# Chinese secretly copy Austrian town



## briker (Aug 21, 2008)

Chinese secretly copy Austrian town:lol:
2012-06-04 


A Chinese construction company has built a replica of the Austrian village, Hallstatt, without residents' permission. Take a look at the original and its doppelganger. 

A group of Austrians whose scenic mountain village has been copied down to the statues by a Chinese developer attended Saturday's opening in China for the high-end residential project but were still miffed about how the company did it.

Minmetals Land Inc.'s replica of Hallstatt, a quaint Austrian alpine hamlet, is located in subtropical southern China.

The original is a centuries-old village of 900 and a UNESCO heritage site that survives on tourism. The copycat is a housing estate that thrives on China's new rich. In a China famous for pirated products, the replica Hallstatt sets a new standard.

The Chinese Hallstatt features a church spire, a town square ringed by pastel-colored buildings and angel statues. They're among architectural flourishes inspired by the original, a centuries-old village of 900.

Members of the Hallstatt delegation said they were proud to be copied but also disappointed with the way it was done.

"They should have asked the owners of the hotel and the other buildings if we agree with the idea to rebuild Hallstatt in China, and they did not," hotel owner Monika Wenger said ahead of the opening ceremony. "And that was a big problem we had with this project here."

People in Hallstatt first learned a year ago of Minmetals' plan when a Chinese guest at Wenger's hotel who was involved with the project inadvertently spilled the beans. Minmetals staff had been taking photos and gathering data while mingling with tourists, raising suspicions among villagers.
Minmetals Land is the real estate development arm of China Minmetals Corp., China's largest metals trader.

Wenger said she was "disappointed" the company didn't ask permission.

Mayor Alexander Scheutz, who signed a cultural exchange agreement Saturday with the new Hallstatt, was more diplomatic, saying "we are very proud."

While construction was continuing at the Chinese project, in Guangdong province's Huizhou city, about 60 kilometers (100 miles) from Hong Kong, the site was already open to visitors.

But some were skeptical the copycat version would ever match the beauty of the original, a scenic jewel with hill-hugging chalets, elegant church spires and ancient inns all reflected in the deep still waters of an Alpine lake

"Chinese architecture is very characteristic and stylish," said Zhong Ping, a Huizhou resident. "Just work on your own style. Why do you have to copy others? Even the flowers are fake, I can tell they are fake at first glance."

- SAPA








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## briker (Aug 21, 2008)




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## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

Creepy. It still doesn't make me want to visit China, though.


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

You just have to be alert on those yellow fever all the time I guess. :lol:


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## italiano_pellicano (Feb 22, 2010)

wow amazing


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## briker (Aug 21, 2008)

This is a new low for the chinese. Besides, it still wont feel like Austria since it is in the humid sub tropics..


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

what the...I wonder what would they be copying next.


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## 24days (Sep 17, 2010)

Surreptitiously copying a village from a foreign culture-country-continent, a village which has a history parallel to yours, inhabited by people who have a foreign culture than yours, and turn it into a tourist attraction of your own country, i think it's a theft, a lack of respect, lack of common sense and honor, and mostly a frustration hno:
They could have done something similar to that Austrian village but using Chinese architecture (which is a very beautiful architecture) creating something unique, original.


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## italiano_pellicano (Feb 22, 2010)

yes is a lack of respect


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Why would permission be needed to build a replica of the town anyway? Do they have copyright ownership? Did they patent the designs? Would Western people need to seek China's permission to build Chinese gardens and Chinese-style architecture in their cities?


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## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

Above all, what does 'secretly' means?


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