Born in the 1960s - Murray King, 45
Print Edition
Murray King is a Canadian who speaks fluent Mandarin and has lived in China for 15 years. His job is all about dreams.
As vice president of public affairs for the first Disney theme park on China’s mainland, King says Shanghai Disneyland, due to open at the end of 2015, will bring the fun and fantasy that has become the hallmark of the multinational entertainment company to a new generation of children.
After all, Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
King has not been afraid to pursue his dreams, even when that meant surmounting setbacks.
He first stepped foot on China’s mainland 20 years ago as a young lawyer after finishing his law studies at the University of Ottawa. The history and culture of the nation seized his imagination.
“I thought to myself, ‘China is going places, and I want to be part of it’,” he says, and the kernel of what would grow into a serious, ongoing relationship was embedded.
When he returned to Canada, he found friends and families puzzled by his new passion. “They just kept asking me, ‘Why China’?” he says.
King switched his career from law to the diplomatic corps, joining the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs to promote bilateral trade. Diplomatic postings in Beijing and Shanghai followed.
In 2004, he left government ranks to become a consultant in Shanghai for a US-based communications firm. From 2008-10 he served on the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. He has participated in a wide range of investment projects and also volunteered his time to work in community organizations.
In 2011, King joined the team of the Shanghai Disney Resort project. “My Chinese dream began maybe earlier than for some others, and I am still in the process of realizing it.
When King first came to China, he says he was frustrated by the inability to communicate with locals. So he studied Mandarin and now speaks fluently, even throwing in a few words of Shanghai dialect.
“Now, when I come back to Shanghai from travels overseas, I feel that I am coming home,” he says.
With his language advantage and easygoing personality, King enjoys visiting the construction site of the Disney resort in Pudong, where he chats informally with Chinese laborers. He often shows up in the canteen to share a meal with them.
“The workers regard me with curiosity because they are surprised that a foreigner can speak fluent Chinese,” King says.
When some of them said they didn’t know what the completed resort would look like, King showed up with artist’s renditions and images from other resorts. And when some workers expressed an interest in seeing a Disney movie, King arranged for a screening of “Pirates of the Caribbean” for the work crew. That led to regular movie nights for workers.
“These activities offer them a sense of belonging to the Disney project,” King explains.
King’s own sense of belonging resides in a renovated 1920s house in the former French concession area of downtown. He tends a small garden outside, bursting with Chinese lotus, frangipani, bougainvillea and roses.
“Many people here are talking about their Chinese dreams,” he says, “and I feel the sense of confidence and optimism around me. But, of course, to realize one’s dreams requires hard work, sacrifice and the ability to take calculated risks.”
King says the Chinese Dream is not unlike the American Dream, which is based on the idea that opportunity exists for those willing to work hard.
“The Chinese Dream today is based on the same goals: prosperity, a better quality of life and the ability to pursue a career,” he says.
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