CHICAGO — If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, China has been flattering the heck out of the rest of the world for quite awhile now.
Most recently, the country unveiled a sculpture that bears a certain resemblance to Chicago's "Bean" (or Cloud Gate, if you want to be all technical). It is a "sculpture in [the] shape of [an] oil bubble" to mark the first oil well in the city of Karamay, according to the People's Daily, the official publication of the Chinese Communist Party.
Anish Kapoor, who designed Cloud Gate, said in a statement that "the Chinese authorities must act to stop this kind of infringement" and threatened to take legal action, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Ma Jun, a construction official from Karamay's Tourism Bureau, maintains that the project is original, according to The Wall Street Journal. Anyone who has seen the two sculptures side by side would likely argue that point, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel wasn't perturbed, saying "imitation is the greatest form of flattery," according to the Sun-Times.
It's not the first time Chinese officials, artists or cities have been accused of being copycats (and it's not like China is the only country that copies landmarks — there's an Eiffel Tower in Vegas, after all).
So, what else has China, um, flattered the world with? Here's a nonexhaustive list:
There's a fake Disneyland outside Beijing
There's something familiar about this castle ... [Wikimedia Commons]
You can find a theme park — the Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park — with allusions to Disney, Shrek, Looney Tunes and other American figures on the outskirts of Beijing.
The resemblance used to be closer, but the park's owners started removing or changing characters and decorations after they came under fire from Disney, according to China Daily.
China has its own version of Paris
Maybe it'll be just as good as the real thing ...? [Flickr/Bricoleurbanism]
If Paris isn't to your taste, maybe you'll like ... China's version of Paris (called Tianducheng). The development — which is situated in Hangzhou — features architecture, landscaping and landmarks meant to mimic Paris' and was to house 10,000 people, but it's pretty empty.
At least that means there won't be a line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
... and its own version of Hallstatt, Austria
Hallstatt, Austria, should be very flattered. [Flickr/Photongatherer]
OK, Paris isn't the only city to be remade in China. The province of Guangdong also has its own version of Hallstatt, Austria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its scenery and historical architecture.
Let's get this out of the way now: A lot of towns are copied
China also has versions of Manhattan; Sigtuna, Sweden; and Interlaken, Switzerland. There are also whole towns that use historically English, Italian and Dutch architectural elements.
These towns are in various states of completion and occupation.
Chinese PR people copied Hong Kong's Rubber Duck
To be fair, who wouldn't want to have an enormous rubber duck? [Flickr/Bobby Bradley]
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's 54-foot-tall Rubber Ducks were displayed in cities throughout China, including Hong Kong. After that, replicas popped up all over the country as part of publicity stunts, according to Kotaku.
There are theme parks dedicated to replicated landmarks
Pictured: Not Paris. [Flickr/Cory Doctorow]
The Window of the World theme park in Shenzhen lets attendees walk between the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House and White House. That would normally be pretty difficult since a few oceans separate those landmarks. The replicas are of various scales.
Beijing World Park, built in a similar vein to the Window of the World, also has the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Great Sphinx.
(To be fair, this doesn't seem too different from attractions you can find in Las Vegas or Walt Disney World's Epcot.)
China has its own Easter Island statues
I wasn't expecting to see you here. [Flickr/Jed Record]
Smaller versions of the moai sculptures of Easter Island are just casually situated among the skyscrapers of Beijing.
China is so dedicated to replicas that it even builds destroyed landmarks
It's brand new but looks like it's 1,945 years old. [Flickr/Photocapy]
The Macau Fisherman's Wharf has its own Colosseum. The builders were so dedicated to being accurate that they even built the landmark in a partially destroyed state, just like you can see in Italy.
Suzhou loves replicas
This is the real Tower Bridge. [Flickr/Martin Talbot]
The city of Suzhou has more than 50 bridges that are replicas of other, more famous bridges, according to the Guardian, as well as villages that use Dutch and Venetian styles.
Tower Bridge? They got it. Sydney Harbor Bridge? Yep. Why even leave the city?
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