A proposed Chinese theme park has started to build a full-sized replica of the Titanic so tourists can experience over and over again the moment which led to the deaths of 1,500 people – a project endorsed by New Labour minister Peter Mandelson.

Construction of the ship began on Wednesday with celebratory fireworks to mark the occasion, according to Reuters.

It was commissioned by Star Energy Investment Group, whose CEO, Su Shaojun, reportedly compared the opening of a theme park based around the sinking of the ship with children’s animated films:

“It's not like a certain country owns this thing. Just like the US can make 'Kung Fu Panda' and that's very common. Same with 'Mulan'.”

He added the Titanic represented something of “universal value”.

Reuters said the replica "will eventually come with a simulation of the iceberg collision that sank the original ship in the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912."

The planned Titanic resort will be located on the Qijiang River in Sichuan’s Daying County, which is about 500 miles due north of Vietnam and located in the middle of China. The ship will be based in a dedicated reservoir just off the river, according to reports, and will have her full interior faithfully recreated by a shipyard specialising in the construction of nuclear submarines.

The construction of the fake Titanic was originally revealed in 2014. The Mail Online, through its “content partnership” with Chinese state newspaper the People’s Daily, reported details of the ship’s construction and even featured a photo of film actor Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in the James Cameron film about the doomed liner, posing in character with Chinese executives at a press event.

More unbelievably still, former New Labour minister Peter Mandelson made a journey to China at the beginning of this month to promote the grotesque ocean liner death simulator project, as reported by The Guardian, courtesy of various Chinese state-controlled media sources.

“Romantic Mediterranean Seven Star Energy Investment Group has made a very excellent job,” Mandy was quoted as saying, via Google Translate. “All the original function is so incredible, it is a great project.”

The People’s Daily also featured a quote from a Chinese naval classification society. Classification societies are the national bodies which set design standards and rules for commercial shipping construction, suggesting that the Titanic replica will be capable of putting to sea. While this almost certainly will not be under her own power, as her original steam boiler propulsion arrangement has long been rendered obsolete in modern maritime operations, she will certainly float and be capable of being taken under tow. ®