Venice of the East? Replica of canal city latest architectural fake to be built in China

Developers are building a tourist resort in northern China based on the Italian city of Venice, along with canals and gondolas to ferry visitors around, a newspaper reported.

The complex in the coastal city of Dalian in Liaoning province is costing 5 billion yuan (HK$6 billion) and is due to open next May, the Huashang Daily reported.

The attraction will cover 400,000 square metres and feature more than 200 "European-style buildings" dotted along 4km of canals, the newspaper said.

About a quarter of the canals have been built so far and the project has been partially opened to the public for a brief period.

Replicas of famous buildings and landmarks around the world are nothing new to China.