Shakespeare is renowned the world over. His writing has been translated into 100 languages, his plays are performed everywhere from Lithuania to Taiwan and there are festivals dedicated to his legacy in places like Serbia, Armenia and North Macedonia. But, did you know that there’s a Chinese city going one step further to show its love for the Bard?
The city of Fuzhou is setting out to create a replica of Stratford to pay homage to Shakespeare, featuring copies of his birthplace and the River Avon.
It’s part of a larger town-building project in Fuzhou called Sanweng, which translates to ‘Three Masters’. The new neighbourhood will honour Shakespeare alongside two other literary legends: Spain’s Miguel de Cervantes (the man behind Don Quixote) and China’s own Tang Xianzu. As it happens, all three men passed away in 1616.
As the birthplaces of Shakespeare and Xianzu, who are both regarded as two of the greatest playwrights of their time, Stratford and Fuzhou became twin towns 10 years ago. China’s copycat Stratford has pretty much been a work in progress ever since.
In December 2017 Fuzhou Culture and Tourism Investment Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which gave permission for replicas of Shakespeare’s birthplace and his family home to be built.
At the time, a spokesperson for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust told the Independent: ‘While China is an important growth market for in-bound tourism to the five Shakespeare homes and gardens in Stratford-upon-Avon, this project will enable millions more people who might never have the opportunity to visit us in the UK the chance to explore our shared Shakespeare heritage in China.
‘This is very much a two-way partnership. By providing our knowledge and expertise to help the Fuzhou team to create an authentic spirit of place, we will be able to support our work to not only maintain and preserve the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites and collections here in the UK, but to also continue to promote the enjoyment of Shakespeare’s works, life and times around the globe.’
The project was originally slated for completion in 2020, then 2022 but nearly a decade after it was first agreed, China’s Stratford-upon-Avon is still yet to become a reality. Course, you can go and see the real thing anytime you like. We’ve got an expertly curated guide to the best of Shakespeare’s hometown here.
ICYMI: The UK’s 7 best holiday homes to book for 2025
Plus: This is officially the UK’s best club night in 2025
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.