Following hot on the heels of the German-style town discussed in the previous post, we came to 'Amsterdam, China'. Yes, who would have believed it. But here it is...
Yes, that's a real Dutch guy, kids!
This is where it's all gonna be happening!
Treasure Planting!!! OOOOOOHHHHH!!!! I can't wait....
And of course, as always, hold your hand and green your step!
When you have an architect friend visiting, the first request is usually not the typical tourist route. Buildings and new developments seem to be a higher priority. Fortunately, these are things which also fascinate me, as a non-architect.
Around Shanghai, wiser minds than most have decreed that several - 9 I believe - 'imitation towns' shall be built. That is, replica's of other cities or countries in the world. Thames Town is one, a charming English town, as is Amsterdam (featured in the next entry).
But our first stop was New Anting, a Northern German-inspired theme town set to house 8000 families of over 20,000 people in total. Let's see how it plays out. Unfortunately, at present only 200 families have taken the bait - in spite of the town being all-but-completed. Quite a sight to see - a real live ghost town, as if transported straight from Europe! I assure you, you've never experienced anything quite like it. So here it is...
Two imposing, European-styled, unnamed (and seemingly lost) explorer-types welcomed us.
No detail was spared - flawless, tree-lined, newly constructed canals...
Authentic cement posts, pained to look like wood...
Minty-fresh buildings like this one...
Colour-themed areas of town - like this 'red district'...
Wonderful, almost-natural coloured brown stones cemented together alongside the 'river'...
And of course security....
...and more security...
But no cars allowed!! (because cars create ATMOSPHERE and ACTIVITY in a city
- even a 'city' - and we wouldn't want too much of that...
But no less then an utterly compelling vision for the future...
If it wasn't desolate, three kilometres in the middle of nowhere, outside of Anting town (which is itself 30 km outside of Shanghai, though billed as a 'Shanghai suberb'), and of course, soon to be neglected (as soon as the last apartment is sold), I might even be tempted to live there myself...
