China: A life-size replica of the Titanic rises from the earth – 20 minutes
No risk of it colliding with an iceberg. Deep in the Chinese countryside, in the middle of fields, a life-size replica of the Titanic began to emerge from the earth. Four cranes overhanging a huge dry dock on the edge of a river and workers are busy around the hull of a giant ship. It will be the flagship attraction of a brand new theme park dedicated to the legendary ocean liner and located in Suining, in the southwest of the country.
Making the replica of the Titanic, the infamous ship that sank more than a century ago in the Atlantic, killing more than 1,500 passengers and crew, is “a very complicated project,” said Su Shaojun, originally of this idea. “You build a ship the size of an aircraft carrier” on land, he explains in his office, in front of a model of the liner.
A 1.2 billion euros project
In Suining, the nearest sea is more than 1,000 kilometers away. But the entrepreneur is convinced: the curious will still make the trip to visit “Titanicland”, its theme park dedicated to the ship. Project cost: 10 billion yuan (1.2 billion euros). The inauguration is scheduled for the end of the year.
The Titanic was in its day the largest cruise ship ever built. Supposed to be unsinkable, it remains synonymous with the greatest disaster in maritime history. Like the original, Su Shaojun’s replica is 260 meters long. It took six years to build it – twice the real Titanic – with a hundred workers and 23,000 tons of steel.
The impression that visitors are really at sea
Everything from the dining room to the luxury cabins and even the door handles is inspired by the original. And for the sake of realism, a real steam engine will give visitors the impression of actually being at sea. “Experts and historians of the Titanic have validated the construction plans,” says Su Shaojun.
Price of a night on a real-fake cruise: around 2,000 yuan (256 euros). For a total change of scenery, tourists will cross the park in a minibus, with the sound background … My heart Will Go On by Céline Dion, soundtrack of the film Titanic with Leonardo Di Caprio.
Great success in China
The film was a huge hit in China when it was released in 1997. The world’s most famous ship recently made headlines again in the country with the release of an unreleased documentary that revealed the stories of six survivors. Chinese shipwreck.
Despite the Chinese interest in this ship, some nevertheless question the viability of the replica. A few years ago, a replica of an American aircraft carrier that had cost 15 million euros to build was abandoned shortly after its inauguration.
2 to 5 million tourists expected per year
Su Shaojun bets on 2 to 5 million tourists per year. And the entrepreneur is counting on a little help. “For the inauguration ceremony, we would like to invite Jack, Rose [les principaux personnages du film] and James Cameron, ”the director, smiles Su Shaojun.
Departing on April 10, 1912 from Southampton (southern United Kingdom) to reach New York, the Titanic was wrecked after hitting an iceberg off the coast of Canada. The wreckage of the ship, which was not discovered until 1985, lies at a depth of 4,000 meters.