Construction of a life-size replica of the Titanic has begun at a Mediterranean-themed attraction in China.
The company behind it, Seven Star Energy Investment Group, said it should be completed by late next year.
The copy of the famous, doomed liner will be part of the Romandisea Seven Star*International Cultural Tourism Resort, along the Qijiang River in Sichuan Province's Daying County.*
As well as providing*a feel of what the vessel was like, the attraction*will also provide visitors with a simulation of the original Titanic's collision with an iceberg and subsequent sinking.*
Veteran Hollywood production designer and producer Curtis Schnell, who is working on the project, said it was being done in a "very respectful way", adding that the Titanic was more than "just a ship".
"We're trying to get as close as we can," he said.*
"There are still problems with some things, and we are not building every room in the ship*by any means, but the shell of the ship and the exteriors will be quite accurate and there will be interior rooms to be able to tour, and seen from the standpoint of historical accuracy."*