Trending footage purports to show the image of an ancient European-style complex with three pointy turrets towering over three office blocks in Jinan, eastern China, on Friday morning

Footage of the likeness of a Hogwarts-style castle appearing to float in the sky has caused a sensation on Chinese social media.

The ghostly image of what looked like Harry Potter's school was spotted hovering above modern buildings in Shandong Province in eastern China this morning, according to accounts.

Local media reported that the sight was a natural phenomenon called a mirage.

The footage was filmed at around 11am in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, according to an influential Chinese blogger who released the clip.

The footage purports to show the image of an ancient European-style complex with three pointy turrets towering over three office blocks.

Users of Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, were awe-struck by the scene. Many compared the building in question to Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry from Harry Potter films.

One person wrote: 'Is this the Shandong branch of Hogwarts?'

Another fan joked: 'How can muggles see Hogwarts?'

A third viewer commented: 'Has Hogwarts finally come to China to recruit students?'

Some people also related the scene to Hebei Academy of Fine Arts, a college in northern China that bears a striking resemblance to Hogwarts.  

The spectacle was believed to be a mirage, a form of illusion that is common in humid weather, The Paper reported.

The phenomenon normally appears when moisture in the air becomes warmer than the temperature of the water below.

As the rays of sunlight cross from the colder air into the warmer air, it is 'bent' or refracted - creating a reflection in the air.

The patterns in the mirage are typically blurred and shimmering with a resemblance to human structures. They are similar to a reflection seen in the water.

Some locals believed that the 'floating Hogwarts' was the reflection of a residential estate situated two kilometres (1.2 miles) away. The community consists of buildings in a similar architectural style. (Daily Mail)