Explore reading: Chinese architectural replicas Have you ever been to China? Would you like to go there? Why? / Why not? Discuss with a partner. Read the article about architectural replicas in China. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for questions 1–7. Put a cross ( ) in the correct box. The first one (0) has been done for you. 30 a b Business training. From the list of products and services, choose one that appeals to you and put together a 4–5 minute presentation to deliver in class. ■■ merchandising: sweatshirts, scarves, caps to create a corporate identity for your school ■■ services: dog walking, cat or dog sitting during the holidays, rent a chef or a temp, computer maintenance ■■ products: mobile phone, wireless headset, laptop, cosmetics, energy drink 1 Writing guide, How to write a handout, p. 153. Make a leaflet about your product/service. 1 Writing guide, How to write a flyer or a leaflet and a brochure, p. 153. 29 a b Top five replicas of architectural sites in China The last few decades have seen an architectural flowering in China. But a very strange trend is developing throughout the country: replica architecture. The idea is to reproduce more or less exactly the iconic buildings of the world, most often European sights. Given that most Chinese tourists travel within Asia, the architects are trying to replicate some of the world’s attractions in their own country so that people can see them without needing to take long-haul flights. Here are five replicas of famous architectural sites in China. Little Paris – Tianducheng In 2007, a replica of Parisian neighbourhoods was built in the outskirts of Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province. The inhabitants live in the middle of Parisian boulevards overlooking the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees. The residential complex covers 30 km2 and houses tens of thousands of residents. Several years ago, it was thought to be a ghost town by many due to the low number of inhabitants (2,000 in 2013), but the situation has improved since then. Moreover, a metro station is under construction and is expected to start operating in 2021. Tower Bridge – Suzhou Built in 2012 in the Xiangcheng District, right in the middle of the new neighbourhoods that now form the old water city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, an almost identical replica of London’s Tower Bridge seems lost in the middle of a typical Chinese urban setting. The Chinese version isn’t an exact copy and has an upgrade over the original in the British capital. While the London version has a classic two-way road, Suzhou’s version boasts a four-lane highway. The Chinese bridge also has four towers, twice the number of the original. Each tower is 40 meters high and there is an elevator which takes visitors to the top. Hallstatt – Huizhou This pretty little Austrian village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was honoured with an identical replica of all its buildings and its street layout, including the church, in the subtropical province of Guangdong. The Austrians were not particularly enthusiastic about this project, except for Alexander Scheutz, the village’s mayor, who even travelled to the opening ceremony of the replica in 2012. It turned out that the mayor had a good reason to be more positive about the project as the Chinese tourists were amazed by the copy and later on expressed their willingness to visit the Austrian original. Thus, it could be said that the Chinese gave Hallstatt something of a free promotional campaign. 48 Language skills Extras Explore 4 Lost and found Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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