This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

The best knockoffs in the world are in China.

Sure, designer handbags and Rolexes, but also really large-scale imitations like fake

apple stores that are so dead on that employees of the store think they're

working in a real apple store but But beyond just working in knockoffs, many residents of

Chinese suburbs live their lives in replica cities. Venuses with complete canals

and replicas of the Dodges Palace, Parisesaces with Eiffel towers and architriamps.

They're Chrysler buildings, Sydney Opera Houses.

Driving through the suburbs of any city in China,

you will find a plethora of fake Versa, British developments and California

is all bumping up side by side. Just Shanghai itself has 10 cities

all built in the architectural style

of different European countries.

So it's possible to travel from Germany, to Italy,

to London in the course of a few hours provided there's not too much traffic.

Bianca Basker is the author of the book Original Copies, Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China,

and she coined a term for these buildings.

Dupletiture.

Dupletiture refers to this nationwide movement taking place in China whereby people are copying entire cities

and towns from Europe and the United States life size or sometimes even bigger than life size.

These are not theme parks.

Dupletature developments are actually living breathing

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