Editor's note: The following was translated and edited from a report that appeared on QQ.com's financial news service. It concerns an entrepreneur named Yang Zongfu from Zhejiang Province who, partly inspired by the disaster film 2012, invented a globular all-purpose disaster survival device he calls a "Chinese Noah's Ark" (中国诺亚方舟). Not only has Yang successfully manufactured and (somewhat successfully) tested the device, he has already sold 21 pre-orders to wealthy forward-thinkers around the world.

The 2009 disaster film 2012 has had quite an effect on Chinese viewers. Besides inspiring a resurging interest in Mayan civilization and Tibetan culture, the film has since inspired novelty "Noah's Ark" tickets in Tibetan tourist shops, and Chinese websites selling doomsday rescue tickets for anywhere from 0.1 RMB to 100 million RMB. According to 2012 director Roland Emmerich, Chinese citizens were actually a large part of the inspiration for the rescue ark in the film, due to their bravery in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. But little could Emmerich have foreseen, that the Chinese "Noah's Ark" has already become a reality.

Death as inspiration for survival

On August 6, Yang Zongfu, a businessman from Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, finally revealed his latest invention: a globe-shaped emergency rescue capsule christened "Atlantis", designed for use in case of volcano eruption, tsunami, flood, earthquake, nuclear radiation or other disaster scenarios.

Yang's "Noah's Ark" is a hollow stainless steel globe 4 meters in diameter that floats on water, protects against both nuclear and cosmic radiation, and can withstand heat of up to 1700 ?C and impacts of up to 350 tons. "This kind of ‘Noah's Ark' can hold a family of three and enough supplies to survive for ten months," Yang told Oriental Outlook magazine.

The "Ark" weighs six tons by itself, and can support 33 tons in water. The inside has safety seats, telescope, ventilation, and waste management systems, plus emergency equipment and one year's worth of food and drinkable water. "We've analyzed all sorts of disaster scenarios all over the world; flooding is one of the most disastrous to humanity," says Yang.

Yang told reporters he was motivated to start researching emergency survival equipment after the bout of severe snowstorms in southern China in 2008. The film 2012 released the following year was also a huge inspiration, but Yang says he was most influenced by the death of his mother, after which he officially decided to begin manufacturing "Noah's Arks".

 "The exact number of casualties in these disasters doesn't mean anything; but the death of even one relative is devastating to a family. I felt that when my mother passed away," said Yang.

Before the "Noah's Ark" project, Yang's inventions were of a more everyday nature, including an automatic sunshade for automobiles, a set of sleepytime shoulder warmers for the elderly, and his best-seller to date: a multifunctional silk scarf.

Working out some kinks

At his public demonstration on August 6, Yang became his own crash-test dummy, riding in the interior of one of his "Arks" as it fell from a height of more than 50 meters. The test was not a complete success: the outer shell dented significantly and the cabin door came open.

And yet the purchase orders are pouring in. At the time of interview, Yang has already accepted 21 confirmed orders.

"Our capsule interiors are all constructed to 5 star standards," says Yang. Orders are all done to the buyer's specifications; manufacture begins only after a final confirmation from the customers.

After Yang's crash test, customers requested stronger safety precautions aboard the "Ark".

"1 million RMB gets you 1 million RMB worth of safety and materials; we use carbon fiber and stainless steel. 5 million RMB gets you 5 million RMB worth of safety and materials; for that we use only carbon fiber. It's a difference in material strength," says Yang.

Surviving in style

The identities of Yang's customers remain a mystery, and he's not at liberty to divulge them. "Some people contacted us through private organizations, some entrepreneurs called personally. Some are international customers from the U.S., Germany, Spain and Dubai, among others," said Yang.

Yang's biggest order to date comes from a business owner in Shanxi Province, who personally ordered 15 units for himself and his friends and family. According to Yang, his specifications for the interior were especially high: "Air conditioning, refrigerator, LCD screen TV, internet, furniture… He wanted us to buy and install all of these ourselves," says Yang.

Some potential customers even hope to use their "Noah's Arks" in preparation for the "upcoming" 2012 apocalypse. One potential buyer from New Zealand asked Yang's group if his "Ark" could be ready and shipped to him in New Zealand before December 12, 2012.

Yang has also researched survival equipment for ordinary people: "It's just a bed or a couch. As soon as there's a disaster—doesn't matter if it's an earthquake or a burglar—a protective covering will pop up and save you." This design, however, is still in concept stage. As Yang told reporters, "It probably won't cost more than 100,000 RMB".
 

Source: Finance.qq.com

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Keywords: Chinese Noah’s Ark Zhejiang businessman noah’s ark Chinese disaster survival device