Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Chinese fakeaway: How the world's most famous buildings ... are being cloned
The Daily Mail Online ^ | January 9, 2013 | Daniel Miller

Posted on 01/09/2013 6:20:28 AM PST by Uncle Chip

Some of the world's leading architects are up in arms as yet more copies of famous Western buildings spring up across in China at an unprecedented rate.

Famous clones have already included the Ronchamp Chapel in France, the Eiffel Tower in Paris - and the entire town of Hallstatt in Austria.

Now British architect Zaha Hadid said she plans to take legal action after her eye-catching Wangjing Soho development in Beijing appears to have been replicated by what she calls 'pirate architects', in the city of Chongqing.

Hadid had initially appeared relaxed about the idea of look-a-like buildings suggesting it would be 'quite exciting' if the cloned showed innovative mutations of the originals.

However she added: 'It is fine to take from the same well, but not from the same bucket.'

Lawyer Nigel Calvert told the Guardian: 'We will be demanding that the copycats immediately cease construction, change the exterior of the building, offer a public apology and provide compensation.'

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: architecture; china
Copies include an Eiffel Tower in Tianducheng and Thames Town in Shanghai

Replica of the Ronchamp Chapel in France was demolished after outcry

Copy of the Austrian Alpine town of of Hallstatt sprung up in Huizhou city

Tower Bridge of London and New York City being replicated

1 posted on 01/09/2013 6:20:38 AM PST by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
Godzilla needs somethin' to trash after takin' out Japan !
2 posted on 01/09/2013 6:22:13 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
"Tower Bridge of London and New York City being replicated"

There's a Tower Bridge in NYC?!?!?

3 posted on 01/09/2013 6:23:11 AM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

if i can afford it, i’d build and live in a english castle in america.


4 posted on 01/09/2013 6:29:33 AM PST by VAFreedom (maybe i should take a nap before work)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

China has a long history of pirating ideas and things.

It’s not very creative or original. Can they not come up with their own ideas & designs?

Well as they say - imitation is the highest form of flattery.


5 posted on 01/09/2013 6:34:53 AM PST by Babashane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

I am waiting for their copy of Peoria.


6 posted on 01/09/2013 6:37:34 AM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

Making a fake of Detroit would be easy. Build the replica and then let the PLA blast he hell out of it.


7 posted on 01/09/2013 6:39:17 AM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VAFreedom
A catalogue for your perusal:Web
8 posted on 01/09/2013 6:46:00 AM PST by moose07 (the truth will out ,one day. The Edge of the world is Square and water pours over it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

Are they going to sue Los Vegas too?


9 posted on 01/09/2013 6:51:26 AM PST by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Babashane
How hard can it be to pirate the design of a building? Client says, "make it look like this one." Architect says, "ok."

Even if the architect is clueless, he can visit the building already constructed.

10 posted on 01/09/2013 6:58:40 AM PST by 1rudeboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: 1rudeboy

There is a church in Mexico which I visited years ago that has the front facade of a famous church in Europe. The architect used a postcard as his inspiration. The rest of the building is a regular Mexican church. The architect had no idea what the rest of the famous church looked like, so he just went with what he knew. I think this was in San Miguel de Allende.


11 posted on 01/09/2013 7:08:33 AM PST by married21
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Babashane
China has a long history of pirating ideas and things. It’s not very creative or original. Can they not come up with their own ideas & designs?

Actually, China has a much longer history of being the most technologically advanced and innovative nation on earth. From roughly 500 BC to 1600 AD.

For unknown reasons their inventiveness essentially died around 1600 and still hasn't really come back.

Except insofar as there is inventiveness involved in imitation.

12 posted on 01/09/2013 7:14:03 AM PST by Sherman Logan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Joe 6-pack

no the scary part is New York City is being replicated! lol As they say in the Old El Paso commercial “New York City?”


13 posted on 01/09/2013 8:18:39 AM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: yldstrk

I know lol...just poking a little fun at sentence structure :-)


14 posted on 01/09/2013 8:24:00 AM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

Chi-coms don’t offer public apologies nor provide compensation.


15 posted on 01/09/2013 8:39:13 AM PST by Last Dakotan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VAFreedom

That might be nice, if you had a village of serfs to chop your firewood and whatnot for you. You really want to have to do the housekeeping and yardwork in a castle all by yourself?


16 posted on 01/09/2013 3:49:20 PM PST by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson