SHANGHAI, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney's first theme park on the Chinese mainland, started an internal test run on Saturday to prepare for its opening, scheduled for June 16.

The theme park opened to some staff and their relatives during the test, according to the resort.

Nearly half of the shops, including Asia's first World of Disney Store, in Disney Town, a nearby retail and entertainment area, opened to the public on the same day.

Tourists flooded the souvenir shops. Among them was 7-year-old Zhao Husheng, who came with his grandparents at 7 a.m. as part of the first group of shoppers. He took photos with his favorite Disney images in the stores and said he wanted a toy from the Star Wars collection.

After the first phase of internal testing, another operational test will begin in late May, according to the resort.

Tickets for the resort went on sale to the public on March 28.

The Shanghai Disney Resort is Disney's sixth resort destination worldwide. Construction began in 2011 in Pudong New District.