Troll's Puzzle
11-13-2011, 09:43 PM
There was a time, not so long ago, when Chinese wanting to show European guests a good time might have taken them to such historic tourist attractions as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City.
But that wasn't the choice made by Wang Meng, a teacher from the port of Tianjin out to entertain a German colleague and his wife: she decided to take them to Florence instead.
Not the Italian Florence, of course, but its new Chinese cousin, "Florentia Village" that has sprung up in an industrial development zone that ten years ago was a collection of maize fields halfway between Beijing and the old Chinese port city of Tianjin.
Rome wasn't built in a day, but China's little Italy – a sprawling 14-acre complex of colonnades and piazzas that boasts its own faux Colosseum and Grand Canal with gondolas that glide under a Rialto bridge – is a testament to what China can achieve when it really sets the concrete mixers whirring.
Florentia – motto "100pc Luxury Goods, 100pc Discount Heaven" – is a luxury outlet mall retail park, but it isn't just the shopping that attracts Miss Meng and the other 10,000 to 25,000 Chinese who zip down on the bullet train every day to get a little taste of Italia.
"The first impression is that it's so large," says a clearly impressed Miss Meng over the muzak that fills every corner of Florentia, floating eerily to the furthest-flung spot of the car park, "The buildings are spectacular, particularly the Colosseum." Another visitor, Wang Yongzhi, 60, a retired Italian textiles salesman who had never made it to Italy, was so excited he had travelled from Beijing with cameras and tripod to photograph Florentia which was opened in the presence of the Italian ambassador in June.
"It's better than the Italian Embassy building in Beijing," he said, "The architecture here is truly splendid, so I came to enjoy the aspect of the place and take pictures. I'll try to sell them to the tourism websites."
To European taste, Florentia might seem a little gaudy – plastered as it is with photomontages of Michaelangelo's David wearing stonewashed blue jeans and carrying not a slingshot, but a collection of Florentia-branded shopping bags – but in China it is indeed a kind of 'heaven'.
Outside the walls lies the greyness of the real China, with its row upon of concrete houses, overshadowed by the towering chimney of a municipal heating station, while inside, right up to the moment the Grand Canal runs abruptly into an advertising hoarding, lies a world of fantasy.
Everyone – from the peasant lady tending the car park flowerbeds for 55 yuan (GBP5.00) a day, to the local furniture factory owner who just bought a GBP200 Burberry scarf for his wife – agrees the project is "feichang hao" – really splendid.
The shops – Versace, Armani, Prada as well as English classics such as Dunhill and Gieves and Hawkes, proudly displaying their Royal Warrants – offer a version of what China's wealthier tourists crave when they come to Europe on holiday.
It may be true that the only really authentic Italian thing in "Florentia" is the manager of the Bella Vita restaurant - a food and beverages manager from Verona called Samuele Rossi, who settled in Beijing after marrying a Chinese wife – but that is not dampening Chinese enthusiasm.
"People say Chinese want tacky, but it's not true," says Mr Rossi, pointing out that Florentia's Italian developer has 18 similar malls in Europe, "They want authentic European quality, that's why so many richer Chinese are going to Europe. They are just mad for our brands." (he may have added: 'mama mia, that'sa one spicy tiger penis soup! :P)
(original (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8872789/China-builds-replica-of-Italian-town-called-Florentia-Village.html))
http://www.halapic.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/201111/05a99_florence_2047941c.jpg
http://www.italyqw.com/uploadfile/2011/0803/20110803022601869.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02047/poster_2047939c.jpg
I do find it interesting that the Asians express their newfound power by... copying the finer points of European culture. We also know about the copycat german and english towns, etc.
Similar thing with classical music (the boom of asian 'machines' and 'prodigies' recording all classical music out there these days...).
Likewise, it's also interesting that when people are talking about what Europe's (economic) strengths in the future are, 'brand value' is often one of the first things, I.E. our stuff costs more but people will pay it because it's european therefore 'classy' (this is also true of americans, not just asians ;)). I wonder how much longer that will be true though?
and also, it's sad that asians 'celebrate' those points of culture at the same time our cultural scene is so awful and our 'people' so careless about their heritage, building and creating shit, shit everywhere :rolleyes:
But that wasn't the choice made by Wang Meng, a teacher from the port of Tianjin out to entertain a German colleague and his wife: she decided to take them to Florence instead.
Not the Italian Florence, of course, but its new Chinese cousin, "Florentia Village" that has sprung up in an industrial development zone that ten years ago was a collection of maize fields halfway between Beijing and the old Chinese port city of Tianjin.
Rome wasn't built in a day, but China's little Italy – a sprawling 14-acre complex of colonnades and piazzas that boasts its own faux Colosseum and Grand Canal with gondolas that glide under a Rialto bridge – is a testament to what China can achieve when it really sets the concrete mixers whirring.
Florentia – motto "100pc Luxury Goods, 100pc Discount Heaven" – is a luxury outlet mall retail park, but it isn't just the shopping that attracts Miss Meng and the other 10,000 to 25,000 Chinese who zip down on the bullet train every day to get a little taste of Italia.
"The first impression is that it's so large," says a clearly impressed Miss Meng over the muzak that fills every corner of Florentia, floating eerily to the furthest-flung spot of the car park, "The buildings are spectacular, particularly the Colosseum." Another visitor, Wang Yongzhi, 60, a retired Italian textiles salesman who had never made it to Italy, was so excited he had travelled from Beijing with cameras and tripod to photograph Florentia which was opened in the presence of the Italian ambassador in June.
"It's better than the Italian Embassy building in Beijing," he said, "The architecture here is truly splendid, so I came to enjoy the aspect of the place and take pictures. I'll try to sell them to the tourism websites."
To European taste, Florentia might seem a little gaudy – plastered as it is with photomontages of Michaelangelo's David wearing stonewashed blue jeans and carrying not a slingshot, but a collection of Florentia-branded shopping bags – but in China it is indeed a kind of 'heaven'.
Outside the walls lies the greyness of the real China, with its row upon of concrete houses, overshadowed by the towering chimney of a municipal heating station, while inside, right up to the moment the Grand Canal runs abruptly into an advertising hoarding, lies a world of fantasy.
Everyone – from the peasant lady tending the car park flowerbeds for 55 yuan (GBP5.00) a day, to the local furniture factory owner who just bought a GBP200 Burberry scarf for his wife – agrees the project is "feichang hao" – really splendid.
The shops – Versace, Armani, Prada as well as English classics such as Dunhill and Gieves and Hawkes, proudly displaying their Royal Warrants – offer a version of what China's wealthier tourists crave when they come to Europe on holiday.
It may be true that the only really authentic Italian thing in "Florentia" is the manager of the Bella Vita restaurant - a food and beverages manager from Verona called Samuele Rossi, who settled in Beijing after marrying a Chinese wife – but that is not dampening Chinese enthusiasm.
"People say Chinese want tacky, but it's not true," says Mr Rossi, pointing out that Florentia's Italian developer has 18 similar malls in Europe, "They want authentic European quality, that's why so many richer Chinese are going to Europe. They are just mad for our brands." (he may have added: 'mama mia, that'sa one spicy tiger penis soup! :P)
(original (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8872789/China-builds-replica-of-Italian-town-called-Florentia-Village.html))
http://www.halapic.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/201111/05a99_florence_2047941c.jpg
http://www.italyqw.com/uploadfile/2011/0803/20110803022601869.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02047/poster_2047939c.jpg
I do find it interesting that the Asians express their newfound power by... copying the finer points of European culture. We also know about the copycat german and english towns, etc.
Similar thing with classical music (the boom of asian 'machines' and 'prodigies' recording all classical music out there these days...).
Likewise, it's also interesting that when people are talking about what Europe's (economic) strengths in the future are, 'brand value' is often one of the first things, I.E. our stuff costs more but people will pay it because it's european therefore 'classy' (this is also true of americans, not just asians ;)). I wonder how much longer that will be true though?
and also, it's sad that asians 'celebrate' those points of culture at the same time our cultural scene is so awful and our 'people' so careless about their heritage, building and creating shit, shit everywhere :rolleyes: