11 examples of China making large-scale knock-offs of world-famous buildings

China's construction boom has been one of the biggest drivers of economic growth in the past few years.

And although most of that has been original infrastructure, China also focused its attention on building replicas of world-famous tourist destinations.

Many of the original "world wonders" are considered cultural status symbols that reflected an empire's soft power. Consequently, some analysts believe that it's about more than just pretty tourist spots for China.

"The ancient parallels for these copycat projects suggest that they are not mere follies, but monumental assertions of China’s global primacy," Oxford University scholar and archaeologist Jack Carlson wrote a few years back.

A nearly full-scale copy of the Great Sphinx of Giza, which was built by the ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom circa 2500 BC, is now standing at an unfinished theme park in Chuzhou, Anhui province in China.

Source: Sacred Destinations

In the Beijing World Park, there are replicas of the Washington DC's White House and Lincoln Memorial, as well as New York's Statue of Liberty.

Source: China Guide

Other fun things you can find in the Beijing World Park include the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In total, there are over 100 world famous attractions in the park.