Titanic simulator to be built at Chinese theme park

A life-sized replica of the Titanic is soon to become the centerpiece of a Chinese theme park. With a price tag of 1 billion Yuan (£101 million) and an opening date of 2016, the replica will stand 930 miles from the nearest ocean in the central province of Sichuan.

Su Shaojun, chief executive of the Seven Star Energy Investment Group that funded the project commented, "We think it's worth spreading the spirit of the Titanic. The universal love and sense of responsibility shown during the Titanic shipwreck represents the spiritual richness of human civilisation."

"When the ship hits the iceberg, it will shake, it will tumble," Su said. "We will let people experience water coming in by using sound and light effects ... They will think, 'The water will drown me, I must escape with my life'."

Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in the blockbuster film, flew to Hong Kong to show his support for the Chinese replica, dismissing suggestions that building a theme park based on a tragedy was inappropriate.

"It's been approached in a very delicate and a very sensitive way and they're very aware of the extent of the disaster in 1912," he said.

 "I don't think it will belittle that disaster."