Paris in Macau and a mini London in Shanghai - why China loves to build copycat towns
The US$2.7 billion Parisian Macao opening this month is the latest example of China’s fondness for re-creating Europe’s greatest architecture in its own image
As the original East-meets-West territory, Macau first formed ties with Europe over 400 years ago when it was colonised by the Portuguese.
These days, the European connection extends beyond Macau as recreating some of Europe’s greatest architecture has become something of a trend in mainland China.
In 2007, a whole town modelled on Paris was built near Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, complete with its own replica of the Eiffel Tower, a copycat Arc de Triomphe and French-style residential apartments.
There’s also Shanghai’s “One City, Nine Towns” — a massive, government-led project that saw 10 satellite cities built each in the architectural style of a different European country. There you will find a mini London, a mini Holland and half a dozen other replicas of the West’s greatest architecture.
“I think it’s a very powerful statement that China is able to build any kind of architectural fantasy that it desires and offer that as an option – that’s amazing,” says Bianca Bosker, author of the best-selling book, Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China.
