Paris or China: Can you tell real thing from replica?
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/fake-paris-china/index.html
“We’ll always have Paris,” says Rick in cinematic classic “Casablanca” – but what if Paris was replicated thousands of miles across the globe, in China?
That’s the premise of Tianducheng – an unassuming suburb of the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou that also doubles as a large-scale replica of the French capital.
Parisian photographer Francois Prost traveled to Tianducheng to photograph the town’s recreations of iconic Parisian sights: from the Eiffel Tower to the classic Haussmann buildings and the Gardens of Versailles.
Prost produced an eerie photo series comparing the two locations, called “Paris Syndrome” – inviting the viewer to explore the similarities and differences between these duplicate destinations.
Duplitecture
The buildings in Tianducheng are careful recreations of Parisian sights. Pictured here: Left -- Parisian block replica in Tianducheng, China. Right -- Parisian block in Paris.
“I was interested in this because I’m French, so I found it very funny to pick up […] some cultural heritage from my country, and recreate it there,” he says.
Prost was also inspired by an article by Rosecrans Baldwin, in which the journalist visited all the American towns called Paris – exploring whether people living there felt a connection to their town’s namesake.
In Prost's photos, it's not always easy to ascertain which Paris is "real." Pictured here: Left -- Eiffel Tower pose in Tianducheng, China. Right -- Eiffel Tower pose in Paris.
Wondering what it would be like to live in a town modeled, after one of the most famous cities in the world, he did some research and discovered there are several places in China that have consciously replicated the architectural styles of European countries – a phenomenon known as “duplitecture.”
“I read this and it filtered through my brain somehow,” says Prost.
Further inspiration came from the concept of Stendhal Syndrome, a term coined for when tourists visit a well-known destination and are overwhelmed by incredible works of art. Linked is the concept of “Paris Syndrome” – when expectations of the City of Light don’t match reality.
There are several places in China in which the architectural styles of European countries have been replicated. Pictured here: Left -- replica Versailles, Tianducheng, China. Right -- Versailles.
![<strong>Recreated city:</strong> Tianducheng piqued Prost's interest -- he found it both amusing and fascinating that Paris had been recreated across the world: I was interested in this because I'm French, so I found it very funny to pick up [...] some cultural heritage from my country, and recreate it there, he says. <em>Pictured here: Left -- Parisian block replica in Tianducheng, China. Right -- Parisian block in Paris.</em>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/180130155058-francois-prost-china-block-perspective-3.jpg?q=w_1600,h_900,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_618 "<strong>Recreated city:</strong> Tianducheng piqued Prost's interest -- he found it both amusing and fascinating that Paris had been recreated across the world: I was interested in this because I'm French, so I found it very funny to pick up [...] some cultural heritage from my country, and recreate it there, he says. <em>Pictured here: Left -- Parisian block replica in Tianducheng, China. Right -- Parisian block in Paris.</em>")
