Can you tell the difference between China’s fake Paris and the real thing?
These photos comparing a real estate development outside of Hangzhou with Paris have gone viral on Chinese social media
China’s “Little Paris” is making headlines once again after a photo series went viral on Chinese social media this week comparing the town’s sights with those of the real deal.
Opened back in 2007, the development of Tianducheng (天都城), located near Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, is filled with Parisian architecture, complete with replicas of the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. It’s one of China’s many “replica cities,” which often seem populated more by couples shooting pre-wedding photos than actual home-owners.
In 2016, it served as the eerie backdrop for a Jamie xx music video.
And it also has caught the attention of French photographer François Prost, who has documented the striking similarities between Paris and Tianducheng in a photo series called “Paris Syndrome.”
You can view some of Prost’s photos below. See if you can figure out which is which…
In case you failed to pick up on the clues, we’ll now inform you that the photos on the left are from Tianducheng, while photos on the right are from Paris.
This series of images hit Weibo earlier this week and was met with a mix of mirth and shame with one web user joking that the development was built in retribution for French troops looting and destroying the Old Summer Palace more than 150 years ago.
Here are a few more comments from the same thread:
“Where else can you see the Eiffel Tower and Versailles within walking distance but in China?”
“No matter what you build, there is nothing we cannot imitate.”
“The French can also go ahead and start work on the Great Wall.”
[Images via François Prost]