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Largest mall in the world is a Chinese ghost town
Watch the full episode. See more POV.
While China recently announced 45 new airports due to booming travel growth, several of their development projects have been enormous duds. The New South China Mall is twice the size of Minnesota's Mall of America, but hovers at around a 1% occupancy. The rows of empty shops are piped with serene elevator music, and guards police the empty halls with echoing footsteps.
Announced in 2005, the mall is located in Dongguan in the Guangdong province of southern China. The location is between Guangzhou and Shenzen in an area that may one day be considered the world's largest mega city, estimated to have a population near 50 million. Today, the mall has yet to live up to any distinction associated with mega cities, and is a sobering example of what happens when idea implementation precedes growth. Separated into seven districts modeled after international cities, the mall boasts an Arc de Triomphe, Venice canals, and even a mini Egypt. Of the 2,350 leasable store spaces, around 50 are actually in use. Check out this award-winning video directed by Sam Green and Carrie Lozano for PBS that showcases this bizarre mall.
Filed under: Business, Asia, China, Theme Parks
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 10)
wendy Mar 6th 2011 12:38PM
In l988, I visited Florida's Sawgrass Mills Mall for the first time - huge, 2/3's empty, and ghostly due to the same serene music, echoing footsteps aura. Today, it is mobbed, frenetic with tourists scooping up comparitively low priced treasures to bring back to their families in other countries and one of those places I avidly avoid as a Florida resident. Tincture of time - China is Florida all over again - pristine, simple, and about to be raped and pillaged by time. As for all you xenophobes - give the general population a chance...they are recovering from years of communist repression. The same twenty years that it takes to build a popular mall will also build a more democratic population.
Joe Papierz Mar 6th 2011 10:11AM
Exellent comment Wendy. I remember those days at Sawgrass Mall, too, but on the "Grand Opening Day" all the stores were occupied. They later suffered a decline until they made their first and second large additions (which had been in their plans from the beginning) and is now thriving again.
Steven R. Russell Mar 6th 2011 8:06AM
This is one of the problems in life when a people believe there is no God.
Lisa Mar 6th 2011 8:22AM
Short-term housing ... town within a town. Although that sewage issue would make me think twice, even if the price was right.
preston sturges Mar 6th 2011 8:21AM
I'd venture that our friend Jennifer isn't related to Jimmy. He could speak and write English in coherent sentences. She appears to have wasted her time bothering with schooling.
RYAN Mar 6th 2011 8:30AM
Im in a town of 100 thousand people .They built this mall 10 or 15 years ago because the old one was about 25 years old and worn out and over time became empty.So we have this mall and it might have gotten to about 75% full but there are places in the mall that never had a store at all.Still the original sheetrock where a store never came.Today its about 50% full and the only time it does business is christmas.It has a sears as an anchor and a Belk as and anchor.It has a JC Pennys but one of the other anchors bankrupted and is gone.The food court has 3 food sellers and was never full....chick fillet,a hotdog place and a mom and pop chinese place,the rest never had food vendors.I think malls themselves are a thing of the past.
jbrock Mar 6th 2011 8:38AM
thats how empty the malls are going to look in america if they don't start lowering prices on things,starting with gas!
Bubba Mar 6th 2011 8:41AM
Central Planning actually made a mistake? Pres. O'Bama please take note.
Shevron Mar 6th 2011 8:44AM
China's investment in the U.S. is in the billions. No matter how garish their developments and infrastructure, their money TALKS.
Dennis D Mar 6th 2011 8:42AM
This is where communism is exposed. A Mall built that was not generated by market demand. I am sure no demographics study was done. No anchor stores committed before hand.
Shawn Mar 6th 2011 11:20AM
While China has made a lot of progress in many areas, those are mostly their "showcase" areas. The vast majority of the nation is rural, dirt roads, etc., areas where they can hardly get goods to the market. But the hysterical "progressives" will still claim they are taking over the world, just to continue to slander their own country like kindergarten children in a playground argument. Knee jerks knee jerks everywhere, and rarely do they let facts interfere with their opinions.
Ryan D Mar 6th 2011 8:55AM
Interesting documtary but with one glaring error: Mall of America is NOT the previous record-holder for world's largest mall, even though many people think that. Mall of America is the largest mall in the U.S., so people simply ASSUMED that since it's in the good ole' U.S. of A., it's just HAD to be the world's largest as well. The West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta is formerly the world's largest. It is and ALWAYS HAS been larger than the Mall of America.
Once again, Canada is overlooked! Won't be the first time, LOL.
gene and irene Mar 6th 2011 8:57AM
This article goes to show how much smarter those slant eyes are than the common american. Had that mall been built in the US americans would have flocked there by the thousands and spent 100 to 200% more for a product made in china than it was worth. admit it we as cournty are kind of dumb.
Brian Mar 6th 2011 10:26AM
@ Patrick,
" product of a politically correct education that hasn't taught you a thing about writing."
Pat, right-wing loons like you are big about how it is up to the individual to make it. Yet, when it comes to education, the ignorance of an individual is NEVER blamed on the student or the parents -- it's always the teachers who are at fault. I suggest you look in a mirror to find the real culprit.
JJJJStunbolt Mar 6th 2011 9:07AM
A shopping mall is one of those things you can make "too big". The theory of a shopping mall is to have a bunch of stores under one roof, and that the patrons of the mall go about shopping on foot. In other words, they walk around. If you build a mall so large that it's too big to walk around, you're defeating the entire purpose of the mall. If a shopper visits a mall and has two or three particular stores in mind he/she wants to visit, and they're five miles apart, they're not going to want to walk that distance. You have to get them a bus or some kind of vehicle to transport them around. While they're on the transport, they miss all the stores in between, which means your merchants lose all the foot traffic and impulse buyers.
If it was up to me, the only way I can imagine making this a success is to build a few casinos into the place. Convert some of the empty stores into small hotels so people can come to the mall just to stay there and shop for a couple of days, play in the casinos, eat in the restaurants and never have to go outside. Then you need an airport for the tourists to fly in, or a rail line to bring the tourists in. Of course you need stores and businesses there to attract the tourists in the first place. If this is now a government owned enterprise, maybe the gov't. money can attract big name stores by subsidizing their losses until the stores become profitable. If this doesn't work, they don't have to tear down the place. They can give up the idea of making it a mall and turn it into a prison or something and at least get some use out of the structure.
Don Mar 6th 2011 10:05AM
I wish the malls around NJ were this empty...
No Quarter Mar 6th 2011 9:24AM
Why would someone make an attempt at using words they would LIKE the readers think they are scholars when it only highlights the bad grammar and punctuation?
Richard Mar 6th 2011 9:29AM
This does not surprise me. They build many things and open many stores without doing solid research about the profitability. I am sure in time it will get the tenants it needs, but they still need to consider the actual number of people who can afford to shop in it. They really need a larger Middle Class for this to work correctly. I hope in the future they figure this out.
By-stander Mar 6th 2011 9:35AM
Laughable! Those half-wits who never step out of America have the hide to tittle tattle about all other countries including China. Too many examples and too often some whilte bastards jump into conclusion but soon find their foot in mouth. The giant shopping mall is going to be filled up and booming soon or later. Don't you a bunch of cynical mobs worry about it. You're bloody creators of so many problems in this world; so wipe up your own arse before sticking up your middle finger to the other. One of the greatest things about USA is that the country is dominated by ignorant mob like you - you know a jackshit about China but feel like a God over her and her people. God bless America!
MARY Mar 6th 2011 9:31AM
Buy USA!