Boasting 56 famous replica bridges as well as Venetian- and Dutch-style villages, the Chinese city of Suzhou is the home of ‘duplitecture’. But what’s driving this passion for urban mimicry?

Suzhou’s Tower Bridge is not quite a carbon copy of the London original; it has four towers and no raising mechanism. Photograph: Michael Silk

Suzhou is like many Chinese cities. It has a historic core, including nine Unesco world heritage sites, as well as many beautiful gardens, waterways and temples. And it is experiencing extraordinary rates of urban growth: the Suzhou Industrial Park is a cathedral to consumerism, while the lights at Harmony Times Square illuminate a surrounding urban sprawl littered with construction projects.

But Suzhou has also embarked on another fascinating project: urban mimicry. From Venetian-style “water town” districts to Dutch-style suburban living, Suzhou hosts what journalist Bianca Bosker calls“original copies”: simulations of western landmarks. The city is fast becoming China’s city of clones.

Most amazing of all, perhaps, are the replica bridges. This particular phenomenon is centred in Xiangcheng district, a newly developing area in the city's north-east which is earmarked as a commercial and financial “trade city”.

With 35% of the district covered in water, planners set out to connect its urban archipelago – but rather than use traditional architectural styles (as a water town, Suzhou had already earned the nickname Venice of the East), it was felt that replication would earn more exposure. The result is a sort of museum of world bridges: 56 famous replicas, including spectacular simulations of London's Tower Bridge, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Alexandre Pont III bridge in Paris.

Suzhou's Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of 56 famous replicas in Xiangcheng district, is less than a third of the length of the original. Photograph: Michael Silk

Built by the Suzhou Municipal Engineering Design Institute, rather than foreign designers or consultants, the bridges have been modified from their originals to fit the urban landscape. Tower Bridge boasts four towers rather than two, offers glazed vertical floating walkways to maximise the scenic view, and houses two coffee shops....Continue Reading

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