Chinatown a la Disney

The state of Brandenburg in former communist East Germany is usually in the news for all the wrong things: hostility towards foreigners, a virulent right-wing scene and a high jobless rate to name a few.

So, it's no surprise that the idea of constructing a mini Chinatown in the region that would create 2,000 new jobs has been enthusiastically embraced by local politicians and the press.

Never mind that red lanterns, shiny arches, and an oriental garden with fountains would seem absolutely incongruous -- and, to many, downright dangerous -- in the midst of the insulated and homogenous 40,000-strong sleepy town of Oranienburg, north of Berlin.

Town with a Chinese Wall

Backed by an unknown Chinese investor, local engineers plan to convert a disused airfield into a Chinatown or rather a fairytale version of the real thing in places such as New York and San Francisco.

The blueprint envisions shops selling Chinese wares lining symmetrical streets -- this is German planning remember -- tea houses and healthcare centers offering traditional Chinese medicine. Oranienburg's clean and shiny Chinatown will also boast a hotel, cultural institutions and apartments that can house up to 2,000 people.

Planners say the apartments will be open to both Chinese immigrants in Germany as well as all others, though it's not clear who would voluntarily want to live in the heart of a daily tourist stampede.

The entire neighborhood will be surrounded by an ornamental wall which the planners say should look like the real Chinese Wall. Construction of the district is estimated to cost around 500 million euros ($680 million).

A bit of cultural diversity

The project is far from being realized though. Town authorities still need to approve and iron out details before the architects can get the go-ahead.

Michael Fehlow, a local politician, said he hoped the whole thing wasn't just a "big bubble" that could burst once the initial euphoria had died down.

Fehlow however pointed out that the project could bring advantages.

"We Brandenburgers rarely come in contact with other cultures," Fehlow said. "This could be a good start."

There are up to 80,000 Chinese living in Germany, making up about 0.1 percent of the country's total population. But to be fair, Brandenburg is not the only place to build a Chinatown.

China's rise as well as the growing wealth of Chinese overseas has given birth to new Chinatowns in places as varied as Dubai, Las Vegas and Belgrade.