The construction of a full-size replica of the Titanic in China is now half complete.
Builders are said to be working around the clock on the £105 million tourist attraction in order to finish the project by the end of the year. Six out of the nine decks of the ship are said to have been built.
The copy of the luxurious passenger ship, which sank in 1912 killing 1,500 people, will be a part of a grand theme park in Sichuan, south-west China, and will be painstakingly reproduced.
The replicated Titanic being built in Suining, south-west China, has been half complete, according to the Chinese media
Six out of the nine decks of the massive ship have been built and the rest of the project is expected to complete by this year
The company behind the impressive project also said that workers are working around the clock in order to hit the target
This photo taken on September 14 shows a Chinese emplyee working at the construction of the full-size replica of the Titanic
Romandisea, the company which builds the replicated ship, had initially planned to introduce a high-tech simulation to let tourists relive the moment when the ship hit the iceberg.
But the investors had to drop the plan after family members of the victims and survivors of the Titanic called the idea ‘upsetting’.
The Chinese Titanic would be an exact replica of the original ship, from the size to the decoration to the menu.
Measuring 269.06 metres (882.7 feet) long and 28.19 metres (92.3 feet) wide, the tourist attraction will be placed 10.54 metres (34.6 feet) into the water and docked permanently on the Daying Qi river in Suining city.
The knock-off cruise liner will be located in the Romantic Mediterranean section of the Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort.
The copy of the luxurious passenger ship, which sank in 1912 after crashing into an iceberg, will be a part of a theme park
When the project was unveiled, the investors planned to introduce a simulation to let tourists relive the moment of the hit
But the company had to scrap the idea earlier this year after family members of the Titanic victims called the idea ‘upsetting’
Ambitious project: The £105 million replica will be permanently docked in the Daying Qi river in Sichuan, south-west China
A spokesperson of the resort said this week that the company is trying to build a wonderland which people around the world could relate to emotionally, according to thetourism authority of Suining.
The spokesperson added that the replica of the ‘massive and legendary ship’ could provide tourists with ‘spiritual satisfaction’. It would also serve as a reminder of how the Titanic passengers helped each other while facing the disaster.
The spokesperson said a Titanic-themed concert would be held in the theme park on September 28, featuring famous Chinese singers.
The replica is scheduled for completion at the end of this year and will open to members of the public in 2019.
The Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort is set to be one of the most impressive theme parks in China.
Su Shaojun, chief executive of the development company said earlier this year: ‘In addition to the Titanic, we also have the world’s largest man-made beach which visitors can go inside regardless of day or night. 365 days a year, it remains at a constant temperature.
‘The man-made space can accommodate four or five thousand tourists. We will have yachts, hot springs and acres of the resort.’
Artist impression of the interior view of the hallway, in the full-scale replica. The idea has been called ‘poor taste’
A first-class cabin will also be replicated. The Titanic is an object of great interest in China following the 1997 film
The families of the victims and survivors have said the replica of the doomed ship doesn’t suit the situation
According to Wang Weiling, deputy manager of the ship building process, the site does not have modern shipbuilding capacity. As a result, the workers have had to develop a reasonable construction plan. The ship is made in parts and will be then pieced together.
The 50,000 tonnes of steel cost some £105 million to build. Back in 1912, the original ship cost around £1.5 million to build, the equivalent to about £33 million today.
According to the information released at the launch ceremony of the replicated Titanic project in 2015, guests who wish to visit the copy will have to pay 3,000 Yuan (£315) a night for a cabin, while more expensive rooms will cost around 100,000 Yuan (£11,251).
In addition, there will be ballroom dancing, pool parties, and Las Vegas style entertainment on the ship to transport guests back to 1912.
Guests will have to pay £315 a night for a cabin on board the ship, while more expensive rooms will cost around £11,251
Exact copy: Every detail from the door handles to light switches will be painstakingly reproduced on the Titanic replica
The ship will be a part of the Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort in Suining, south-west China
DISASTER IN THE ATLANTIC: HOW MORE THAN 1,500 LOST THEIR LIVES WHEN THE TITANIC SUNK
The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage from Southampton on April 15, 1912, five days after it set sail and more than 1,500 people died. The liner had many fans in China after the 1997 film (pictured), featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet
The RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
More than 1,500 people died when the ship, which was carrying 2,224 passengers and crew, sank under the command of Captain Edward Smith.
Some of the wealthiest people in the world were on board, including property tycoon John Jacob Astor IV, great grandson of John Jacob Astor, founder of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim, heir to his family’s mining business, also perished, along with Isidor Straus, the German-born co-owner of Macy’s department store.
The ship was the largest afloat at the time and was designed in such a way that it was meant to be ‘unsinkable’.
It had an on-board gym, libraries, swimming pool and several restaurants and luxury first class cabins.
There were not enough lifeboats on board for all the passengers due to out-of-date maritime safety regulations.
After leaving Southampton on April 10, 1912, Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland before heading to New York.
On April 14, 1912, four days into the crossing, she hit an iceberg at 11:40pm ship’s time.
James Moody was on night watch when the collision happened and took the call from the watchman, asking him ‘What do you see?’ The man responded: ‘Iceberg, dead ahead.’
By 2.20am, with hundreds of people still on board, the ship plunged beneath the waves, taking many, including Moody, with it.
Despite repeated distress calls being sent out and flares launched from the decks, the first rescue ship, the RMS Carpathia, arrived nearly two hours later, pulling more than 700 people from the water.
It was not until 1985 that the wreck of the ship was discovered in two pieces on the ocean floor.