Some Quirky Trends and Imitations in Planned Chinese Cities

So, I just happened to stumble upon this while browsing the internet, and thought this was strange. Well, truth be told, I am not entirely certain what to think about it.

There is a replica version of Paris in the Chinese countryside, and some millionaire in China also built an exact replica of a French Chateaux. Also, there is a clone of an Austrian mountain village that has been replicated exactly.

Perhaps one can argue and chide the Chinese here for a lack of originality. But they have their own strong, unique culture, and certainly do not need to merely imitate others. I mean, this is the land of the Great Wall of China, of the Terra Cotta Warriors, and the Forbidden City. There are beautiful buildings and gardens throughout that themselves have been imitated around the world.

It reminds me a little bit of a piece that I read once from Chuck Palahniuk, in one of his books that was a collection of short pieces. In one, he was visiting American castles. Certain people just built castles in parts of the United States. I think he was in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, specifically, although I have heard of such things in other parts of the country, as well.

What gives, then, exactly? Is this a good trend, or is this a bad trend? Are these replicas beautiful, or are they tacky?

I cannot say for sure, one way or the other. But it was a fascinating enough topic that it seemed almost a necessity to share.

Below are various links to these things, so that you can explore on your own:


"Paris In China: Tianducheng Is An Eerie, Abandoned City Of Lights Clone" by Lisa Miller of The Huffington Post  08/07/2013:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/paris-china-tianducheng_n_3714385.html



Multi-millionaire builds exact replica of famous French chateau for $50million... in Beijing By DAILY MAIL REPORTER, 12 June 2012:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158388/Beijing-replica-Ch-teau-Maisons-Laffitte-built-Multi-millionaire.html



Wuzhen Water Town::

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/zhejiang/hangzhou/wuzhen.htm



Twin Towers Still Standing At Chinese Theme Park Chris C. Anderson   First Posted: 09/09/11:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/twin-towers-still-standing-windows-of-world-china-park_n_955627.html#s355343&title=WTC_At_Windows



Car-Free 'Great City,' Pop. 80,000, to Rise in Rural China Thursday, October 25, 2012:

http://curbed.com/archives/2012/10/25/carfree-great-city-pop-80000-to-rise-in-rural-china.php