Chinese company building $150million replica of Titanic

05.06.2015 22:30

Tourists in China will soon have the chance to see what life was like on board the Titanic, as an energy company begins work on building an exact replica of the ill-fated liner.

Every detail from the handles to the light switches will be painstakingly reproduced for the new tourist attraction in Sichuan province, central China, reported the People's Daily Online.

Visitors will even get the chance to experience the moment the ship collided with the iceberg through a high-tech simulation involving light and sound effects.

Qixing Energy Investment Group first revealed their plan of spending 1 billion Yuan (£105 million) to rebuild the luxury liner in January 2014.

The company, which is based in Lishui city in east China, recently announced that a limited number of 5,000 tickets to the new Titanic will go on sale from June 15 on their official website.

The replica will be permanently docked on the Daying Qi river and is due to open to the public in October 2017.

Back in 1912, the original ship cost £4.9 million to build, the equivalent to about £110 million today.

Guests will have to pay 3,000 Yuan (£315) a night for a cabin on board the ship, while more expensive rooms will cost around 100,000 Yuan.

There will be ballroom dancing, pool parties, and Las Vegas style entertainment on the ship to transport guests back to 1912.

Even the food on the menu will be exactly the same as on board the original voyage.

Su Shaojun, chairman of the Qixing Energy Investment Group, said: 'The Titanic is a great ship and we will revive it.

'This new construction is not only to commemorate it but to let people know more about it. For people to know that when it sank the spirit of love was exhibited as well as creating its legend.'

Huang Li, general manager of the group, added: 'This will be a trip of a lifetime and will give our guests memories they will never forget.

'The new Titanic will offer a dream-like experience.'

20,000 drawings have been made of the replica Titanic to make sure every single detail is perfect.

The company has even worked with producers of the James Cameron's Oscar-winning film to get hold of the original blueprint.

Bernard Hill, the actor who played Captain Edward Smith in the 1996 movie, actually went to the the launch of the project dressed in costume.

The ship will measure 882 feet in length and 92 feet in width - the exact dimensions of the original.

An estimated 50,000 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the replica - more than that used to build an aircraft carrier.

The replica Titanic will be able to take up to 1,500 visitors a day and money raised will go towards a new Titanic fund, a charity set up to help maritime disasters across the world.

(dailymail.co.uk)