Ali Korsan took a trip to Thames Town, which was built in 2006 in a bid to entice people away from Shanghai, but despite his glowing review he insists it lacks one thing
A tourist claimed China’s £500m “fake British town” would have been proven the perfect replica had it included just one more feature.
Ali Korsan journeyed to the Far East to explore Thames Town, named after the River Thames, which was constructed in 2006 to draw people away from the bustling city of Shanghai, located a mere 30km away. Nestled within Songjiang New City, in the Songjiang District, the town currently houses around 2,500 residents but has space for up to 10,000.
Thames Town boasts architecture lifted straight from classic British designs, complete with its own church, pub, and fish and chip shop. “The Chinese have copied Britain brick-by-brick,” Ali (@alikorsan_) said in his TikTok video. He noted the attention to detail, including the road’s double yellow lines, as he strolled down the street.
“It does feel like you are in Britain, but something just doesn’t feel quite right,” he remarked. The town, created by a Chinese-British citizen, saw half-a-billion pounds poured into its development, with a staggering £125 million spent on importing street lamps alone.
Ali wandered through a cobbled street shopping area, pointing out the local fascination with Carnaby Street. However, he expressed disappointment at a missed opportunity, lamenting: “I don’t really know why they have this shop here when it has no British goods at all – it’s like a lost opportunity I feel.”
He joked the developers did manage to nail the “murky waters” as he highlighted a “spot on” pond in the heart of the town. “You might be interested to know a lot of Chinese people have never seen a church so everyone here is completely gobsmacked,” he soon added, standing before the replica of Christ Church, Clifton Down in Bristol.
“They have fake weddings here, which is quite cute,” he said, before shifting focus once more to a typical Thames Town street. “It does feel like you’re in Central London somewhere,” he observed, pointing out a KFC outlet.
“Surprisingly enough they are still building more houses,” Ali remarked, despite the numerous empty buildings giving parts of the area creating a “ghost town” vibe. “A lot of the places here are named after famous streets,” he noted, mentioning Oxford Street and its Winston Churchill statue.
Another statue, this time “immortalising Harry Potter”, has been erected “should you forget where you are”, concluded Ali. Many Brits were quick to comment on the differences between Thames Town and its UK counterpart. “The bit that’s ‘slightly off’ is too clean and has a survivable economy,” joked one TikTok user.
Another person concurred: “Way too clean and the roads are intact, not very accurate.” A third remarked: “You know it’s not the UK because everything is clean, and there are no clouds.”
While a fourth shared their personal experience: “I went to Thames Town once… such a strange place and so many bridal photos!”
According to Beijing-Visitor.com, Thames Town “acknowledges five hundred years of British architectural styles including Tudor half-timbered buildings, Victorian brick and Regency stone”.
It adds: “Thames Town was planned to provide homes for the staff of the universities at nearby Songjiang University Town – a massive educational hub with nine universities. However, many of the homes on offer were bought as second homes or as investments and not all of the housing is permanently occupied, though an epithet of ‘ghost town’ to describe Thames Town would be a bit harsh.”
