From Pentagon to Thames Town: The Collapse of China's Ambitious Replicas

In a remarkable display of architectural mimicry, China, a superpower in counterfeiting, has replicated at least 30 of the world's iconic landmarks. This ambitious project has seen the nation invest tens of billions of dollars. Visitors can witness renowned structures from Europe, America, and Africa right within China. However, many of these impressive replicas have been abandoned, and some even demolished. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of these clone constructions. Our first stop is the Shanghai Pentagonal Mart, China's empty pentagon. While the pentagon symbolizes military might in the United States, its Chinese counterpart serves as a shopping mall in Shanghai. The massive project, costing $180 million and sprawling over 500,000 square meters more than 120 acres, has been abandoned since its completion in 2009. Situated just a 10-minute drive from Pudong Airport and 8 kilometers from Disneyland, the Shanghai Pentagonal Mart is also within close proximity to Yangshan Deepwater Port and Weigekio Free Trade Zone. Despite these advantageous locations and nearby educational institutions, the mall remains desolate. A representative from the Huinan Town Government's Propaganda Office cited its suburban location as a key reason for the difficulty in attracting investments. Manager Xiao, responsible for the commercial real estate sales of the mall, spoke to a Shanghai Sina reporter on January 16, 2016. He revealed that the mall was intended to be the Shanghai Imported Commodities Exhibition and Trade Center, aimed at drawing merchants through trade exhibitions and bulk purchases. Unfortunately, like previous ventures, it failed due to its enormous size. A visit to the mall's northeast corner revealed a direct sales center for imported goods, the only vibrant spot in the vast complex. A few customers were seen browsing products, though weekend traffic was slightly higher. The rest of the five-story mall, however, lacked any commercial activity. Despite completed interior decorations, dust had settled from prolonged disuse. Escalators stood still, shop shutters were locked, and essential amenities were missing. Iron walls blocked many areas, and the promised seven-minute free shuttle was nowhere in sight, leaving the atmosphere grim and lifeless. Second is Tonghui Town, the abandoned Switzerland of China. Built in 2011 with an investment of 400 million yuan, or $59 million, Tonghui Town spans 6,000 square meters, with a building area of 15,000 square meters. This comprehensive real estate project includes business offices, retail spaces, and leisure facilities. Located near Beijing's central business district, Tonghui Town is not a traditional town but rather a European-style bar street in Chaoyang. It boasts various restaurants, bars, towers, and other structures, all designed to mimic European architecture. Unfortunately, Tonghui Town failed to captivate the public and joined China's estimated 1,600 other unprofitable parks. Most of its structures were eventually abandoned. According to Euronews, a representative blamed the failure on poor branding, noting that Chinese visitors preferred to explore their own culture rather than travel to a European imitation. Sina reported that Tonghui Town was demolished on December 28, 2019. Construction site staff informed Jiamian News that the demolition was due to suspected illegal construction. The news sparked online discussions, with some lamenting the loss of the town's fairytale-like architecture, while others criticized the poor imitation style and its inconsistency with the surrounding environment. User Rockcat commented on the eight-year construction period, only for the town to be abandoned for another eight years before its sudden demolition. Next, we head to Shanghai's Temztown, a London replica in the heart of China. Over three years, 2 billion yuan, or about 300 million dollars, was spent to create Temztown. Located in the Songjiang District, just 40 kilometers from Shanghai, this town was completed in 2006. It features cobblestone streets, a green village, Edwardian townhomes, white stucco Victorian terraces, and even red telephone boxes and a Harry Potter monument, all reminiscent of London. Despite its charm, Temztown struggled to attract Chinese tourists. Initially intended as a traditional medieval market town, properties sold quickly but were mostly purchased as investment properties and never occupied. The surrounding area's identity crisis led to disappointing results. Soon, restaurants closed, and the town became a hub for vacant property investments. Ten years later, Temztown earned the eerie title of a ghost city. Now we turn our attention to Yujiapu, often referred to as the Empty Manhattan in Binhai. According to NBC News, Yujiapu, a meticulously crafted replica of Manhattan, carries a staggering price tag of 50 billion dollars. Located near the port city of Tianjin, roughly 120 miles from Beijing, Yujiapu was envisioned as the world's largest financial center, earning it the nickname Manhattan in China. Launched in 2009, the Yujiapu Financial District was designed to be a new economic hub for North China. However, despite its grand ambitions, Yujiapu has not lived up to expectations. The district's skyline mirrors that of Manhattan, but business expansion has been sluggish. In April 2019, the Chinese edition of the New York Times reported that four-fifths of the office space remained unoccupied. Construction on many buildings had ceased, leaving behind towering skeletons. A sprawling mall within the district saw almost no customers, and even the pet store inside had no animals. Most residents of Yujiapu work in trade, technology, or logistics, rather than the sector for which the district was intended. The new financial tower, a centerpiece of the area, even converted an entire floor into an escape room to attract visitors. Mary Xinbao, Tianjin's official newspaper, reports that approximately 100,000 people live and work in Yujiapu, a modest number for such an ambitious project. Despite over a decade of development, Yujiapu's occupancy rates remain too low to classify it as a thriving community. Gilliam Tullock, a Hong Kong-based analyst and managing director of GMT Research, has studied the phenomenon of China's ghost cities. He remarked, They are building stuff that nobody really wants or needs, and there will come a day of reckoning. Stay tuned as we continue to explore the intriguing and often challenging world of China's ambitious architectural projects.