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Tag: Obscure

Shanghai 1933 Slaughterhouse

Shanghai 1933 Slaughterhouse

In Shanghai’s Hongkou district is a building of such interesting mystique and history that it stands out prominently among the thousands of others in the city. The 1933 Slaughterhouse combines function with intriguing design elements that some describe as eerie and “Escheresque“. The building was designed and used to slaughter and process perhaps millions of animals up to about 1960 when it closed. After some years of abandon and disrepair, the building was resurected in 1998 to become an events…

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Dafen Oil Painting Village, Shenzhen

Dafen Oil Painting Village, Shenzhen

Dafen Oil Painting Village 大芬 specializes in making large numbers of replicas of oil paintings by masters such as Van Gogh, Dalí, da Vinci, and Rembrandt. Almost certainly any replica painting you’ve seen in an office or hotel somewhere came from Dafen Village. It’s estimated that nearly 60% of the worlds oil paintings are produced in Dafen Village[1] thus giving it the name “World’s Art Factory”. In addition to cranking out replicas, artists do their own styles and take commissioned…

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Holland Village – Odd Dutch Town in Shanghai

Holland Village – Odd Dutch Town in Shanghai

Nestled between factories and Shanghai’s Pilot Free-Trade Zone is Holland Village. The place is one of several theme towns in Shanghai wherein developers replicated buildings and styling similar to the real places[1]. Another theme town is Thames Town. which looks remarkably similar to something you’d find in England. In the early 2000s, Shanghai government created a plan to develop nine or so suburban districts and assigned each project a theme. The idea was to expand Shanghai’s urban sprawl and reduce…

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Thames Town Crazy English Town

Thames Town Crazy English Town

The little town known as Thames Town is in the suburbs of Songjiang district just west of Shanghai. The town is a replica of English style architecture and was completed in 2006. It’s named after the Thames River in London. In the town center there are cobblestone streets, Victorian style buildings, pubs, and shops. The most recognized building is a large church that is directly copied from the Christ Church, Clifton Down in Bristol, England. Other buildings such as a…

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