China copy of Austrian town stirs emotions

China is known for copying just about everything, from DVDs to cars, but a plan to copy an entire Austrian town has residents up in arms.

The Austrian Independant reports that Chinese engineers and architects have caused a stir in the stunning 800-person lakeside hamlet of Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It seems the Chinese want to recreate Hallstatt in Guangdong province in China.

However, they came and studied the town without telling any locals they were planning to build a Chinese replica.

"You must not do such things without letting authorities and owners of houses know," the Hallstatt mayor told the newspaper.