Chinese Luxury Communities Imitate American-style Mansions

October 7, 2012 Updated Oct 7, 2012 at 2:00 PM PDT

The extravagant McMansions that invaded the real estate market in the U.S. have been exported to China - making them look like a Florida housing development.

As the Chinese nouveau riche seek to satisfy their seemingly unquenchable thirst for luxury, many are choosing conspicuous castles sized anywhere from 9,600 to 29,000 square feet and with price tags that range from $25 million to $47 million in some cases.

These exclusive enclaves for the super rich are popping up across the country - most notably in Beijing, Shanghai and the southern city of Guangzhou.

This is just the latest phenomenon in the indefatigable Chinese inclination for imitation.

In 2011, blueprints were discovered that showed a Chinese real estate developer's plan to completely copy the layout of the Austrian city of Hallstatt, in the southern Chinese city of Huizhou, to the tune of $9.1 billion.

The Chinese also gave a nod to the British with a community near Shanghai - called Chengdu British Town - that was modeled on the English country town of Dorchester.

But the latest spending trend in the country's economic boom, is for Western style mega mansions.

The Rose Garden, outside the booming city of Shanghai, is expected to include as many of 236 villas.

The largest house in the development has been advertised as a 9,600 square foot home priced at $13 million.

The homes in this project will be scattered around a golf course and tennis center and other offerings in the development include a natatorium and equestrian center.

On the outskirts of Shanghai, another wealthy enclave of villas is under construction, as part of the Regency Park development.

The expansive homes will each come with a private garden and residents can enjoy community with a private clubhouse and athletic amenities.

The favorite past time for the one per cent has found a following in China, with golf becoming a preferred leisure activity for the country's rich.

The Summer Palace Golf Chateau is just one development constructed to honor the sport and is situated around a Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf course outside of Guangzhou, in southern China.

Most of the villas in the member-only project are from 4,000 to 28,000 square feet.

But the development is now being expanded and it includes plans for a ginormous mansion that will measure 29,000 square feet for a whopping selling price of $25 million, according to Curbed.com.

Beijing is said to soon be home to one of the priciest neighborhoods in the country. Construction is said to be underway for the ThaiHot Mansion and Courtyards on the Canal.

Though details are scarce about this ultra opulent community, the homes will be priced at $47 million or more, according to Yahoo! News.

The sprawling mansions are said to feature luxury in even the tiniest home accessories, like $8,000 faucets and $25,000 light fixtures.

For those itching for the urban setting, the Four Seasons in Beijing is catering to the expat community in China's capital city with luxury apartments, with a price tag of up to $2.5 million.

These luxurious refuges in the urban jungle include hotel like amenities, with the largest apartment measuring 3,4000 square feet.

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