A rare mirage of a city appeared off the shore of Penglai City, Shandong Provice, China:
Thousands of tourists and local residents witnessed a mirage of high clarity lasting for four hours off the shore of Penglai City in east China's Shandong Province on Sunday.
Mists rising on the shore created an image of a city, with modern high-rise buildings, broad city streets and bustling cars as well as crowds of people all clearly visible.
Experts said that many mirages have been recorded in Penglai, on the tip of Shandong Peninsula, throughout history, which made it known as a dwelling place of the gods.
They explained that a mirage is formed when moisture in the air becomes warmer than the temperature of sea water, which refracts rays of sunlight to create reflections of the landscape in the sky.
I fear you have fallen for an old hoax. A photograph of this type circulated some time ago as genuine, until someone asked how come it was such a perfect match to a particular Italian town.
Strange mist/cloud shapes are possible; a mirage effect that lets you see distant features floating in the sky is possible (and Southern Italy is a famous place for this 'fata morgana'); seeing Italy from China is Photoshop.
It isn't a mirage. It was witnessed by thousands, made headline news in China, and there are more pictures of it, do a google search. Why are some people so quick to dismiss stuff like this?
The originating site didn't have any more information. My question is this: What city is it a mirage of? Any ideas?
Strange mist/cloud shapes are possible; a mirage effect that lets you see distant features floating in the sky is possible (and Southern Italy is a famous place for this 'fata morgana'); seeing Italy from China is Photoshop.