China's tourist attraction creates fake Mount Fuji, sparks criticism: ‘Low-level parody'
A tourist attraction in northern China is making waves on the Internet for faking Japan's iconic Mount Fuji. It was later revealed that it was nothing more than a hilltop covered in white paint to give the impression of snow on the top. The attraction, Universe Fantasy Land, is located in Hebei province and has gone viral.
According to the South China Morning Post, the site charges visitors 98 yuan (Rs 1,138, approximately) for entry, promising an 'enchanting', 'storybook-like escape' from everyday life. Promotional videos for the destination advertised a dreamlike landscape complete with a mountain, a lake, green meadows, a white horse, and a quaint wooden cottage.
One particularly dramatic promo video even showed tourists watching artificial pink smoke puffing from the peak, simulating a volcanic eruption from the fake Fuji.
But once on-site, visitors were met with a small hill with its summit crudely painted white to resemble snow. Social media users quickly began posting videos and photos of the hill, triggering backlash across platforms.
Watch here:
There's a fake Mount Fuji at 宇宙思想乐园 (cosmic thought park) in Linqi Valley (林栖谷), Yongqing County (永清县), Langfang (廊坊), Heibei, near Beijing…
left video: what you see in promo videos
right pics and video: what you actually see there
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/HEPH8o2qL1
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) May 2, 2025
'Low level parody,' a user wrote. 'Everything in China is fake, because the Chinese culture takes great pride in cheating,' another user commented. 'That was clearly the result of some deep thought,' a third user said.
According to SCMP, the incident has reignited criticism over Hebei province's trend of building replicas of world-famous landmarks. In the past, the province has made headlines for constructing imitations of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Sphinx of Giza, and even parts of China's own Great Wall, often attracting both amusement and criticism.
Last week, a Chinese student was rescued, twice in a week, from Mount Fuji, after he returned to the challenging hike to recover his belongings, including his phone. According to the reports, he was first rescued from the Fujinomiya trail, located about 3,000 meters above sea level on the Shizuoka Prefecture side of the mountain, after getting into difficulty. Authorities had to airlift him to safety.
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