China’s incredible abandoned city with its own Eiffel Tower – empty except dark tourists

This abandoned city in was designed to turn into a bustling city, but residents never arrived.

With an aim of looking like , the city was crafted to replicate France but today it is only visited by tourists.

In 2007, a town called Tianducheng, located about two hours west of Shanghai, began construction of a miniature Paris. 

The town was built to support a population of 10,000 and even had its own .

But things did not go as planned and today only a handful of people walk its cobblestone streets.

One of the main reasons the city was not a success is because of its location. The city is in the middle of the rural countryside and is largely cut off from urban connections and public transportation.

There is still time for the city to become more popular and to gain a bigger reputation as a tourist hotspot, or a great place to live – but this is yet to come.

Located on the eastern coast of , the city was meant to evoke classic European charm. The Eiffel tower replica is the second largest replica in the world after the famous one at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Nevada.

Tianducheng first opened its gates more than a decade ago and it still has not taken off despite the time that has passed.

Many of its streets remain empty, its population has grown slowly but it still remains largely empty – and is now an apparent haven for dark tourism.

One group which often visit the city is newlyweds who are hoping to get some unique wedding photos in front of the replica Eiffel tower.

A visitor who saw the structure on Tripadvisor said: “Very surreal to see an Eiffel Tower replica in the middle of . The whole place had a very eerie feel, very few locals about, and zero other tourists. 

“The fake Champs Elysees was also really weird – it was like an abandoned Disneyland or something. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re in Hangzhou, for the sheer novelty of it all, but it is a bit far out of the city.”