sold rapidly, most purchases were by the relatively wealthy, as investments or second homes, and house prices rose to a high level. It was described as "a grotesque, and extremely funny parody of an olde English town seen through Chinese eyes, and built by canny British developers” by Jonathan Glancey. The proportion of owners taking up permanent residence was low, and Business Insider described it as a "virtual ghost town". Nevertheless, in 2012 a similar English-style town was being planned near Beijing. By 2016, the majority of stores and restaurants in Thames Town were empty. Despite its emptiness, the town has been used as a location for wedding photography, with the church and main square often used as a backdrop. See also Jackson Hole, China Europe Street Ju Jun - known as "Orange County, China" Hallstatt (China) References Sources External links "Pubs, privet and parody as China builds little Britain by the Yangtse ", The Guardian, 16 August 2006 "Shanghai surprise ... a new town in ye olde English style", The Guardian, 2 June 2004 "Ye Olde Shanghai", Time, 14 February 2005 Thames Town Documentary Photography series by Dave Wyatt, July 2008 DowntownSongjiang Thames Town review Downtown Songjiang review & photos of Thames Town, October 2011 China–United Kingdom relations Novelty architecture Neighbourhoods of Shanghai Replica constructions in China Songjiang District