China is preparing a life-size replica of the legendary liner

In the far reaches of China, a life-size replica of the Titanic begins to take shape in the middle of the fields, before welcoming tourists to a theme park dedicated to the legendary liner.

At Suining (South West), tower of four cranes around a huge dry warehouse, next to a river. A swarm of workers is activated around the hull of the giant ship.

Work a gigantic replica of the Titanic will be released, the infamous ship that destroyed over a century ago in the Atlantic Ocean, killing more than 1,500 passengers and crew.

“It’s a very complicated project“, says the AFP agency Su Shaojun, creator of the initiative. “We build a big ship like an aircraft carrier“ashore,” Su explains in his office, in front of a replica of the liner.

In Suining, the nearest sea is more than 1,000 kilometers away. But the businessman is convinced that tourists will always come to visit his “Titanicland”, its theme park dedicated to the ship.

The cost of the project is 10 billion yuan (1.2 billion euros, 1.45 billion dollars) and the inauguration is scheduled for the end of the year.

The Titanic was in its day the largest passenger ship ever built. And stories about its passengers continue to emerge, before each piece is found.

This monster, considered unsinkable, suffered what is considered the greatest disaster in maritime history.

Like the original, Su’s replica is 260 meters long. It took six years to build – twice as long as the real Titanic -, around one hundred workers and 23,000 tonnes of steel.

All, from the dining room to the luxury cabins through the door handles, it is inspired by the original.

For more realism, a real steam engine will give visitors the impression of being at sea.

“Experts and historians have corroborated the construction plans“Su said.

The price of youOne night of “cruise” in this replica will be 2000 yuan (256 euros, 310 dollars).

Before getting on board, tourists will cross the park in a minibus, against the backdrop of Celine Dion’s must-see “My heart will continue”, original group of the film “Titanic” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

As in the whole world, the film was a huge hit in China, when it was released in 1997.

Yes the liner returned to front page in China after the release of an unpublished documentary which revealed the story of six Chinese survivors of the shipwreck.

Despite Chinese interest in the Titanic, some question the viability of the replica.

A few years ago a copy of an aircraft carrier American who cost $ 15 million it was abandoned shortly after its inauguration.

Entrepreneur Su is however optimistic and it expects to receive between two and five million tourists each year.

Jack and Kate’s reunion

“For the opening ceremony, we would like to invite Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), Rose (Kate Winslet)”, the two main characters of the film “and James Cameron”, its director, explains Su.

The Titanic, which sailed April 10, 1912 from Southampton (southern UK) to New York, was wrecked after hitting an iceberg off the coast of Canada.

The remains of the ship, discovered in 1985, lie at a depth of 4000 meters.

AFP