Nothing beats escaping the hustle and bustle of London by visiting one of the quaint English villages nearby. But what if we told you that this is also possible half the world away? Well, welcome to Thames Town, a surreal slice of England nestled in Chinaspecifically located in Shanghai’s Songjiang District.
From cobbled streets to their very own red telephone boxes, it’s reminiscent of a quant English market townwhile being over 5,700 miles away from London.
Enjoy a slice of home at Shanghai’s Thames Town:
Thames Town is part of Shanghai’s ‘One City, Nine Towns’ initiative, which was a wildly ambitious urban planning project designed to spread out the city’s booming population by creating satellite towns, each with a distinctive international theme. Other countries chosen as inspiration for the project include Spain, Germany, Sweden, and beyond.
Obviously, the English entry transformed into this fascinatingly eerie place, and although it is slightly bizarre, its charm has fascinated both tourists and locals alike, becoming viral online despite the project’s lack of success and reputation as ‘bad urban planning’ by the critics.
The centrepiece of Thames Town is its stunning church, which happens to be an almost too-perfect replica of Christ Church in Clifton Down, Bristol. Wander around and you’ll find yourself surrounded by classic English gardens, public squares, and a waterfront area. There’s even stunning Victorian and Georgian-style architecture dotted all around town for impressive immersion that’s proper British, innit?
The picture-perfect ghost towns of Shanghai:
Thames Town’s story isn’t all picturesque perfection. Originally, this town was intented to be a thriving residential community. However, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
Many of the homes and towns created for the ‘One City, Nine Towns’ initiative remain unoccupied, used only as holiday retreats and quirky days out, usually based on curiosity alone. This has lead to its somewhat eerie ‘ghost town’ vibewith nothing but tourists and the atypical local looking for a bit of fun wondering the semi-empty streets.
This curious addition to places to visit is part of a broader trend in China, Asia, and beyond, of recreating European locales. Another notable example includes Tianducheng in Hangzhou, which boasts a half-sized Eiffel Tower and streets mimicking Paris.
So, whether you’re a Shanghai local and are feeling a little homesick, or want something unique to do on your upcoming trip, hop over to this odd, yet utterly delightful corner of the world where East meets West in the most surreal and literal sense.
