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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| "Pirated" English town in China amuses and riles |
| 2006-11-07 |
| China, often regarded as the copycat capital of the world with fake designer bags and even counterfeit cars, has added a new string to its imitation bow -- an English town. An hour's drive from Shanghai's skyscrapers in the suburb of Songjiang lies Thames Town, complete with pub, fish-and-chip shop and even a bronze statue of Winston Churchill. There is a neo-Gothic church as well as Georgian- and Victorian-style terraced houses that would not look out of place in the poshest parts of London. "I wanted the properties to look exactly the same as those in the United Kingdom," James Ho, the director of privately owned Shanghai Henghe Real Estate Co. Ltd., one of the town's five developers. "I think English properties are very special. When we decide to learn from others, we should not make any improvements or changes. I emphasised this policy to my staff," he told Reuters. The development, which cost about 5 billion yuan (334 million pounds), is expected to house 10,000 people. Most of the houses have been sold, however, the town is hardly bustling: few residents have moved in and most of the shops are not yet open for business. During a recent visit, the only signs of life were couples in heavy make-up having their wedding snaps taken. "I can't find such unique buildings in Shanghai's city centre," said Emily Ma, before having a wedding picture taken. "I just love Western-style buildings," she gushed. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Gag me with a spoon. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-11-07 09:37 |
| #6 On the north side of Columbus, Ohio, there's a retail and apartment development that's tricked out to look like a French provincal village circa 1930, complete with a statue of a poilu holding a laurel wreath of victory. |
| Posted by: Mike 2006-11-07 09:32 |
| #5 My exact thought, too, RC. Except without the high priced food, I'd bet. |
| Posted by: BA 2006-11-07 09:14 |
| #4 Sounds like Epcot. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-11-07 08:18 |
| #3 Article: "Traditionally, Chinese people think China is in the centre of the world. So it makes sense to build foreign-style towns around Shanghai because this will make most Chinese proud," said designer Huang Ziaming from Tian Hua Construction Design. This is a pretty revealing statement. Anyone who thinks Chinese are humble hasn't listened in on Chinese talking amongst themselves. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-11-07 06:38 |
| #2 g: The way Chinese build housing - you buy an apartment, then you get four concrete walls with pipes sticking out of them. Well, it's not an open floor plan - the (brick) walls of the bedroom, living room, etc are all up. But the wiring, flooring, plumbing and painting all have to be done by the new owner. What the new owner has bought includes interior walls and bare cement floors. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-11-07 06:36 |
| #1 Most of the houses have been sold, however, the town is hardly bustling: few residents have moved in and most of the shops are not yet open for business. Not surprising. It will be 2 years before any people live there. The way Chinese build housing - you buy an apartment, then you get four concrete walls with pipes sticking out of them. No toilets, no kitchen counters, no nothing. You then furnish the place over the next 24 months. If you move in too early, you get jackhammers on your ceiling and elevators full of dust and rude country bumpkin construction workers. It's odd because you have these brand-new buildings, and they're completely empty and dark at night. Not surprised they're doing this, though. There's some part of the Chinese psychology that makes them copy. A while back, I visited "Americaland" in Hanghzhou, a failed theme park that had been turned into a school. Replicas of the White House, Washington Monument, etc. Incredibly tacky. I saw the movie "The World" recently which dealt with a Beijing theme park that replicated scenic spots from around the world. |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-11-07 05:21 |