Doomsday ark a hot seller for Yiwu entreprenuer

Entrepreneur Yang Zongfu has told a Shanghai magazine that he has received 21 orders for his doomsday ark, which he claims can withstand the end of the world.

Two months ago Yang, 32, from Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, announced he had invented a gigantic ark that would be able to withstand doomsday, which according to the Mayan calendar, will occur on Dec 21.

"People from all over the world, like Germany, United States, and Dubai, are interested in my vessel," Yang told Oriental Outlook, a Shanghai-based weekly magazine. The yellow, spherical ark, code named "Atlantis", and costing five million yuan ($US800,000), is claimed to be able to withstand the kinds of catastrophes, such as floods, earthquakes and explosions, that were depicted in the 2008 film, 2012 Doomsday. It was this film that inspired Yang, a silk scarf manufacturer, to turn his hand to doomsday arks.

"The death toll in all kinds of disasters sounds cold and meaningless, but for every single family, the loss of a beloved one is heartbreaking, which I have just experienced as my mum passed away," said Yang, who has 300 inventions to his credit and holds 36 patents.

Most of his inventions are articles for daily use, like automatic sun-shades for cars in summer or silk scarves that can change color, which can add hundreds of thousands of yuan to Yang's business revenue.

When it comes to the ark, however, Yang is very serious, as "it's a matter of life and death," he said.

"We are making all the facilities in the ark to five star standard," said Yang. According to him, the six-ton ark allows three people to live inside for up to one year with the biscuits, oxygen and water it carries.

Although Yang is evasive about his customers, he revealed that a boss from Shanxi province has placed the biggest order, asking for 15 vessels, each equipped with air conditioners, refrigerators and televisions. While a customer from New Zealand is writing to ask if it's possible to have the ark shipped to them before Dec 21.