Ein Mann fährt mit dem Fahrrad hinter dem neuen South China Mall in Dongguan City, South China Guangdong Provinz, 9. April 2012. Die neuen South China Mall in Donggu
A man rides a bike past the New South China Mall in Dongguan city, south Chinas Guangdong province, 9 April 2012. The New South China Mall in Dongguan, China is the biggest in the world. With an area of over 7 million square feet that can accommodate 2, 350 stores, and attractions such as roller coasters, ghost trains and a replica of the bell tower of St Marks Square in Venice, you would think the place would be swarming with people. So did the owners of the mall, who expected over 70, 000 visitors a day when they started building it. But today it stands empty, with almost no customers entering its gates. The 553 meter indoor and outdoor roller coaster hasnt been operated since it was installed and 99% of the shops have never been leased out. The only ones that do operate are a series of fast food joints at the entrance of the mall and another few shops inside the huge complex. New South China Mall was built in 2005 by Hu Guirong, who made his millions making instant noodles. He started the project with great enthusiasm, sending teams all over the world in search of ideas for his dream mall. And most of these ideas were even translated into reality. Where else in the world would be able to see a gondola on a mock Venetian canal inside a mall? But then something went horribly wrong, because when the place was completed in 2005, it simply failed to take off. It wasnt even a dead mall, where tenants simply depart and business winds down slowly. No, Guirongs mall never attracted merchants in the first place, as they felt it wasnt a realistic place to set up shop.
