On April 15, 105 years ago, the “unsinkable” Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg, claiming over 1,500 lives. 

In 1994, the classic movie “Titanic” based on the infamous tragedy swept big screens across the world.  

Now, a replica of the ship is being built thousands of kilometers from the sea in the mountainous area of Suining in China’s Sichuan Province. 

According to a report by China National Radio, the ship is taking shape and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, followed by interior decoration. 

The new vessel is not for sailing, but a tourism project including a ballroom, theater, swimming pool, catering and a sightseeing deck. With a total investment of one billion yuan (about 145 million US dollars), the ship is set to open to the public in 2020.

Su Shaojun, chairman of project backer Qixing Energy Investment Group, is excited. “Titanic is only a small part of our plan. We are going to build an artificial beach as well as high-tech games. The whole area can hold 5,000 visitors at a time. There will be spring water, cruises [on a nearby tributary of the Yangtze River], and a recreational village,” Su said.

But as developers are saying full steam ahead, the public have questioned why they are spending millions of dollars on the foreign copycat. After all, China is no stranger to failed wacky tourism schemes like this. 

Su dismissed the criticism, arguing that for the Titanic story’s universal appeal. “I think there is no boundary for good culture. When the Titanic was sinking, women and children were the first to receive a rescue, and the ship crew performed their duties till the end. These are the qualities shared among all human beings.”

Liu Simin, deputy director of the China Society for Futures’ tourism department, said in an era of globalization, culture is cross-border. “Disney is a huge success with the identity of a fairytale castle. The castle is in fact originated from the New Swanstone Castle in Germany, which is not relevant to the US. All cultural and historical resources can be recreated regardless of their origin. It depends on whether you have a world-class team to discover new findings, to apply new techniques, and to have abundant capital. ”

However, Professor Kan Ruliang with China Three Gorges University is not optimistic about the project. “It is easy to copy the appearance of foreign relics, but it is hard to make the cultural environment compatible with the Titanic. So there is a risk in future development,” Kan said.

Investor Su Shaojun also noted that the project is purely commercial, with support from business capital and commercial banks. At the same time, as a key project in Sichuan Province, land supplies are also guaranteed.