'Paris copycat' city 6,000 miles away is 'ghost town' with own Eiffel Tower

If you were to guess a city from the Eiffel Tower alone, you'd probably think it was Paris.

But it turns out that one near-identical city exists almost 6,000 miles away from the iconic French capital - and it's eerily deserted.

Although its wrought-iron lattice tower is almost 70% smaller than the real one, the mystery location also boasts its very own clone of the Neptune Fountain at Versailles and picturesque Champs-Elysee.

Believe it or not, it only hosted an approximate 2,000 residents in 2013, but that didn't stop travel guru Dana (@danawang) from visiting. In a TikTok video, she said: "This is not Paris, this is Tianducheng in China.

"This town lies just on the outskirts of Hangzhou, it's considered a ghost town with only 1,000 to 2,000 residents living here. It has the Eiffel Tower and buildings just like the ones in Paris, but you'll see no tourists, only local residents walking around. Will you go here?"

Built in 2007, this luxury development project was made for tourists who crave the charm of Paris, but can't bear to travel all the way to Europe, according to Hangzhou authorities.

However, Tianducheng is surrounded by industrial cities which are reportedly enveloped in thick clouds of smog - perhaps hinting at why people aren't lining up to be there.

Yet things look set to change as Beijing has heavily invested in the city to enhance its livability. In 2022, a metro station was inaugurated, allowing commuters to travel between Tianducheng and Hangzhou, the capital of China's Zhejiang province.

Unsurprisingly, Dana's video was quick to rack up hundreds of comments on TikTok, with various users chiming in to say that Tianducheng actually looks better than the French city itself. One person joked: "Paris without Parisians? Sign me up," as another added: "Looks better than Paris."

However, one unconvinced viewer said: "Paris without heart."