A New Era for Duplicatures
Where in the world do you think this is?
How about this?
London? Berlin? Prague?
All of those would be wrong. In fact, anywhere on the European continent would be incorrect. All of these buildings are in the same city, my hometown of Dongguan, China.
These photos are of Huawei’s new campus, which spans 1.4 million square meters (approx. 345 acres), features twelve “towns” modeled after countries in Europe, and even a private metro system.
While the Huawei campus is breathtaking, it is far from being one of a kind. Throughout China, there are many recreations of famous European landmarks. It is so popular that it has its own architectural classification “duplicature”. Today, China has entire cities modeled after existing European destinations. This novelty has incentivized domestic tourism and provides a local alternative for site seeing. Because why bother with the expensive flights, arduous visa applications, and language barriers when people can sight-see right at home?
Some European cities you can “visit” in China
1. Tianducheng, Hangzhou, China
Tianducheng, is a half a billion-dollar housing project is modeled after French Neoclassical architecture with featuring a replica of Eiffel Tower in the center. Though it was originally meant to house over 10,000 people, currently only 2,000 or so residents call the place home. Tianducheng primarily serves as a local tourist attraction and popular photoshoot destination.
2. Bavaria Hot Spring Town, Guangzhou, China
Bavaria town in China is a popular family-friendly resort destination.
3. Hallstatt, Guangdong, China
Hallstatt, Austria is a UNESCO heritage site, and one of the most photographed towns, ever. Even if you didn’t know the name of the town, chances are, you have seen a picture of Hallstatt from some variation of this angle.
Why do these duplicates exist? What purpose do they serve?
Perhaps it signifies China’s growing stature on the global stage. Or maybe it serves to demonstrate the progress China has made as a country in the last two decades.
Or maybe, Europe has long been synonymous with power and influence, and in the minds of some, building duplicatures puts China on the same level as Europe? [Taking Freire’s idea that the oppressed will make themselves into the image of their oppressor to the extreme?]
Does building duplicatures with improvements mean that China is superior to Europe? What are the implications of having Chinese businesses and restaurants in these European facades? I do not have the answers to these questions, but it is something that China started to come to terms with. Instead of highlighting the thousands of years of architectural styles, developers have chosen to build in the image of the West. It feels to me as if my home country is going through a bumpy process of finding its architectural identity––an apt metaphor for its role on the global stage.
