China’s good in counterfeiting things, that’s a sure thing but the fact that they have been replicating European cities is maybe a tad over the top. But hey, there’s nothing the Chinese can not imitate.

Tianducheng is a town in the suburbs of Hangzhou, China and is a remake of Paris. The construction of this town began in 2007 but hasn’t had much success. There’s a big difference between the real Paris and the Little Paris the Chinese built. The town only has 2,000 inhabitants and the streets are empty most of the time. Basically, it’s a ghost city. Yet they keep on building and building . I must admit the mini Eiffel Tower is kind of cool though. Tianducheng is also a popular place for young newlyweds to use for their wedding photography, using the fake Paris as a backdrop.

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But not only Paris can be visited in China, one can also go sight-seeing in London a few miles further. In 2006 Thames Town or Little London was built in Songjiang District. Surrounded by a gated community, the center of the town looks like a historical theme park, complete with cobbled streets, Tudor-style houses, red telephone boxes, street names like Oxford or Queen, a Gothic church, and a fake river Thames. Little London was initially more popular than Little Paris but now it has also  become a ghost town. Only rich people can buy the properties that were built in Thames Town.

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Although I hate copycats I would love to visit these replicas of London and Paris. I think it’s must be a weird feeling to walk around in two deserted ‘European capitals’.