You’ve read about European and American neighborhoods and villages recreated in China, but this one takes the cake: a full-size replica of the Titanic, berthed in an amusement park in Sichuan.
And it’s no cheap mock-up—it’s actually being built by China Shipbuilding Industry for its owner, Seven Star Energy Group. The cost: about $164 million. The park, and presumably the Titanic, are scheduled to open by October 2016. There’s apparently a market for it; the James Cameron film Titanic was a huge hit—the highest-grossing film in China for more than a decade.
I’m sure there is…they’re proud of their shipbuilding industry.
There’s also a “Made-in-Britain” objection to one aspect of the project. It seems the new Titanic comes with a shake-and-rumble-and-flashing-lights simulator to give the feeling of hitting an iceberg and give visitors a fear they are drowning. Some descendants of Titanic passengers have objected (MORE). Su Shaojun, head of the group behind the project, said the aim was to “spread the spirit of the Titanic.”
I wonder if there’s a “made in China” label on this boat?