It’s hard for me to put into words the feelings that overwhelmed us when we caught our first view of the Eiffel Tower. At first, there was joy at seeing European architectural landmarks. Then came the shock of seeing hardly anyone on the streets; some of the apartments looked uninhabited.
From a distance, the charming, flower-filled windows are a feast for the eyes; up close, they turn into ugly artificial flowers. It would be refreshing to see the Eiffel Tower if only we could make all those high-rise buildings surrounding it disappear. The little shops are cute, if most of them weren’t empty. The sight of the Haussmann-style buildings is heartwarming, but the Chinese signage looks out of place on them. The stucco and reliefs are beautiful, but the inevitable jumble of clothes hanging to dry spoils the view.
A few specifics about this “Paris”:
The Chinese Eiffel Tower is 108 meters tall and is surrounded by a Parisian-style district—Tianducheng—covering an area of approximately 30 km². It was completed in 2006 and is home to about 10,000 people. What worked on paper didn’t quite work in reality; the area, with its 2,000–3,000 residents, is called a “ghost town.”
It really did feel as if Paris had been evacuated. Perhaps the sight of the working fountains would have softened the negative impressions. We’ll try again in the spring! :-D
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February, 2018