Thames Town is a typically idyllic British town. You can't miss the red phone booths or telephone boxes as the Brits call them. You can see the odd London taxi or black cab, and then, of course, there is the local Tudor-style pub with real ale - lovely for a summer holiday, right?
So how do you get there?
Well, don't go to England. Thames Town is not by the River Thames. It is by the Yangtze in China. Thames Town is one of a group of new townships outside Shanghai that are all built on the theme of another country.
Now, we stumbled on the story when we learned that while the Brits might be flattered, the Austrians got quite upset when they heard about plans to copy one of their famous towns. China is reportedly building a replica of the Austrian town of Hallstatt, complete with winding roads and a lake.
What I would love to find in China is a beautiful replica of a traditional Chinese village, but these have become almost impossible to find nowadays.
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The Chinese overseas have less fantasy – they build Chinatowns whereever they settle down,
And what have you built, a fantasy land for typical American kwok heads?
OH MIGHTY TROLL --- Dude, you seriously need to get a life.
What a bunch of vageenas. They don't want their wittle people traveling and learning crazy concepts like private property or personal identity. So sad!
I've been to China a number of times. It is a rapidly growing and modernizing society. Many important employers in the US are deeply invested in China and rely equally on the success of China and the US. We can't hurt China without hurting ourselves, and vice versa. Our business leaders have committed America to being a cooperative partner with China. What is good for China, is good for the US. What is good for the US, is good for China. It's that Yin-Yang thing.
Oh you're one of those "defeat us from within types." Your wife wears a pretty green hat.
What do you mean they "don't want their people traveling?" This isn't the 1970s. People in China can get a passport and travel anywhere they want. They also have CNN and the BBC. Your information about China seems to be a few decades out of date.
Hate to burst your bubble but travel outside of China is rare for Chinese. I worked there for several weeks and only a handful of the hundreds of people I met had ever gone outside the country. One was a interpreter and would love to visit an english speaking country but was not allowed. Government just is not interested in them travelling except to get education or do business
@Dan, TX – "What is good for China, is good for the US." ...especially when it means putting American workers out of work and moving the jobs to China so that the corporation can hire workers at significantly lower wages and skirt employment and environmental laws. The American consumer gets lower quality goods and still pays the same or high prices and the corporate execs reap the rewards.
Where are you guys who claim that Chinese citizens can't travel outside of China getting your information from? My wife is a Chinese citizen and like most of her family & friends has a passport and travels frequently. The Chinese government doesn't prevent its citizens from traveling outside of the country – they don't care where their citizens travel to. The only thing possibly preventing Chinese citizens from traveling to certain countries is those countries' visa requirements. My wife has traveled to the US, Canada, all over Europe, Japan and Australia as a tourist.
Maersk apparently made off with a chopstick shoved up his/her butt.
They do copy and steal everything else, why not towns?
I bet they have also stolen your virginity and that is exactly why you are so bitter.
Nah, they just need somewhere to showcase their defective products, made on the backs of slave citizens, sold at a artificially locked favorable rate of exchange. I guess they can keep the pollution, overpopulation, and the angst – just look at the trolling that will result of this comment. Maersk? We need some more Nationalist trolling out of you.
The all supreme TROLL is back. Dude get a life, you are responding to all comments here
Chill out...you'll have to forgive us Maersk....this whole global domination thing takes up all of our time.
Maersk, how do they plan to hide the dirty air?
I wonder if the towns are to discourage international tourism. Where they notice that other countries actually have FEMALES and start to ask dangerous questions about why CHINA doesn't..
Mr. Ghost, if you go to any world famous tourist destinations and ask owners of upscale shops who are their best customers, they're likely to say Chinese or Japanese. China is going to become world's biggest outbound tourists country in several years. May be you should travel more.
Probably built with the left over contaminated sheet rock they could sell in the US.
i want to know how many companies in the china
There are 3 companies in the China
As an European who lives in China for the past 20 odd years and who can speak, read and write Chinese, nothing surprises me any more with the mainland Chinese. They will do anything for a quick buck, have very little integrity, will copy and steal anything for their personal gain. The world please be aware, this is all another form of state sanctioned destruction of western culture and values.
If no one wanted it, then the Chinese wouldn't be making that quick buck, right? The Europeans stole and exploited resources from China, Indonesia, Japan, India and Africa for centuries to make a quick buck, but THAT was OK.
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it kinda sucks, eh?
I'm not saying that everything China does is good, but it's a competitive world so deal with it or get left behind. Google stole their business model from Overture, Apple stole their mouse and GUI from Xerox, Microsoft stole it again from Apple, Intel crushes competitors with legal action... That's they way it is so adapt to it because it ain't going to change just because you throw a temper tantrum.
We wouldn't want to copy your average Chinese neighbourhood here in Canada. People would just call it a slum.
Canda Joe, you mean those rich neighborhoods in Vancouver? Do yourself a favor, do a research on comparing average income of Chinese living in Canada vs. average Candian. Yeah, surprise, surprise.
What forking western values and cultures are you talking about? Are you talking about your legalized munching on your chum's hot dog or are you talking about going around the world invading countries and killing people here and there?
Your seemingly spring-loaded defensiveness is hilarious.
Perhaps we should be more concerned with human rights, freedom of speech and environmental issues in China rather than their version of epcot center.
My culture and values are untouched by any number of Chinese towns, including these. They could duplicate my house in exact detail, and the only effect it would have on me would be if I could charge them to come in and take measurements.
I won't sink to the Maersk level, but what western culture did you want to preserve? Maybe you have been in Asia too long. Try visiting Orlando, Las Vegas or LA to see the current state of western culture. TV, fast food, Wal-martization, four wars and counting, evaporating middle class, etc. Unfortunately, China is adopting a lot of the worst of western culture. They have built little Dutch towns, Austrian towns and German towns and it is absolutely no big deal. They also have preserved many old towns, which is commendable considering the condition the country was in after WWII, the civil war, the Cultural Revolution and several misguided economic policies.
We all know these same 5 talking points. You idiots mindlessly spew them every day in our forums and think we don't know better.
@ John Denver's ghost – please come up out of your mom's basement long enough to get your meds re-filled. You are the most negative person on this site. Try to have a better day and stop blaming everyone for your misery.
"They have built little Dutch towns...." The Chinese have also flooded entire towns and have reduced\stolen the water flow from neighboring countries.
I have been living and working in shaghai for three years and I agree with everything Ferrum Equus said here. For many Chinese, copying a successful idea from others is an easy way to make money.
Why copy real towns? They could copy myth like a Hobbit town or a Pepperland or something.
yeah why copy towns when they can make Chinese copies like you? It time for you to acknowlege that you have a Chinese father.
That is without a doubt the worst comeback I have read this month. Seriously consider stand up comedy!
Please dont take this mockery out of context. It is only directed at you and does not represent my general attitude of Chinese people who I greatly admire. The great thing about CNN's comment section is that one can see regardless of nationality, religion, etc that every grouping of people has at least one if not more idiots. In the end all humans are the same.
As for the subject of the article while at first I viewed it negatively as a lack of creativity I see it positively now. I find it is rather flattering and fully support this cultural exchange. I fully enjoy being exposed to other cultures regardless of if they are foreign or domestic.
Bet they don't copy East St. Louis, IL.
They could copy Oakland, CA and make it into a horror theme park...
I am willing to bet the next five years of my salary that they wouldn't copy a city in the entire state of IL. Not even Jeff's town fluffy boy. Better yet, try using that tongue on the streets of East St. Louis and see were it gets you.
naww. Copy Detroit!
To be fair, this isn't exactly an original idea. There's a replica of Portofino, Italy in Florida called Portofino Bay.
"What I would love to find in China is a beautiful replica of a traditional Chinese village, but these have become almost impossible to find nowadays."
The author is a complete noob tourist in China. Just take the bullet train from Shanghai to Hangzhou just 45 minutes away and you will see some elegant ancient cityscapes with a nice lake and mountains.
The author is just another typical American BS artist employed as writer to bad mouth China for a living.
When it comes to China, Fareed Zakaria only spreads disinformation intended to fuel fear and hatred. However, when he isn't busy spreading anti-China propaganda, Zakaria is one of the best foreign policy analysts on TV. It's too bad he lets his American imperialistic agenda distort his reporting about China.
The Russian did it back in the day. China is probably training their spies in these towns. What other purpose could they possibly serve?
Just like we train our spies at Epcot, right?
You are paranoid. Also, the movie The Experts, with John Travolta was a comedy, not a documentary. These towns are for rich Chinese and homesick expatriates. The French Concession in Shanghai is very popular with Westerners and Chinese wanting to experience Western culture. It is not a training center for Chinese spies. In fact, when it comes to residents living in the French Concession, Western spies far outnumber spies from China.
Heard of a place called Las Vegas?
With thousands of years in history and being one of the early countries of civilization, I bet they can build something Chinese. That's a shame. Does that not reflect the fact that there is a lack of creativity?
I generally agree with your assessment of the lack of creativity. However, one must consider that a very important factor for fostering creativity/innovation is diversity which these cities do bring in some form. Nevertheless, to foster creativity/innovation effectively openness and empowerment should also be stressed.
It doesn't reflect creativity, it reflects a desire to be like us. Just like they saw on TV.
It's the same creativity Americans show when they copy European buildings....Venice, Eiffel Tower and other Châteaux..
Be like you, oh yes, a bunch of lazy, overweight, undereducated morons.
You have to be another kwok head who doesn't know what the fork you are talking about. What's wrong with building a town that looks like a town in England? I myself have a Chinese style garden in my backyard. Is that a crime? You can also build a town to house tthose typical American kwok heads such as you and I can telll you definitely that I have no problem with it.
By the way, can you be a little more creative by bending over differently so that I am aroused?
whats wrong? are you suffering from nation envy?
What the hell is a "kwok head"? You are the worst troll I've ever seen.
Maersk, you have got to be one of the most idiotic people I have ever read in CNN comment section. Keep up the good work you dumb@ss!
You don't have the equipment to be aroused fool.
TROLL ---- NUMBER 1 TROLL ON CNN
Maersk you signify everything thsts wrong with the chinese who we call 'the silent farts'. You have a chinese grden in yur backyard because you're a chink!
Just ridiculous!
This is wonderful! You go China!!! We shall call it ......"Clone Urbanism". Everyone has done or is doing it USA, England, France, UAE. So why pick on China...leave it alone. It is a wonderful country with beautiful people and well on its way to becoming a world power and leader. There is no stopping it, certainly not the media.
Seems like Maersk is very bitter haha idiot zipper head
There are so many angry/jealous/narcissistic Chinese on CNN. It's pathetic.
there are just as many angry/jealous/narcissistic non-Chinese here as well... there are all forms of people in all countries and cultures, not being able to see that is called being naive.
If it's made in China it most likely won't last long from being so poorly built with cheap material
Hey, Made In China , What the HELL you are ? Were you made in China too? So that meant you made up by cheapy materials too???!!!
That's why I found your words just like b****shit ! You may need to change some parts with Avanced stuffs with your head made in China ! Thanks.
lol, why did you self-censor "bull"
One dolla...yip yip
Funny thing is, whenever I visit China, I see buildings all over the place that are older than the US. Only a complete idiot believes the propaganda that says China can't build quality stuff. They build the world's fastest conventional trains, some of the world's best aircraft, much of the designer clothing sold in the West, and the iPhone. China is also only the third country to put a man in space. They can also build cheap disposable crap, which is a favorite among American consumers.
Big deal? Please count how many replicas of Japanese gardens/Chinese gardens in U.S first...
Yes but people don't live in those gardens or pagodas. THe same goes for someones comment about the Vegas hotels with Paris and Venice themes. The thing about these Chinese villages is that they are only for the elite, "wanna be" Brits or Europeans. The want to be like us but will fight tooth and nail to deny it.
I don't know whom or what I have more contempt for: The Chinese mindset that has persisted for millenia, stripping the people of their ability to create anything on their own and reducing them to be a nation of copyists OR the immoral, global billionaires that exploit this fact to reduce their operating costs.
I don't know what the heck you are talking about Milo. What you describe is not the China I have come to know. I'll take a Chinese worker over an American worker any day. Why do you think we are importing Chinese like crazy to become American scientist and engineers?
If you made a replica of your average Chinese urban community here in Canada not even the Chinese would live in it. People would think it was a slum!!
Other than the modern buildings in China, China cities and villages are a slum.
Have you been to China?
I don't need to stick my head up a cow's ass to know it stinks.
Well, unless the western countries have the cities looks and designs copyrighted, they have no way of stopping these. That is of course their plan: to have the Chinese visit the these places and spend their money there instead of in London and other European countries. It may be a good thing, save the carbon footprint of a 100 million or more Chinese taking planes to Europe.
I've actually been there. Funny thing is that almost no one lives there. Its just a housing development in a farflung suburb of Shanghai, and there's thousands of those. The people behind developing this one tried to think of a clever gimmick to actually get people to buy property there, but its either too gimmicky or too far away, I'm not sure. I do know that most of the shops and houses were vacant, though, and the development was already two years old when I explored it.
New meaning to Potempkin village
@ Kiel --The same concept has used in Macau Chian. The local Chinese tried to copy the original Fisherman's wharf. The copied version It looks so artificial without any real character. See the URL.
http://www.google.com/search?q=fisherman's+wharf+macau&hl=en&authuser=0&biw=1024&bih=509&prmd=ivnsm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=CG4BTt6_BI6KvgO_qIXuDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CD0QsAQ
A few people are touching on the idea. Though its true traditional chinese homes would be caveman by our standards, upgrades to the style can and have been made. No, I think what we are seeing here is just an example of a chinese expanding market, available for chinese and westerners, alike. Their business operate on the same guiding principles as our own, sales. And even if it is for the purposes of catering to wealthier members among them, why should it be so unimabinable that China's rich want western style homes? vive la differance. How many men and women here buy chinese accessories for thier homes and wardrobe, even to the extent of getting a tatoo. You don't even see the chinese doing that: ' An Mei Lu has "sexy lady" stenciled on her arm.' I don't think so. And to boot the ones here who do get the chinese tatoos don't even know, or even inquire about, what they are receiving: " JiNu" apperently to one women meant sexy lady, or sensual. Guess again. It's chicken girl,or, prostitute...I said nothing.
But the point being is that anything goes. If the developers who built that town find that they are not moving the units well within the market, or the construction just isn't viable, they'll switch. Maybe in the future there will be something more chinese. But then I would have to say for the most part that the Chinese do not care a great deal about cultural revisions. To them culture is the expression of behavior and traditions far outweighing anything scenic. And besides the idea of a quaint little english style town, red phone booths and all, smack dab on the edge of the Yangze river is pretty neat stuff.
Thames town is a means to and end. Watch out for the chinese definition of the 'end'.
Hopefully they will pronouce it "Tems" instead of "Thaymes" like they do in Connecticut.
I can see China from my back yard. I line fortune cookies too. When you elect me president I will invite the Chinese to the white house to deliver cookies to my rich republican friends.
Cockers and mussers, arrive arrive-o
The Chinese government is in the process of curbing the ever increasing property prices in China with heavy capital gain tax and restrictive mortgage policies. Their real estate in the luxurious sector in major cities are selling the prices like New York city. Rumor that Chinese are beginning to buying up houses on our west coasts, which looks basement bargain to them. Stop them by new foreign investment registration laws
So what is wrong with that, why does everything have to bother what other countires mind your own business and enjoy your own life.
Whenever reporting about China, the US media will always try to create hatred. Fareed Zakaria knows China has built replica Chinese villages all over the place, and there are thousands of authentic ancient Chinese villages. Still, that doesn't prevent him from spreading a bit of disinformation in his last sentence.
Just an observation. Plain and simple. The western countries and therir people are jealous and feels threaten by China's rise to power. Sucks doesn't it ?
I'm just very disappointed that they are going to destroy their own culture and structures to build structures from foreign countries. it's pathetic, to say the least, that they envy other country structures and culture rather than take pride in their own, it shows that they, as a collective, feel inferior.
Where did you see that? I don't think the Chinese are destroying their own culture.
Is Epcot at Disney World destroying American culture since they have replicas of buildings and culture aroud the world? Yeah, got it?
There are plenty of areas where China deserves criticism, particularly their merchantile trade practices. But I don't know why people are making a big deal of this, I see nothing wrong. Look at what Las Vegas has done to a number of the worlds monuments; at least the Chinese are trying to keep these clean and aren't butchering the image of these villages by turning them into glossy Casinos or exaggerated resorts. They can build what they want it's their country.
I've being to Shanghai, and as far as i know, these "replica town" is built and aimed for the foreigners so thy can live there, and feels like home.
I like how the reporters here took their own imagination into news
It will probably fall apart in a few years, give it some time.
Great Wall's still there after 2000 years. How much time do you have?
Haha you're still resting on 2000 year old glories? Wat have they done in recent times? Even that big dam they built is now in daner of falling apart
Seriously? What have your country done 2000 years ago? 100 miles is long for British and 100 years is old for America. It's all relative. China has been leading economy for the most of past 2 thousands years and only fell behind west in 19th century. We had 2 century of "dark age" and just getting back into the game thirty years ago. A comeback is goign to take a while. Have you been to any graduations for post graduate degrees(especially science and engineering fields) at any top 50 US universities lately? Yeah, people cheer when they hear someone with "American" names becauses it's mostly Chinese and Indian names that were read. You just take a back seat and get ready.
The Chinese copying stuff? That's unheard of!!!
COS CHINA WITH NOT LET ANY COUNTRIES BUILDING TOWN IN THERE COUNTRY COS THEY ARE SCARE OF THE WESTERN FOR EXAMPLE COME TO CHINA AND SEE THE FACT EVEN CANT ALLOW 10 PEOPLE TO STAY TOGETHER FOR 5DAY WITHOUT THE POLICE AT YOUR DOOR
Hell, I'd be flattered. I mean its funny and pathetic but hey if China likes it so much go do it. I think China grown the term on them as the copy cats.
Yes it is a shame that as counties modernize they distory thier own history look at NYC of the 50's when many historic buildings were razed
What's next, high bridge nose? They copy anything and everything that comes from Western world.I hope the next thing that they will learn is freedom, that should kill them alright.
fake nation..fake government.there even make fake dubling from cardboard and fake rice..there dont care about health and others life...shame on china
Why is this a problem?
In Las Vegas, there are replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Egyptian pyramid, Italian village, etc... Worst yet, we "borrowed" the images of these well known national treasures to house casinos. In my own neighborhood, there are British tudor style townhouse and single family homes that are fashioned after Spanish and Tuscany (Italian) style villas.
Why did Chinese developers build a British style village in China? They built it for the same reason that American developers built the stuff that I said above – to differentiate their products to attract customers! Fareed Zakaria usually makes insightful comments about the world. This article, however, seems to be just about sensational reporting. What is his point?
I think his point is in the last line of the story.
Lorenzo, the problem is Fareed Zakaria's last sentence is complete disinformation. China not only has built many replica Chinese villages, there are still huge numbers of authentic ones all over the country. Fareed Zakaria is well aware of this, he has simply chosen to once again mislead the American people.
Americans wears china...
They are like the BORG ................... Spoooooooky ............
I found a site where you can get coupons for restaurant called "Printapon" they are on all over the news, search online
The last line in the story says it all.
So the Chinese build replicas of quaint foreign places but raze the historic hutongs of Beijing–the very kind of thing that Western tourists want to see–so they can modernize the city.
I have a friend that used to live in a hutong. They had to go down the street to go to the bathroom, and they didn't even have running water. They did have electricity, in the form of a single wire. It had a light socket and one outlet on the end, so they could only use one appliance at a time. Their house was in terrible shape. The roof leaked and the walls were crumbling. They didn't have air conditioning, and they burned coal for heat, which created thick black smoke. Now they live in a modern apartment, and are much happier. She told me that it sometimes seems like Westerners want Chinese people to live in substandard houses, just so tourists can have some quaint old buildings to look at. They don't care at all about the Chinese people, just their tourist experience.
Last time I checked the Thames wasn't dirt brown and filled with benzene...
I guess Fareed Zakaria has never been to China, because there are not only replica, but authentic ancient Chinese villages all over the place. Fareed seems like a smart guy, but I'm getting a bit tired of him constantly spreading misinformation and even disinformation about China.
We need to reach a new planet very soon so the Chinese won't get bored.
Asians are good with copying. Paper power!
A small list of cities that have a 'traditional Chinese village' that Zakaria can visit.
1. Li Jiang
2. Dali
3. Xiangalila
4. Hangzhou
5. Fujian Province
What's so wrong about recreating another town's environment? It isn't a novel concept, California has a town named Solvang that is modeled after a Dutch village.
This is no worse then Bush Gardens or Disney World.
so they have no chinese type structures or culture what is the point of even taking a trip there? this will ruin their tourism.
China doesn't care about reading or knowing another country's laws. America is in debt as a nation, china is an abomination of a country that got rich off the sick neo-communistic dehumanization of their people, same with north Korea, same with Saudi Arabia. i love Chinese people, but their government is not an example for any country. its an example of corruption and wealth at the cost of their peoples essential rights, something me as person coming from a long string of american people might never understand. and that's because america is not like china, and never will be. liberal america will twist our understanding of the media and the constitution, with over stressed wars and make it so easy to do nothing about the bad news we hear. Americas dignity means nothing to the Americans who make sure we continue to bond our priority's to non-national entities. Saudi Chinese Israeli america
..........................Go to ESL.....what point are you try to make?
It's okay folks!
China will not replicate anything from America.
We have agreed since I already sold us out and they now own us.
That there is no point.
(obot applauds)
If Fareed Zakaria bothered to do a bit of research, he would realize how ignorant his last sentence is. Not only are there traditional Chinese villages all over China, this particular housing development actually contains 9 theme villages, including a traditional Chinese village. The 9 "villages" in this development are Swedish, English, Italian, Spanish, American, Dutch, German, traditional Chinese, and an eco-friendly town named Lingang.
Next week on GPS – The evil Chinese are building a replica of a small American town. This one housing development can provide Zakaria a couple of months worth of content.
this is not representative of the national development in china as a whole. many people here are jumping to the conclusion that everything is being torn down to build these towns. these places are more the exception than the norm. as many have mentioned, these are just ways to distinguish the properties for sale/rent/tourism.
there are plenty of preserved old towns as well as currently functioning old towns. but you have to also realize that actually living in an old style chinese town is rather inconvenient... how would you like to live in an 18th century house with no indoor plumbing, running water, electricity, or much of the modern conveniences we all enjoy? it's easy to criticize from a tourist's point of view that this is destroying the touristy stuff we would like see, but that is only a one-sided argument,
sure there are a lot of faults to the chinese government, processes and policies, but that is true of every government/country in the world. people's needs and desires differ from country to country and culture to culture.
it's also unproductive to just post comments that criticize like, 'just a bunch of copy cats' or other similar comments... it's much better to offer an explanation of why it would be so. simply spewing hate doesn't get much done or spark any intellectual discourse.
Guys use some decent language. Someone talking about his head in cow's..... Well what can u expect from people who have no culture, are neo rich and have a history of couple of hundred years only.
@ Gilzai – if you want to elevate the conversation, try not broad brushing all Americans with your bias.
Anyone who thinks for a second China will be a super power think again! Economics alone cannot make one mighty. It is cultural and political hegemony that is more important, unfortunately, China at the moment has none of that! It seems like China wants to desperately copy the West as it prospers. So sad to see a country with thousands of years of history, culture and civilization building towns that resemble the west!
anyone who doesn't think for a second that china cannot become a superpower is just as misguided. as someone has already mentioned, why do you see people getting chinese tattoos (while the opposite is not the case), why do people enjoy chinese culture and relics? chinese culture may not be spread in the same way as western culture (mcdonald's, movies, tv shows, consumerism, etc.) but the cultural aspects it shares are more 'cultural' than what i've listed. what's wrong with diversifying the country with architectual features of other countries? would you prefer that only pagodas are built that serve no purpose?
what if the people with money are demanding such things? where there is money to be made, people will try to make it. sometimes china doesn't do it in the best way admittedly, but your comment is also very narrow.
to quote hillary clinton, "how do you get tough with your banker?"
also, do you not think that america's economic position, resources and fast-paced industrialism did not help to propel it to a superpower?
actually, you can already make the argument that china is a super power, i think what you are trying to say is that it's not going to be the leading power.
Why is this bad? The Chinese are adopting Western styles and conditions. This should be a good sign that liberalism (more interaction = closer ties, better relations) is at work. If people fear that China is becoming a scary super-power, then is it bad that a super power wants to imitate European culture and traditions?
Have to admit you make a very good point. And if it were truely as rosy of a reason as you state, I would be in support of it 100%.
I just don't think they are sincere though. If I'm wrong, than we will soon be hearing about China not being a communist country and their avenues to information not being limited by Government intervention. Otherwise, it's business as usual in China and this is all just some more BS to snow the rest of the world.
What everyone is missing is, China is building these cities to artifically prop up their economy. They also have modern cities that no one lives in with great 6 lane highways no one uses. They have to build these to keep their people employed. But this tactic can only last for so long before they fall, just like Japan did when everyone was saying the japanese have the best economy in the wold in the 80s. An artificial economy will always collapse. Just like the dot com bubble and the housing bubble in the U.S.
the baron modern city you are referring to is an attempt by the government to attract a rural population into a more modern/industrial/business setting. it didn't work because shops did not open there and there was nothing to actually attract residents. the city is modern but it is still located in a rural area of china where the fast paced industrialism has not touched.
i agree an artficially propped economy is bad, but there is still much of china that is undeveloped. if the government can expand the industrialization to these areas, these cities will fill up as well as the population gets more income and have the means/ability to move into these cities. it may be true that the cities are a way to keep construction and the economy going, but there is an actual intent to fill them and put them to use.
also, these baron modern cities are again the exception to the norm... it's not like china is littered with uninhabited metropolitan cities, this is an outlier.
Troy, hope you read Kosmonova's comment. I bought couple of apartments in a development that's 20 miles from center of Chongqing that was once considered "ghost town" 10 years ago and now it's 75% occupied as over a 1,000 people are migrating to the city EVERY DAY! The price of the apartment had tripled over the peiod because it was considered too far away from the City 10 years ago. Over 300 million people are going to move to the city in the next 20 yrs. It's like real estate developers's and investor's heaven.
Are you serious? This is just an European themed residential real estate development. So Chinese can only build Chinese style buildings and eating Chinese food? Why would Chinese replicate ancient Chinese villege when THEY ARE EVRYWHERE IN CHINA? Would LA build a replica of Hollywood next to Hollywood? Where's the logic?
Have any of you actually visited Shanghai? The European town replica developments are aiming to attract Foriegn business people living in China to feel like home and Chinese who are attracted to Euorpean style buildings. If you've been there, you would notice large percentage of the owners are Europeans and Americans and they love it. The developers want to make it as authentic as possible because they don't want "Chinese fortunate cookies" or "French fries".
I wonder if Communism is practiced in these Western Towns, or if the chinese are still as barbaric as always. I wonder if they have families that are allowed to have a family size of their own choosing.
Wow, racists and brainwashed, do your research.
Having run businesses and worked for both USA and China companies, traveling in and out of China for 25-years; and, having lived in both Shenzhen and Shanghai for 2-plus years each at a stretch, I've seen all sides of this issue first-hand. The story here is mostly that the prevailing anti-China bias in mid-America is woefully shortsighted and misinformed on many core points. International travel widely available to China citizens — only needing to show some valid purpose for the trip (along with financial capability) to obtain a passport. As for sub-standard this or that, when China builds infrastructure they do so with the plan of it lasting forever. Their major roadways are world-standard quality. City services and utilities, also... There is still a major disparity in income between the coastal industrial areas and the interior agricultural areas, but that gap is closing. People on the street are generally happy, well fed, well cared for with health services, and are gainfully employed. The snapshots that the USA media provides tend to be of isolated moments, odd situations, unusual problems, not of the vast swath of day to day reality that is actually today's China.
In short, there's a whale of a lot of blind bigotry and being aimed wrongly at China by many less-than-informed Americans.
Is China an idyllic island of perfection in a global sea of chaos? Absolutely not. Is the heinous nest of nefarious cretins and bullies running a totalitarian gulag that so many here wish for us to believe in the USA? No way. Is the population there hopeful and optimistic and progressively improving their lives within the system in place there? Yes. Absolutely.
it's not the Chinese we don't like, it's the China we don't. It's communist. And in america, freedom means more than a person that smiles because they aren't allowed to disagree with their government. None of us know which Chinese are secretly unhappy under the smile. Because those people are taken to Prison in China for disagreeing with the Government.
Definition of Communisum:
Medicare/Medicade(Healthy people pay for the unhealthy): US 1 China 0
Public School district (people without kids pay for people with kids through property taxes): US 2 China 0
Top 1% population pay for 40% taxes while 50% don't pay taxes at all: US 3 China 0
Unemployement benefit (those with jobs pay for those without jobs): US 4 China 0
Read some books, better yet, try to get a high school diploma. Chinese are not as sad you think.
Someone said that Americans had copied Portofino, Italy with Portofino Bay, Florida. No. The American version is just a facade at a theme park. That is like claiming that the New York hotel in Vegas is an exact copy of New York City.
I agree I think there would be more tourists to go to China to see something besides the skyline of Shanghai. Think about the top attraction in China (the Great Wall), they need to replicate ancient china, and people will flock. You can get skyscrapers in NYC. If you want London, go to London. If you want Rome, go to Rome. etc.... Sure they may be able to replicate the buildings, but not the flavor of being in the actual place.
It is a good thing they emulate us, as they incorporate more foreign culture they will have no choice but be changed by it. Openess is good, if they were closing their doors or being xenophobic that would be a problem. Let change course through their system for a few generations and they will come around. Hong Kong was the forunner to a new China.
IS THIS EVEN NEWS???? THEY'RE DOING THIS TO SELL, IT'S THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS, SOME RANDOM COMPANY EVEN SAID THAT THEIR REAL ESTATE WAS ON AN EMPEROR'S GRAVE.
&&&& THERE ARE TONS OF ANCIENT CITIES, REAL AND REPLICA IN CHINA, GO TO XI AN.
&&&& DID THE AUTHOR GO THO CHINA OR A CHINA TOWN IN THE US? =.= MY GUESS IS THE LATTER CONSIDERING HIS LAST SENTENCE.
BTW: DO YOUR RESEARCH, Please !!!
This is a good start. Then they should replicate the three branches of government and multi-party political system, and free elections. But I forgot, they already HAD that.
Just like Hollywood, the towns are just replicas, the people are still the same.
@L. Tran- hahahah good one dude, thanks for bringing the 'haha'. Yeah, according to the Chinese its all about the peaceful rise, just disregard the aircraft carrier, the West Phillippine sea issue and invading Vietnam's turf. they are really really peaceful people.
@A Chinese- top 3000 families on China own 60% of the wealth. 80-90% of all Chinese billionaires are family members of or party members themselves. 90% of major cities have polluted ground water and Beijing does not even measure the most harmful pollutants in the air, yet China has about 16 of the 20 most highly polluted cities in the world. 79% if China's rural workers are uninsured. One of China's Nobel Prize winner is in jail for writing a paper (Liu Xiaobo). 60% of Chinese cannot afford a hospital visit.
I am not Chinese but i have lived here for ten years, I dont need books. The reality of China is beyond disturbing. With a corrupt government and lax to non-existent laws, the place is a mess. Corruption in the 3 Gorges dam project, high speed rail (Beijing to Shanghai and others), and houses which the Chinese government admits have a life of 30 years compared to 130 in England and over 70 in the USA. This is the reality of China. Cut and paste the individual facts for verification.
@seng chen teh- agree
@Jack Campbell- You are misinformed, you said "International travel widely available to China citizens — only needing to show some valid purpose for the trip. travel for Chinese is not as easy as you say. My company is a large multi-national and we battle to get them travel permits all the time. It depends on their history, how much cash they have etc.
As for your comment on China building things to last, you seem less than credible. This is quote from the chinadaily (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2...nt_9687545.htm)
""Every year,.....but our buildings can only stand 25 to 30 years on average," Qiu Baoxing,
What China are you referring to?
CNN, if your employees leave the comfort of 4,5 star hotels, they will have no problem finding traditional villages in China.
Of course, your employees also need to sacrifice the comfort of luxurious cars for travel.
环境改变人,你们只是生活在一个物质比较发达的国家,如果当你们生在中国,以你们的人生观在中国就只能饿死而已,说大话谁不会,还对别人品头论足
At this point in time China seems to lack the ability to innovate. They lack creativity and that is one of the reasons why they copy and steal from everyone else. It is not because the people do not have the ability to be creative, it has most to do with the government. They have squelched their people from free thinking for so long it's going to take time for them to get back what alot of the rest of the world already has. China has adopted Capitalism (their interpretation of it) and the western way of doing business. Now, hopefully they will do the same with Democracy. If they do, the people will be much more free. They will not be living in a censored state and be able to think and act much more freely. I believe this will lead to more creativity and more innovation for the world. If China would become democratic, it would be highly unlikely for any Western country or any other democracy to end up at war with China. Generally speaking, democracies do not war with each other.
Really a shame for China!
While some many people are in poverty, so many people can't afford a house , educatiion and health care; These crazy and greedy buracrat and rich people are playing with copying western towns in China.
What a shame!
I heard a bridge collaped 4 years ago in minnesota. Hymmm that,s interesting. I thought only the americans make quality stuff. Actually the 3 gorges dam that is supposed to be collapsing was able to hold back a huge flood caused by massive rainfall recently.
its great really but still their govt sucks and stells jobs .
made in china still sucks.
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