\u201c<\/strong>Duplitecture”<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"Original](\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/13145447\/OriginalCopiesChinaBiancaBosker-300x300.jpg\")
Source: Bianca Bosker<\/p><\/div>\n
In the fantastic podcast about architecture, 99% Invisible<\/a>, they recover the term “duplitecture\u201d<\/a> to describe this phenomenon \u2013 which, as they explain, is not exactly new, nor is it unique to China: the San Franscisco Ferry Building<\/a>, built in 1898, was inspired by the Giralda in Seville (from the 12th<\/sup> century), for example. The White House, where the president of the United States lives and works, took its design from the Leinster House<\/a>, the Irish house of parliament. And even in Kolkata (India), there is a 30-meter tall replica of London\u2019s Big Ben.<\/p>\nThe case of China is paradigmatic because it combines architecture from all over the world. And because the feeling that these \u201cplanned cities\u201d give could not be any stranger<\/strong>. In some ways, the photographs of them show completely artificial places, recreations that could be said not to have \u201ca life of their own.\u201d But many of them are not mere attractions for tourists but are considered to be places to live. There are those who say that they even slightly resemble the planned Soviet architecture of the second half of the 20th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\nThe key, it seems, is that many of these places are recreated by Chinese architects and promoters simply to demonstrate that they can do it just as well as Westerners<\/strong> \u2013 something that is far from mere imitation out of some sort of interest (as happens with imitation brands, stores, or products) or from simple theme park homages. But sometimes, these \u201csocial experiments\u201d have not turned out as well as hoped: it was expected that ten thousand people would live in the mini replica of Paris, with its characteristic buildings and boulevards, but there are barely one thousand occupants. And that is with a monumental, hundred-meter Eiffel Tower (a 1:3 scale to the original) towering over another vast recreation of the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es.<\/p>\nSymbols and cities<\/strong><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
![\"ThamesTown](\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/13145446\/ThamesTown-300x210.jpg\")
Thames Town in Songjian, Shang\u00e1i | Source: Flickr | Author: Huai-Chun Hsu<\/p><\/div>\n
Thames Town,<\/strong> in Songjian, is a replica of the most characteristic parts of the city of London \u2013 it even takes its name from the Thames River. With one million square meters of surface and room for some 10,000 inhabitants, there you can find its traditional church, the classic pubs, and even fish and chips stands. As it is relatively close to Shanghai (about 30 km from the city center, near the metro lines) housing sold rather quickly. The profile of its occupants? Primarily influential people that took single family spaces as second homes \u2013 which is why its streets suffer from the \u201cghost town\u201d effect for a good part of the year.<\/p>\nIn the port city of Dalian, there is a recreation of the canals of Venice<\/a>, with its traditional bridges over several kilometers of canals. More than 400,000 square meters in all, encompassing an area where around one billion dollars were invested and that \u2013 as its inhabitants explain \u2013 lets those who cannot travel to Europe\u00a0\u201cget to\u00a0know what the cities of the old continent are like.\u201d In fact, the setting is rather peculiar, with gondoliers transporting people through the canals while they admire architectural replicas in various styles \u2013 a combination that turns out to be somewhat outlandish \u2013 around them.<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/13145448\/NewSouthChinaMall-ArcoDelTriunfo-300x225.jpg\")
New South China Mall. Arc de Triomphe<\/p><\/div>\n
In Nanchang, there is even a replica of the Great Wall of China<\/strong>, something rather paradoxical since it is located right there in China. It measures just four kilometers (far from the original\u2019s two thousand kilometers) and is built with modern, \u201caged\u201d materials. Despite not being \u201cthe original,\u201d thousands of people visit it every day \u2013 some even confusing it with the actual one. In the city of Huaxi, there is another replica that is also Chinese: Tiananmen Square. There is also the Sydney Opera House \u2013 and many other buildings from all over the world \u2013 scattered throughout the surroundings.<\/p>\nIn 2012, even a replica of the Austrian town of Hallstatt<\/a> was built in Guangdong. The inhabitants of the European Alpine village found out about the curious homage when construction was already well underway; their mayor stated<\/a> that \u201cperhaps it is beneficial to awaken interest among tourists that want to come to our town, and as cultural exchange.\u201d Certainly, better to take it in good spirits.<\/p>\nMore and more replicas<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Source: Bianca Bosker<\/p><\/div>\n
In the fantastic podcast about architecture, 99% Invisible<\/a>, they recover the term “duplitecture\u201d<\/a> to describe this phenomenon \u2013 which, as they explain, is not exactly new, nor is it unique to China: the San Franscisco Ferry Building<\/a>, built in 1898, was inspired by the Giralda in Seville (from the 12th<\/sup> century), for example. The White House, where the president of the United States lives and works, took its design from the Leinster House<\/a>, the Irish house of parliament. And even in Kolkata (India), there is a 30-meter tall replica of London\u2019s Big Ben.<\/p>\n The case of China is paradigmatic because it combines architecture from all over the world. And because the feeling that these \u201cplanned cities\u201d give could not be any stranger<\/strong>. In some ways, the photographs of them show completely artificial places, recreations that could be said not to have \u201ca life of their own.\u201d But many of them are not mere attractions for tourists but are considered to be places to live. There are those who say that they even slightly resemble the planned Soviet architecture of the second half of the 20th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n The key, it seems, is that many of these places are recreated by Chinese architects and promoters simply to demonstrate that they can do it just as well as Westerners<\/strong> \u2013 something that is far from mere imitation out of some sort of interest (as happens with imitation brands, stores, or products) or from simple theme park homages. But sometimes, these \u201csocial experiments\u201d have not turned out as well as hoped: it was expected that ten thousand people would live in the mini replica of Paris, with its characteristic buildings and boulevards, but there are barely one thousand occupants. And that is with a monumental, hundred-meter Eiffel Tower (a 1:3 scale to the original) towering over another vast recreation of the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thames Town in Songjian, Shang\u00e1i | Source: Flickr | Author: Huai-Chun Hsu<\/p><\/div>\n Thames Town,<\/strong> in Songjian, is a replica of the most characteristic parts of the city of London \u2013 it even takes its name from the Thames River. With one million square meters of surface and room for some 10,000 inhabitants, there you can find its traditional church, the classic pubs, and even fish and chips stands. As it is relatively close to Shanghai (about 30 km from the city center, near the metro lines) housing sold rather quickly. The profile of its occupants? Primarily influential people that took single family spaces as second homes \u2013 which is why its streets suffer from the \u201cghost town\u201d effect for a good part of the year.<\/p>\n In the port city of Dalian, there is a recreation of the canals of Venice<\/a>, with its traditional bridges over several kilometers of canals. More than 400,000 square meters in all, encompassing an area where around one billion dollars were invested and that \u2013 as its inhabitants explain \u2013 lets those who cannot travel to Europe\u00a0\u201cget to\u00a0know what the cities of the old continent are like.\u201d In fact, the setting is rather peculiar, with gondoliers transporting people through the canals while they admire architectural replicas in various styles \u2013 a combination that turns out to be somewhat outlandish \u2013 around them.<\/p>\n New South China Mall. Arc de Triomphe<\/p><\/div>\n In Nanchang, there is even a replica of the Great Wall of China<\/strong>, something rather paradoxical since it is located right there in China. It measures just four kilometers (far from the original\u2019s two thousand kilometers) and is built with modern, \u201caged\u201d materials. Despite not being \u201cthe original,\u201d thousands of people visit it every day \u2013 some even confusing it with the actual one. In the city of Huaxi, there is another replica that is also Chinese: Tiananmen Square. There is also the Sydney Opera House \u2013 and many other buildings from all over the world \u2013 scattered throughout the surroundings.<\/p>\n In 2012, even a replica of the Austrian town of Hallstatt<\/a> was built in Guangdong. The inhabitants of the European Alpine village found out about the curious homage when construction was already well underway; their mayor stated<\/a> that \u201cperhaps it is beneficial to awaken interest among tourists that want to come to our town, and as cultural exchange.\u201d Certainly, better to take it in good spirits.<\/p>\nSymbols and cities<\/strong><\/h2>\n
More and more replicas<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Wangjing](\"https:\/\/static.ferrovial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/11\/13145445\/Wangjing-SOHO-300x200.jpg\")