How much would you pay?

[_00_deathscar]

Source: South China Morning Post

 

Man with Midas touch unveils his masterpiece

 

The man who brought Hong Kong the solid gold toilet has unveiled his latest creation - a gold 'palace' that he says has been built to realise the unfulfilled promise of an ancient Chinese emperor.

 

Yet the ground-floor at Lam Sai-wing's gold showroom at To Kwa Wan is hardly the palace of myth and legend. It's 7,000 sq ft expanse features a vast array of gold furniture, fittings and a diamond-studdend golden carriage.

 

Dr. Lam, chairman of Hang Fung Gold Technology Group, says the HK$400 million extravanganza took five years to plan and complete and used two tonnes of gold.

 

"We want to lure tourists from all around the world to come to the palace. But the majority will probably be from the mainland," he said.

 

He expects the project - dubbed "The Swisshorn Gold Palace" - to break even within three to five years. Casual visitors after the showroom opens Saturday will pay HK$25.

 

It will cost HK$200,000 (US$26,000/ £13,700) to spend the night on a solid gold bed frame amid the precious objects which include not one but two gold toilets, a gold bathtub, dining table, chairs, sofa and ceiling relief sculptures. It will also be open for wedding receptions but a price has not been fixed.

 

"The showroom is quite special as it owes its origin to Chinese history. Hopefully it will become a new tourist spot in Hong Kong," said Dr. Lam, whose HK$38 million solid gold toilet, built at the group's Hung Hom showroom in 2001, is already a tourist attraction.

 

The aim was to attract 3,000 visitors a day and it was already over-booked for the week-long National Day holiday starting October 1.

 

He said the idea was to realise the 'unfulfilled' promise of a Han Emperor who pledged to build a gold palace for his wife.

 

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So, would you?

[Michael]

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