University Ridiculed for Building $650,000 “Fake Wall Of China”

Photo: China Daily.

Although China has nothing against replicating aspects of Western culture (have you seen their elaborate fake version of Paris?), Wuhan University, an internationally unknown college in central China, is being ridiculed for spending more than $650,000 on copying one of the country’s own national treasures—the Great Wall of China.

The university’s institute of Bio-engineering has come under fire for erecting a “mile-long, four million yuan ‘Fake Wall'”—a project which has been underway since last year and is expected to be completed this September, reports the Telegraph.

Many have taken to the Internet to express their disdain for the tacky imitation of their beloved landmark. “The idea of a university is to educate people and not to build tourist spots,” wrote a user of Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.

“I can’t believe a university has such a low IQ,” snapped another.

Ranked as one of China’s top ten universities, the institution is known for its beautiful and expansive campus, blending both Chinese and Western styles of buildings. Wuhan University is home to around 56,000 students.

A spokesperson for the school, Zhang Chongyang, told the Telegraph that undergraduates would be able to use the “fake wall” structure for their physical exercise classes as well as a space to study Chinese history.

According to Unesco, The Great Wall of China, which was built in 220 BC, has had continuous construction into the 17th century, and stretches some 5,500 miles long, is the world’s largest military structure.

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