Chinese replicas of world famous landmarks in bizarre locations

03.08.2015 22:30

China is known for its ability to replicate just about everything - from branded shampoos to entire Apple stores.

Lately, it's the country's knock off landmarks that have caught international media attention.

Replica constructions, including the Eiffel Tower, Colosseum and The White House, have been picked by Indian press in a top 10 list, according to People's Daily Online.

But it is perhaps the juxtaposition of the landmarks with their mismatched backdrop that make the phenomenon a bizarre occurrence.

Many of the replica landmarks mentioned can be found at World Park in Beijing.

There, you can find miniature versions of The White House and Sydney Opera House mentioned on the list.

A replica of the Sphinx, just outside of Shijiazhuang in north east China, was also on the list but it's not the only version of the famous monument in China.

Another full-sized Sphinx sits at the World Cultural Heritage Expo Park in Chuzhou, eastern China. The only difference is that it has been fitted with a colourful Egyptian mask.

A to-scale pyramid is also under construction at the park.

There were also renditions in some unlikely locations.

For example, the top 10 list features a row of Easter Island's famous Moai statues lining a pedestrian walkway in a business district in Beijing.

In Shanghai, a surprisingly realistic leaning tower of Pisa was once built in its financial districts just for a 'Roman Holiday' carnival.

The realism is spoilt only by the visible wires that keep the tower in its signature lean.

Replicas of French landmarks featured prominently on the list.

A 'Paris' in Hangzhou, eastern China, has been built on top of farm land that's since been transformed into a residential area, complete with the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower.

An unnamed five-star hotel in Beijing has modeled its exterior on Château de Fontainebleau, one of the largest royal palaces in France.

The list also included a knock off Arc de Triomphe in Jiangyang, eastern China.

It must have had stiff competition as a similar Arc de Triomphe has been spotted outside a Beijing branch of Carrefour, a French supermarket chain, while another was seen outside a school in Wuhan, central China.

(dailymail.co.uk)