Get an Eiffel of this fake!
QUESTION Are the Chinese building a replica of Stratford-upon-Avon? THERE is a history of building mock European cities in China.
The original and most famous was a replica of Paris in Tianducheng, a suburb of Hangzhou city.
It comes complete with French neoclassical style buildings and an Eiffel tower onethird the size of the original.
In Huizhou, Guangdong province, is a clone of Hallstatt, an UNESCO World Heritage site in Austria, and a district inspired by the German town of Hanover has been built in the city of Changde in Hunan province.
There are also German, Italian and Dutch quarters in Shanghai.
Construction of a replica Stratford-upon-Avon near Fuzhou in Jiangxi province is expected to begin next year after a contract was signed with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
It will, in fact, commemorate three great writers who died in 1616.
Sanweng — which means Three Masters — will also honour Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote the novel Don Quixote, and Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu, the Shakespeare of the East, who was born in Fuzhou.
Ironically, it could be argued that Sanweng may be more ‘authentic’ than the real Stratford.
The architects plan to recreate New Place, Shakespeare’s home for 19 years until his death, which was demolished by the Reverend Francis Gastrell in 1759.
He bought the house in 1753, but was irritated with people wanting to see it and in a fit of pique had it torn down. Only the foundations remain.
A garden with sculptures inspired by Shakespeare’s life and work was unveiled on the site in 2016. The Chinese replica will be based on records held by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Colin Dunne, Warwick.
QUESTION How much ash does a cremated body produce? What proportion of the total is the coffin?
I WORK at a crematorium in Norfolk. The coffin, which has to be made of combustible material, and the body are placed in a cremator. The initial temperature is 850c, which reduces the coffin to ash in 20 minutes. The heat is raised to 1,300c and the cremation takes one and a half hours to complete.
A technician then removes any foreign objects, such as artificial body parts and watches, and uses a magnet to extract the nails that held the coffin together.
The remains are then put into a cremulator, which grinds them into fine ashes, which are given to the relatives. There is only a small residue of the coffin left in the ashes, which can weigh between 2lb and 6lb.
I can assure you that you receive only your relative’s ashes. All our cremations are carried out with respect and dignity.
Robin D. Smith, Norwich, Norfolk.
QUESTION What invasive plant bothers the Japanese?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, it’s not just plants that bother the Japanese. There are many invasive animal species.
The most notorious is the Asian mongoose, brought to Okinawa from India in 1910 to exterminate the deadly habu snake.
However, rather than eating the snakes, the mongoose went after the rare Amami rabbit and Amami tipnosed frog, threatening them with extinction. The Amami rabbit is one of the most distinct yet endangered mammals in the world.
In Wakayama and Aomori, Taiwanese macaques have hybridised with native Japanese macaques.
In Tokyo and Chiba, snapping turtles, unwanted pets released into the wild by their owners, attack and eat native freshwater animals.
The caterpillars of the fall webworm moth devastate native trees, while rednecked longhorn beetles are threatening Japan’s treasured cherry blossom trees.
Cane toads, notorious as one of the worst invasive species in Australia, are also found on Okinawa and Ogasawara.
Marina Wright, Pangbourne, Berks.
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