No matter what we create, China can imitate anything. I am saying this because this time they duplicated a whole city instead of a product. Tianducheng, also called Sky City, is located on the east coast of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on the outskirts of China.
With the 108 meter-long, Eiffel Tower’s replica is the centre of attraction, While the city is spread over 31 sq km, its parks, architecture, fountains and copies of tourist attractions have been replicated in Paris style.
Known as the “Paris of the East”, this luxurious estate is home for around 10,000 people and was constructed in 2007 to attract European beauty. When Tianducheng initially opened its gates more than a decade ago, it was called as a ghost town and hardly attracted any tourism. While many of its houses are still empty, but the population has increased in thousands, and now it is not only attracting tourists from China but also from around the world.
This city also has caught the attention of French photographer François Prost, who travelled to Tianducheng to photograph the town’s culture in a documented photo series called “Paris Syndrome.”
In his photographs, he compared both the cities and said “I spent a week taking loads and loads of photos, of everything that seemed familiar to me [in Tianducheng]. Then on my return [to Paris], I made catalogues, with different perspectives, to classify and arrange a maximum number of individual clichés of Paris – icons such as the Eiffel Tower, the street lamps, the statues, details and ornaments – versus the replicas.”
Since Paris is known as the world’s romantic capital and attracts a large number of tourists from around the globe, at the same time, can be expensive too. Meanwhile, Tianducheng is the best choice for those newlyweds who can’t afford to travel to Paris for the entire photoshoot.
The city’s ghost town can also be seen in Jamie XX “GOSH” music video which was shot here.
Surprisingly, Chinese people consider that copying or duplication is not something which is illegal or a crime. But in fact, if someone is a good replicator, he/she is appreciated and their art is encouraged. Chinese people still value their heritage and construction designs, even when tourist or locals think they are just ‘copied structure’.
Note: Photos of the left are the fake Parisian of China, while the pictures on the right are original. At first glance, it is difficult to differentiate between the two, even I also got confused.
