A group of Austrians whose scenic mountain village has been copied right down to the statues by a Chinese developer attended yesterday's opening in China for the high-end residential project but were still miffed about how the company did it.

Minmetals Land Inc's replica of Hallstatt, a quaint Austrian alpine hamlet, is located in subtropical southern China.

The original is a centuries-old village of 800 people and a UNESCO heritage site that survives on tourism. The copycat is a housing estate that thrives on China's new rich.

The Chinese Hallstatt features a church spire, a town square ringed by pastel-colored buildings and angel statues, among architectural flourishes that were inspired by the original.

Members of the Hallstatt delegation said they were proud to be copied but also disappointed with the way it was done.

"They should have asked the owners of the hotel and the other buildings if we agree with the idea to rebuild Hallstatt in China, and they did not," hotel owner Monika Wenger said ahead of the opening ceremony.

However, Mayor Alexander Scheutz, who signed a cultural exchange agreement yesterday with the new Hallstatt, said "we are very proud."

People in Hallstatt first learned a year ago of Minmetals' plan when a Chinese guest at Wenger's hotel who was involved with the project inadvertently spilled the beans.

Minmetals Land is the real estate development arm of China Minmetals Corp, China's largest metals trader.

While construction was continuing at the Chinese project, located in Guangdong Province's Huizhou City, about 60 kilometers northeast of Hong Kong, the site was already open to visitors.

But some were questioned why the company felt the need to copy the scenic jewel about 300 kilometers west of Vienna.

"Chinese architecture is very characteristic and stylish," said Zhong Ping, a Huizhou resident.

"Just work on your own style. Why do you have to copy others? Even the flowers are fake."

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