China is building a life-sized replica of the Titanic

Last week, officials of a small county in China’s Sichuan province attended the keel-laying ceremony of a full-scale recreation of the world’s most famous sunken luxury steamship: The Titanic.

Funded by Qixing Energy Investment, the $145 million replica is destined to be a unique tourist draw as the world’s first full-size reproduction of the doomed ship (the one in the 1997 film was built at 90 percent scale.) Tickets to stay in the enormous vessel went on sale way back in 2005 for about $435 a night.

For an even more princely price, visitors will be treated to a recreation of the sumptuous luxury of the Titanic’s first-class decks as they were back in 1912, before the “unsinkable” ship collided with an iceberg on its maiden voyage and went down in the North Atlantic Ocean, killing some 1,503 passengers and crew.

For those fearing a repeat of the original disaster, rest assured. The Chinese replica won’t ever get to leave port. Rather, the boat will be permanently installed in a reservoir on the Qijiang River as part of a theme park.

But this is no flimsy film set. Qixing workers have spent years tracking down original blueprints and design plans for the ship so they can recreate every detail both inside and out.

Via: GCR