The beautiful Austrian village of Hallstatt looks like the picture-perfect postcard image of a traditional European town full of gabled homes and historic churches. Now this lovely view can also be found in China where an exact replica of the village has been built as a high-end housing development.

Top Places in China

Leshan, China

Giant Buddha

This Tang Dynasty behemoth is the biggest Buddha in the world.

29.5521, 103.7656

Added by Beth Gherlein

Kunming, China

Shilin Stone Forest

270 million year-old forest of stone.

24.8253, 103.3236

Added by leiris

Shaoguan, China

Danxia Landform

Unique geological formations in China featuring magnificent colors and some suggestive shapes.

25.0183, 113.7502

Added by serflac

See more things to do in China »

Austria’s Hallstatt has a rich history dating back hundreds of years which can be seen in the historic, UNESCO-protected architecture that makes up the small town. However China’s Hallstatt, located in the Guangdong Province, only dates back to 2012, but looks almost just as ancient. The lovely little town was copied by the China Minmetals company who recreated some of the homes, decorations, and even the central church building as part of a novelty housing development for the wealthy who, assumedly, could not get real estates in the real Hallstatt.

Hallstatt, China is the next evolution of the Chinese trend of replicating landmarks from other places in the world. From scale replicas of the Sphinx and the Eiffel Tower to navigable Venetian canals, China has an ever growing number of knock-off wonders, and the recreation of an entire village is simply the grandest yet. 

While the entire village has not been replicated yet, construction on the site continues and one day soon visitors may find themselves a bit turned around as to whether they are in China or Europe.