You don't have to travel to France to check out the Eiffel Tower or the Mona Lisa, or the next best thing. China has built a replica of Paris 6,000 miles away from the beautiful city in France. Looking at the photos, an average tourist might find it so similar that it's almost eerie. Recently, French photographer Francois Prost visited the copycat town of Tianducheng and created "Paris Syndrome," a photo series that invites its viewers to compare the two locations.
While researching what it would be like to live in a town based on one of the most iconic cities in the world, Francois came across several places in China that consciously mimic the architecture designs of various European areas. This phenomenon is known as "duplitecture."
Tianducheng is a housing estate in the suburbs of Hangzhou, China. Construction of the town started in 2007 and it was initially developed to accommodate about 10,000 residents. "The monuments look the same, but it’s a totally different context," the Parisian told Wired. "What I like about seeing these side-by-side comparisons is that you're kind of lost. You don’t know which is the original or which is the Chinese knockoff." Scroll down to check out his project and upvote your favorites.
More info: francoisprost.com | Instagram
