The Chinese Tried to Replicate Paris in China… And This Happened!
If you visit Tianducheng, a day trip from Shanghai in China’s Zhejiang province, you will be confronted by a 354-foot replica of the Eiffel tower. Here’s a virtual tour of the town for you to experience the Chinese art of replicating one of history’s finest monument. This could very well double up as a ‘don’t try this in your country’ lesson.
By judithyeoh - 16 Oct 2013, 03:21 PM
Tianducheng, a Paris replica, began to be developed in China in 2007.
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A residential area was built around a replica of the Eiffel tower.
Image via shockerdaily.com
The replica of the Eiffel tower is 108 meters (354 feet) tall. The actual Eiffel tower is 3x as tall.
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The town was designed to accommodate 10,000 people.
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There’s even a “gated community” that occupies 12 square miles.
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But now, according to local media, the city is largely a ghost town.
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As few as 2,000 are said to be there but there is very little information available on Tianducheng.
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The company that developed the town is called Zhejiang Guangsha Co. Ltd.
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Newlyweds often visit Tianducheng and have photographs taken here. So that’s one thing going for it.
Image via caixin.com
It is open to visitors and you can stay in the Paris of the East at the Tianducheng Resort starting at $82 a night.
Image via sabay.com.kh
In their bid to replicate historical monuments, they even built a fountain inspired by the famous fountain in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
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But the Critics of China’s growth model have said these ghost towns are symptomatic of a large property bubble.
Image via buzzhunt.co.uk
ALSO READ: China accidentally builds a block of flats in the middle of a highway
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