No Sir, I Am Not Please About This!

I know that the Chinese have a thousand year plan for the rest of us but does it need to include stupid ideas like this? Now I might be biased because Hallstatt is one of my favorite places on the planet. Building an exact replica seems a bit redundant to me. Why not just get on a plane if you want to see something cool? Is there nothing left in China for their people to see?

Do they like the place but hate that it has too many Austrians in it? THAT'S THE APPEAL OF THE PLACE!!! Travelling to a different country is as an important experience as the place itself. All the signs in the replica will be in Chinese too, right? I know the Chinese government doesn't want their people interacting with the rest of the world but this is ridiculous. I don't want to know where they get the painted skulls because you don't make a fake Hallstatt without including their most famous attraction.

A Chinese metals and mining company has invested nearly 1 billion dollars into replicating an entire Austrian scenic village just an hour away from Huizhou city, in subtropical southern China.
Nestled deep in the breathtaking Northern Limestone Alps, the village of Hallstatt is one of Austria’s most popular tourist attractions. Featuring a rich culture and history dating back to prehistoric times, and gorgeous natural surroundings, this unique piece of heaven draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Did I say unique? I meant once unique, because Chinese company China Minmetals Corporation has recently completed a replica of the iconic Austrian village in a scenic location, close to the city of Huizhou. The cost of this knock-off project was around $940 million. The Chinese have always been known for their skill in creating knock-offs, from designer clothes to smartphones, and fueled by China’s economic growth, their projects are becoming even more ambitious. They started out by copying iconic landmarks from around the world, then they moved to whole districts inspired by western civilization and now they’re building replicas of entire settlements. I’m betting they’ll be replicating entire countries pretty soon.



Although it has exact replicas of Hallstatt’s church clock tower, and several private houses, as well as Disney-like photo spots, this Chinese knock-off isn’t nearly as popular as the original. In 2005 it had only 50 visitors, and while that figure has risen to around 2,500 in recent years, it’s still not even close to the number of people who visit the Austrian settlement every year. Ironically, more Chinese

If you want to REALLY depress yourself, look for pictures of abandoned attractions and malls in China. They seem to have the money to build these now haunted places but no one seems to put any thought into how the people will use the structures once they are completed. I live in a town that is very well planned and set up, especially since our population has doubled in the past twenty years, so it's hard for me to let ideas like this slide without comment.