Inside China's 'richest village': The mysterious Socialist town
Inside China's 'richest village': The mysterious Socialist town where every resident has '£100K in the bank' - but once you leave you lose everything
• Huaxi, in east China, has a 72-storey skyscraper, helicopter taxis and rows upon rows of lavish villas
• The village's hotel contains a £11K/$13K-per-night presidential suite and an ox statue made of gold
• The community, dubbed 'the richest village in China', celebrated its 55th anniversary last month
• Chinese state media have used the village to prove the success of the leadership of Communist Party
• However, some people have challenged its centralised system, suggesting its prosperity was a hoax
A 72-storey skyscraper, helicopter taxis, a theme park and rows upon rows of luxurious villas, this is as extravagant as a village could be.
Welcome to Huaxi, a place situated in east China's Jiangsu Province and dubbed 'the richest village' of the country.
Every one of its 2,000 residents is said to have more than one million yuan (£116,000/$143,000) in the bank; and each family is given a car and a villa by the authority once they move in.
But the catch is, once you leave, you leave lose all your belongs.
uaxi, which claims to run under a strict Socialist system, celebrated its 55th anniversary last month.
The village is administrated by Jiangyin city in Jiangsu Province, a coastal region traditionally known for its abundant agricultural resources and beautiful landscapes.
It is a two-hour drive from China's economic powerhouse Shanghai.
For years, Huaxi has been used by the Chinese authority as a showcase of success to prove how the Communist regime has turned a poor village into a super wealthy region in half a century.
Above the entrance to Huaxi, a huge sign that reads 'the number one village under the sky' is placed on the gate. This is another nickname the country has given to the village.
Huaxi's fortune appears to be immense.
The village hit the headlines across the country in 2003 when it announced that its yearly economic volume had reached 100 billion yuan (£11.7 billion/$14.4billion), according to Economic Strategies and Practice of Modern China.
One year later, Huaxi announced that the average annual salary of its residents was 122,600 yuan (£14,319/$17,717) - about 40 times the average income of a farmer in China.
To show off its economic might, the village even spent three billion yuan (£350 millon/$430million) building its own skyscraper in 2011.
The 72-storey structure is dubbed the Hanging Village of Huaxi.
Soaring 328 metres (1,076ft) into the sky of Huaxi, the impressive building is four metres taller than the Eiffel Tower (324m) in Paris, nine metres taller than the Chrysler Building (319m) in New York and 18 metres taller than the Shard (309m) in Central London.
Inside the towering structure is the 'super five-star' Long Wish International Hotel. The 826-room hotel contains 16 presidential suites and one 'gold' presidential suite which will cost the guest a 100,000-yuan dent (£11,600) to check in for the night.
The presidential suites are typical representations of the Chinese ideas of wealth: large crystal chandeliers, gilded shelves, marble baths, and mahogany furniture.
On the 60th floor, the same level of the golden presidential suite, there is not just an amazing view to be enjoyed, but also a bling statue of an ox crafted from one tonne of pure gold.
Also in 2011, Huaxi celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding by staging a lavish entertainment gala, inviting A-list Chinese stars to sing and dance.
The village also has its own luxury transport company, which sends, not cars, but helicopters to shuttle its residents. The operator, Tongyong Airline Company, said all journeys to surrounding cities could be made in less than 10 minutes.
As if all the above are not enough, the impressive village has also constructed a theme park which houses replicas of famous monuments, such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
In addition, a village museum containing 800 ancient relics has been built whose appearance resembles China's top-notch Palace Museum.