Chinese hill painted white in botched attempt to mimic Mount Fuji sparks laughter
A tourist spot in China has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after painting a small hill white to look like Japan's famous Mount Fuji, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
Located in Hebei province, the attraction called Universe Fantasy Land has drawn widespread laughter online. The white-topped hill, nicknamed the 'snow cap matcha volcano' by some, charges visitors 98 yuan (around £11), with a discounted online price of 78 yuan.
The site was designed as a fairy-tale escape for stressed-out city residents from Beijing. It includes a shiny lake, green grass, a white horse, and a cute wooden cottage, all meant to give a relaxing countryside feel, according to SCMP.
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
But visitors quickly realised the 'mountain' was nothing more than a painted hill. 'Just a small hill with white paint on its top. It has nothing to do with Mount Fuji,' one tourist told SCMP. Another visitor added, 'You don't have to pay to see the real Mount Fuji, but here you're paying for a fake one.'
The management team, from Linqigu Real Estate Company, even referred to the hill as a 'volcano', adding weekend 'eruptions' with pink smoke for effect. A staff member told SCMP in April that the site has been improved since its opening in September last year.
Photos shared online show a staircase and a small door at the back of the hill, and a white horse is brought out for photo ops once a day.
Despite the magical marketing, many tourists felt misled. 'Just another case of people being tricked by glamorous photos,' said one visitor.
This is not the first time Hebei province has recreated famous landmarks. In the past, it has built replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Sphinx, and even parts of the Great Wall.
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