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So this Great Wall thing's the real deal, right?
Forget bootleg iPhones and bogus DVDs. Just when you think China's finally getting serious on the purveyors of dodgy counterfeits comes news that a Hamburg museum may have been duped with a touring exhibition of the Terracotta Army from Xian. 
They thought the assorted statuary was the real deal, but apparently it's not that simple.
(You would have thought the "Made In China" logos were a giveaway but obviously not).
But does it really matter, when scores of satisfied punters have been to the exhibition before this hub-bub of half-truth?
If the real thing was on display, would anyone have known the difference, and is it any different from the cosmetic surgery applied to historical sites like Angkor Wat or Knossos in Crete?
Your starter for ten: "Exactly what does authentic mean when it comes to travel?"
Thanks to mick y on Flickr for the pic (I'm pretty sure these ones are the real thing).
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Asia, Europe, China, Germany
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
karen Dec 14th 2007 9:51AM
A very tricky question, Brett. Although my website, Europe a la Carte aims to help you" venture, even slightly, off the beaten track to get a more authentic experience during your trip to Europe". Yet I do appreciate that it's hard to do little more than scratch the surface of authenticity during a short trip. It's a start if you visit a less well known destination, stay in smaller family run hotel or B&B and eat where the locals go rather than stay in a must see destination, with more visitors than residents, in accommodation that's part of a multi national chain, only mingle with other tourists, going on guided tours and frequenting guide book recommended restaurants.