They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but is this taking it a tad bit too far? In the series Paris Syndrome, photographer François Prost introduces us to China’s Tianducheng, a suburb of Hangzhou, where we find an unabashed, life-sized, liveable version of Paris: an entire knockoff city that blows all Chinese knockoffs out of the water.
Prost photographed various landmarks around Tianducheng, documenting the surreal 100-meter high Eiffel Tower, Hausmannian buildings, public statues, and the Versailles-inspired garden, placing them beside their authentic Parisian counterparts. The result is a mind-blowing game of Spot the Difference. Until the subtle clues like the presence of Chinese characters or laundry hanging from windows sink in, you’ll probably find yourself squinting at the image, trying to figure out why it’s slightly off…
Built in 2007, Tianducheng expected to attract droves of potential middle class citizens, but fell to a ghost town status when real estate failed to pick up. The neighborhood was used mostly for wedding photography and curious passers-by. But things may be looking up: the population has reportedly risen to 30,000 inhabitants in 2017, and continues to grow.
See more of Prost’s work here, and follow him on Instagram.
Images © François Prost / with permission