You Would Never Expect These Things To Be Made In China

In the '90s China wanted to bring the Western world to its home shores, beginning a building spree that mimicked entire European cities. China is well-known for its pirated DVDs and fake iPhones, but this "copycat culture" extends to architecture too, with entire towns replicated. Copycat architecture is blooming in China!

If these places look like Europe to you, we have some bad news. They are all fakes! These are all landmarks that China copied from the rest of the world. There’s more behind this architectural mimicry than you might think. It is a matter of Western hardware with Chinese software!

In the 1990’s, China’s economy took off. People no longer wanted to live in dull concrete cubes. They adopted Western styles, associated with wealth and power. Along with replicating single buildings and cultural icons, China has outdone itself by copying entire cities. So, now you can ride a gondola in fake Venice, or make a call from a red phone booth in a fake London. But even though this copycat cities are Western-designed, replicas often contain Chinese tearooms and follow feng-shui principles.

It's hard not to be curious about the Chinese fondness for copycat architecture. As the country's economy skyrockets faster than any other's, China's suburbs are sprouting up replicas of iconic landmarks from mostly European cities.

There's a miniature Paris, complete with Eiffel Tower, in the outskirts of Hangzhou. There's a British-inspired "Thames Town" outside of Shanghai. The White House is one of the most copied buildings throughout the country, and people love to live and work inside these structures. China's passion for derivative architecture might seem bizarre.