‘Thames Town’, is a town in China that is replica of perceived UK architecture. It naturally includes an iconic red box. Frankie Boyle, in ‘New World Order’, noted that to make it more authentic someone would have to piss in the phonebox. Sad but true.
Cian Oba-Smith explores the phenomenon of Chinese copycat architecture.
Over the last fifteen years, a large number of settlements have been built on the outskirts of cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou in China, to replicate Western metropolises. In one, Venice’s canals are reconstructed between Venetian-style buildings. In another, the Eiffel Tower has been reproduced in the centre of a network of mock Parisian streets. Elsewhere, the Western features are more subtle; the odd red phone box or Roman pillar nestled among Mandarin street signs…
Click through to the British Journal of Photography magazine to see the article.
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Posted in Geography
Tagged architecture, China, urban
Two from Matthew’s visit not so long ago:
These are the last of my older photos that should have been uploaded long ago…
Cairo, Egypt (I think)
Hong Kong
Albufeural, Portugal
