First published 2013
Bianca Bosker investigates China's massive construction projects that recreate Western cities and towns. Developers build complete replicas of European and American places across China. A 108-meter Eiffel Tower stands in Hangzhou. Chengdu houses a copy of Dorchester, England designed for 200,000 residents. Shanghai features Thames Town with English pubs and Churchill statues. White House replicas appear in cities from Fuyang to Shenzhen. Bosker calls this phenomenon "duplitecture." These are not tourist attractions but actual neighborhoods where Chinese families live their daily lives. The author examines how these copied environments influence residents' behavior and reflect the aspirations of both inhabitants and developers. She interviews residents and consults leading architects, critics, and urban planners. The book traces the cultural and economic forces driving this architectural movement, from traditional Chinese attitudes toward copying to modern market pressures that fuel this unprecedented building boom.
Genres: china, non-fiction, 21st-century, architecture, cultural-studies
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Chengdu, Dorchester, Eiffel Tower, England, Europe, Fuyang, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Thames Town, United States, Western
Period: 21st-century
176 pages · Paperback · University of Hawaii Press