Xinjiang man building an ark to survive Mayan prophecy

If the world truly ends on December 21, 2012 – as predicted by the Mayans – then Lu Zhenghai is running out of time.

The Xinjiang man has spent the past two years building “Lu’s ark”, which he believes will save himself and his family from the predicted flood.

Having spent 1 million yuan (HK$1.23 million) of his savings on the project, Lu said the ark had well exceeded his budget. Now he needs another million yuan to finish building the boat, reported local newspapers.

And he has less than a month left.

Lu’s unfinished boat stands 21.1 metres long with a breadth of 15.5 metres. Her total height, once finished, is estimated to be 5.6 metres. The 540-horsepower ark is designed to displace 140 tonnes.

A science major, Lu worked in construction after serving in the military, said reports.

He lives in an old flat and seems to live a modest life, newspapers say.

The project has drawn mixed reactions online.

“Are the tickets sold out?”, said a netizen on China’s micro-blogging service Sina Weibo.

“What happens when he spends all his money and the end of the world never comes?” said another Weibo user.