Replicated Titanic to anchor in mediterranean theme park in China

A Mediterranean theme park starts construction in southwest China's Sichuan Province, on May 30, 2014. [photo/Xinhuanet]

A Mediterranean theme park on Thursday started construction in southwest China, with its centerpieces including a life-sized replica of the Titanic with a simulation of an iceberg collision and a man-made beach like in Truman Show.

The 16-billion RMB ($256 million) model ship and interior man-made beach will be two of the key attractions at the Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort, which will also feature a Venetian church, Turkish baths and what is being called a "6D cinema."

At the groundbreaking ceremony in Daying County, Sichuan province, Su Shaojun, chief executive of the Seven Star Energy Investment Group that funded the project, said it's worth spreading the spirit of the Titanic, adding that "the universal love and sense of responsibility shown during the Titanic shipwreck represent the spiritual richness of human civilization".

"The project aims to be more than a replication of the original ship and the 1997 movie. The simulation will allow several hundred people at a time to feel what the shipwreck was like by using sound and light effects," he said.

On April 15, 1912, the luxurious Titanic sank during its maiden voyage, taking more than 1,500 lives with it.

Just like Truman Show, the themed Park will construct reality of the Mediterranean, including interior man-made beach, man-made wave and a variety of Mediterranean sightseeings like Turkey bath and a Venetian church and European castles.

The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical social science fiction film, acting by Jim Carrey. It chronicles the life of a man who is initially unaware that he is living in constructed reality television show, broadcast around the clock to billions of people across the globe. The park is expected to open in 2016.