No, God didn’t reveal himself to Lu Zhenghai in a vision. The man from Urumqi, China was simply afraid the rumors about the apocalypse happening in December of 2012 might be true, so he decided to follow Noah’s example and build an ark.
Scientists and researchers are going out of their way to assure people that December 21, 2012, the so-called Mayan end-date, will be just an ordinary date but many of them are simply not buying it. While some are travelling to the French village of Bugarach, said to be the only place that will survive the impending apocalypse, others are building their own survival equipment. Take Lu Zhenghai, from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, who spent all his life savings of 1 million yuan ($160,500) on building his own ark, capable of keeping him safe in case of a disastrous flood. The vessel, designed by Lu himself, is 21.2 meters long, 15.5 meters wide, 5.6 meters high and displaces about 140 tons of water. It’s not much to look at, but Lu claims that once it’s finished, it will fulfill its purpose.
Lu Zhenghai started working on his DIY ark in 2010, but after two years of constant spending, he has exhausted all his financial resources. With less than a month to go before the dreaded deadline, the boat still needs about a million yuan in equipment to be ready. Lu, who holds a bachelor’s degree in science, did all the work on the ark himself, but there are some things that need to be bought, not built. Still, getting $160,500 in such a short time seems almost impossible. Truth be told, I think he would have been better off buying an Atlantis apocalypse survival pod from fellow doomsday entrepreneur Yang Zongfu.