China's 'unsinkable' replica of the Titanic to be main attraction at new amusement park

Just in case you'd missed it, what with all the headlines about Brexit and Trump, China is building a full-sized replica of the Titanic - and construction is well underway.

The official Twitter account of The New Titanic posted fresh photos of the project earlier this week. It is being built in the landlocked Chinese province of Sichuan and won't actually set sail, but will instead become the main attraction in a new amusement park. This version really is unsinkable.

Visitors will, however, be able to stroll around replica interiors, including a ballroom, theatre, swimming pool and cabins, indulge in a similar banquet enjoyed on the ill-fated vessel, and take part in themed parties and games. There are even plans for a simulation experience that will give guests an idea of how it felt like for those on board when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic.

Qixing Energy Investment Group first announced the project in 2014, but after long delays it appears the ambitious 296-metres replica may actually be completed. A ceremony to mark the start of construction work took place in December - with Lord Mandelson, confusingly, among the guests. The firm is reportedly prepared to spend more than ¥1bn ($A190 million) making it a reality.

Even grander are the plans of Australian billionaire Clive Palmer. He's been touting his Titanic II project, comprising a replica that will actually hit the high seas, for several years. A proposed 2016 launch date has been and gone, however, and construction on the vessel is yet to start.

Palmer is something of an eccentric. He announced the project in 2013 with a rambling, comical video address. "Titanic comes from a time when the world was different," he said. "When there was a different culture, different ways of living. When people worked with each other more. And as James Cameron reminds us... my heart will go on."