Inside China's mini-Paris: Town built to look just like French capital complete with its own Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysées

Tianducheng development designed to look just like the French capital



But it has been labelled a 'ghost town' because fewer people than expected have moved in




With the Eiffel Tower standing proudly above decorative European buildings, this looks like a magnificent view of the famous French capital.

However, not all is at it seems. Incredibly, this Parisian scene is actually in the middle of China.



The Tianducheng development in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is filled with grand European buildings and wide walkways.

Ornate fountains and statues also line the streets of the town.

Scroll down for video



This is a view of the Tianducheng development in Hangzhou, China. Despite being built as a replica of Paris, the town has not proved popular and is virtually empty

Empty: The Tianducheng development in Hangzhou is designed to accommodate at least 10,000 people but it has instead been labelled as a ghost town

Fierce: A huge thunder storm streaks across the Eiffel Tower replica

Replica: With China's love of all things French, the developers must have thought they were onto a winner when they built Tianducheng

Copy-cat: The town is filled with Parisian houses and, despite being in the middle of China, has a distinct European feel

During its construction in 2007, a replica of the Eiffel Tower standing at 108 metres was even built.



There is also a replica of a fountain from the Luxemburg Gardens in a main square called Champs Elysées.



With China's love of all things French, the developers no doubt expected the town to be a huge success.

But things haven't quite worked out as they would have hoped.

Different: Despite attempting to look like the famous French city, the town is is surrounded by farmland and dirt roads

Quirky: Almost everything about the town has a European edge, such as this fountain

Odd: This image perhaps best demonstrates the confusion at the heart of the town. A farmer tills the surrounding farmland in front of the Eiffel Tower

Looking good: Despite not exactly proving popular, the town does look impressive

Quaint: The Tianducheng development is located in the Zhejiang Province of China . This picture shows a farmer's house

Plush: This resident stands on the balcony of his apartment at the development, admiring the empty streets below







