Enterprise Building (China)

The Enterprise Building[1] (simplified Chinese: 企业号; traditional Chinese: 企業號; pinyin: Qǐyè Hào; lit. 'The Enterprise') is the headquarters of the Chinese game developer company, NetDragon Websoft.[2] It is located in the Chinese coastal city of Changle, a suburb of Fuzhou in Fujian province.[3] The building resembles Star Trek's Starship Enterprise — specifically, the Enterprise-E featured in several Star Trek films.[2]

Construction

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It was sponsored by NetDragon Websoft’s founder Liu Dejian (刘德建), a Chinese millionaire and a fan of the Star Trek show.[3][4][5][6] It was constructed with permission from the show copyright holders and is described as "the only licensed Star Trek building in the world".[3][2] The construction begun in October 2010 and concluded in May 2014.[7]

Features

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The building is 853 feet (260 m) long, 328 feet (100 m) wide, and cost 600 million yuan (about $97 million c. 2015) to build.[8][9] It has six floors.[10] The complex also features a football field, four tennis courts, a swimming pool, horseback riding area, VR experience center and a railway.[2] It also has Star Trek-style sliding doors, as well as parts inspired by the Hui Style architecture.[2]

The building also hosts a life-size replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton modelled after the "Stan".[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Pictures - www.netdragon.com". www.netdragon.com. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "A Chinese tycoon spent US$100 million on a Star Trek-inspired office". South China Morning Post. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "$100 Million HQ Looks Exactly Like the Starship Enterprise". Time. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ^ "This Chinese executive may be the biggest "Star Trek" fan on the planet". Quartz. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Chinese Star Trek fan builds company headquarters in the shape of show's spaceship". The Straits Times. 26 May 2015. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  6. ^ Rooney, Ben (26 May 2015). "'Star Trek' fan builds company headquarters in shape of USS Enterprise". CNNMoney. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b Yang, Jie (25 May 2015). "Chinese Firm's Headquarters Shaped Like 'Star Trek's' Enterprise". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 1042-9840. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  8. ^ "$100 Million HQ Looks Exactly Like the Starship Enterprise". Time. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  9. ^ Beau Peregoy (31 May 2015). "Calling All Trekkies! A Life-Size Replica of the Enterprise Has Been Built in China". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  10. ^ Bowerman, Mary. "This building in China looks like the USS Enterprise". USA TODAY. Retrieved 14 October 2023.