kong Disneyland, a joint venture between the Hong Kong government and The Walt Disney Co. was launched in September 2005. Its first two years of operations were below expectations-5.2 million visitors in its first year of operation and over four million only in its second year. It hopes to attract more visitors from Mainland China and other neighboring countries in the region.