▲The replica was quick to draw complaints from Cairo, including then-Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, who said the copycat “harmed the cultural heritage of Egypt.”

▲Even the historic church, dating back hundreds of years, was rebuilt to look just as old.

▲Perhaps controversial in that the structure was originally erected to celebrate those who gave their lives for France, this stunning arch stands over 10 meters high in Jiangyan.

▲The concrete-poured Egyptian imitation structure towers over a theme park in Chuzhou.

▲A life-sized version of the famous Parisian museum’s iconic pyramid sits in suburban Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province. There are no replicas of the 'Mona Lisa' inside, or so we hope.

▲The original famous carvings are huge, up to 40 ft (12 m) tall and 75 tons in weight. These, however, are much smaller and line a pedestrian walkway in Beijing's business district.

▲This Eiffel Tower, one of three in China, stands at 108 m (354 ft) and looms over a gated community in Tianducheng.

▲This full-scale, highly-detailed replica of the White House stands just outside Hangzhou.

▲This perfect recreation of the Austrian town was spearheaded by a Chinese mining company, which replicated homes and decorations as part of a novelty high-end housing development.

▲This white-walled, gold-domed complex in Beijing’s Mentougou district takes its image from the fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, and actually houses several government bureaus.

▲A vast mix of decayed temples and chapels comprises one of the most visited historical sites in Egypt, and its copycat in both size and detail can be found at the abandoned Wanguo Park in Wuhan.

▲Two of Australia's most beloved pieces of architecture have copycats in Beijing.

▲China is home to the world's first cloned village, complete with traditional European architecture that is scarily identical to the real Hallstatt.

▲This replica of ruins in Macau seats 2,000 people and serves as an outdoor concert venue.

▲With an estimated cost of US$220 million, it copies old Italian-style architecture with Florentine arcades, bridges, and even a grand canal that runs through the village.

▲The Beijing Chateau Laffitte Hotel imitates the 17th-century Château Maisons-Laffitte, a Parisian estate that embodies French baroque architecture.

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And you can't forget the almost unbelievable replica of this US national landmark in Shenzen!

(Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

▲The home of the United States Congress, a very powerful building indeed, is copied in China—luckily they didn't take the political drama with it.

▲It's sandwiched in a theme park alongside replicas of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

▲This Chicago, USA, staple was imitated in Karamay, in the Xinjiang province, in 2015, which did not sit will with the creator of the original who unsurprisingly sought legal action.

▲Though it's miles away from both Italy and the real thing, tourists never fail to take the same cheesy photos with it.

▲An ambitious venture, this scaled-down replica of an entire cityscape gets points for creativity.

▲The Chinese take on London's Tower Bridge was built in 2012 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and is actually double the size of the original.

▲Though it doesn't have a rising bridge, it does have a dual carriageway, allowing for more cars in the heavily-populated country.

▲This megalithic monument has been scaled down in Beijing, and somehow the modern replica of the world’s most famous prehistoric monument just doesn't compete.

▲The community modeled after France's capital began construction in 2006 with the aim of housing 10,000 people in its white Haussmann-style apartments.

▲It turns out Chinese people don't actually want to live in the beloved tourist scenery, and the community is now considered a "ghost town."

▲This miniature version of some of London's most powerful buildings is available for selfies in Shenzen.

▲They're scaled down in size, but impressive nonetheless.

▲Believe it or not, this is actually a shopping center in Wuqing, China. It replaced some 200,000 square meters of corn fields with Italian-style architecture and bridges.

▲A life-size model of Athens' Parthenon has also been built at a theme park in Lanzhou, Gansu Province.

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Shanghai's take on the Dorset town, including their notable Rock Point Inn and Cob Gate Fish Bar, is called Thames Town. Yes, that's right: Thames Town, Shanghai.

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China is now well-known for its "copycat syndrome," particularly regarding its replicas of world-famous monuments, the originals of which are considered symbols of cultural status reflecting an empire's soft power. While the mimicked attractions may draw in tourists, there might be a bigger motive at work.

By recreating other countries' symbols of power, many scholars like archaeologist Jack Carlson believe China is actually asserting its power on a global scale, by essentially bringing the world and all its cultural significance within its bounds.

Check out this gallery to see for yourself.