# TIANJIN | Xiangluowan Business District | U/C



## patrykus

by 渤海弄潮儿, bohaibbs.org

11.07.10


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## lehua768

Thank you so much for this enormous update! This project is frikkin' huge! the construction there is equally as fast, but is all demolitions, preparation, and foundations now. No buildings are above ground level there yet, but i'll be sure to make a thread once the exciting parts of construction commence. Yujiapu has been started way after the Xiangluowan, but its progressing very well, check below thread to photo update form the site.


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## binhai

8.2 bohaibbs.net


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## CoCoMilk

it's coming out pretty darn nice~!


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## lzhenfeng5

For more images visit:http://www.15usd.net
For more images visit:http://www.15usd.net
For more images visit:http://www.15usd.net
For more images visit:http://www.15usd.net


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## binhai

8.3 bohaibbs.net


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## gougou

That looks great!!!!!!!!!


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## binhai

8.7 bohaibbs.net


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## gougou

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW


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## binhai

8.17 bohaibbs.net


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## z0rg

^^
If I'm not wrong the one in the background in this pic is Sino-Steel plot, right behind the one with 2 underground floors exposed..









And this is the R&F plot.


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## binhai

8.27 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

9.4 bohaibbs.net


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## droneriot

The sheer amount of construction sites reminds me of what Dubai looked like 2-3 years ago.


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## boschb

ALWAYS SAY WHO TOOK THOSE PHOTOS OR ELSE WE CANT SEE THEM ^^
:bash:


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## binhai

10.1 bohaibbs.net


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## yangkhm

Amazing!!!


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## lucianmx_2007

The design of the towers are too simple .


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## psychology

WOWW.. amazing and so great.


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## binhai

10.4 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

10.26 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

Construction status map, November 2010 (green = opened, light blue = rising, dark blue = foundation, purple = digging, red = not started, black = unknown):


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

Poster showing name, plot name, height, and render of every project:


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

深圳比克大厦 Shenzhen Bi Ke Building - 154m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

碧桂园凤凰国际会议中心 Biguiyuan Phoenix International Convention Center


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

碧桂园德域大厦 Biguiyuan Deyu Building - 141m


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## Chadoh25

Cool!


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

滨海国贸大厦 Binhai International Trade Building - 185m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

滨海国泰大厦 Binhai Cathay Pacific Building - 200m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

滨海华贸中心 Binhai China Trade Center - 169.5m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

旷世国际大厦 Kuangshi International Building - 120m + 106m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

盘锦和兴大厦 Panjin Hexing Building - 175.1m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

润德大厦 Runde Building - 125m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

天齐国际广场 Tianqi International Plaza - 120m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

滨海王相大厦 Binhai Wangxiang Building - 136m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

燕赵大厦 and 温州大厦 Yanzhou Building and Wenzhou Building


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

盈信金融大厦 and 陕西大厦 Yingxin Financial Building - 145m and Shanxi Building - 120m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

云滨大厦 Yunbin Mansion - 150m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

中船重工大厦 Zhongchuan Zhonggong Building - 120m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

中钢大厦 Sino-Steel Tower - 358m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

中海国际大厦 and 东方新世纪广场 Left: Zhonghai International Building Right: Dongfang Xinshiji Plaza - 90m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

中华文化会馆Ｂ座 Chinese Cultural Center Building B - 156m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net

中惠熙元广场 Zhonghui Xiyuan Plaza - 45.6m + 102.8m + 140.1m + 216.25m


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## binhai

10.30 bohaibbs.net


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## mclancer

Hey BarbaricManchurian
Thanks for the great pictures!
Could you please name each building (eg. A-08)
so we could tell what we're looking at?


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## binhai

^^compare the Chinese project names that I provided to the map I posted (http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg64/z0rgggg/others2/others3/1-6.jpg) and that will give you locations


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## SSCaddict

thanks a lot barbaric for the pics and info... good progress here :cheers:


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## SimFox

From across the river:


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## Spocket

SimFox said:


> From across the river:


Wow ... how quickly the view changes . 
When I was there last spring I remember looking in that direction and seeing dreary and rather depressing industrial stuff . This really changes the whole feel of the view dramatically .
One thing that's definitely lacking though is greenery . Probably the biggest issue with the entire area in fact is the lack of trees . I'm sure that the plan includes incorporation of just that but from the look of things , it won't be much more than superficial which is a shame considering the location .


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## SimFox

well, the industry, at least some of it, is still there... Just turn the camera towards the west (southwest) and you'll see this:




























But south-east thee is a massive residential construction going on:











But the promenade is in a pretty bad shape now...









it's hard to see in on photos but things are basically falling apart... It has been in a steady decline since day it had been finished... It was rushed in and as a result was totally pointless. I guess once the construction across the river will finish, or get close to finish it will be either fixed or rebuilt altogether (the promenade thing)


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## binhai

12.8 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

12.13 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

12.16 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

12.17 bohaibbs.net


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## Munwon

Wow what a mega-project!!! This will give IFEZ in Incheon a run for it's money. BTW how far is the TEDA area of Tianjin from this?


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## CoCoMilk

^^ It's in the TEDA area -.-"


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## Munwon

CoCoMilk said:


> ^^ It's in the TEDA area -.-"


Ok... I see. Wow this is going to be a massive skyline in the next 5 years!


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## SimFox

anyway it is about 36 km as crow flies (meaning on a perfectly straight line) from the Tianjin downtown, specifically Tianjin IFC and main railway station (CRH to Beijing)


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## khoojyh

Orientation work Well Done !!!


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## binhai

Forumer from bohaibbs drives through Xiangluowan business district:


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## oliver999

希望之城


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## storms991

It's so surprising that more people don't read this thread! Honestly, these megaprojects are equally if not more impressive than single towers going up.


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## binhai

1.19 bohaibbs.net


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## OEincorparated

Very large developement, good to see Tianjin raising.


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## Munwon

Very Very Cool!!!


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## binhai

1.30 bohaibbs.net


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## kanye

^^photobucket is no good idea..


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## binhai

3.2 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

3.3 bohaibbs.net


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## Munwon

Thanks Barbaric!!! Unbelievable scope of work.


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## binhai

3.17 bohaibbs.net


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## foxmulder

Crazy development...


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## binhai

3.22 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

3.24 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

3.30 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

4.3 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

4.9 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

4.24 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

4.24 bohaibbs.net


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## KillerZavatar

how many supertalls are UC and how many proposed for tianjin?


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## sweet-d

uumm the skyscraper building boom in china continues to amaze me it just gets better and better. i really like this project i especially like all the high rise fillers.


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## binhai

7.4 bohaibbs.net


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## HardBall

BarbaricManchurian said:


> 5.29 bohaibbs.net


That is a great shot! The future shape of the CBD is so clear in this one.


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## Jonipoon

I really hope the finished district will look better than just a bunch of boxes.


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## binhai

by me


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## binhai

7.30 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

7.30 bohaibbs.net


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## Pansori

This is just damn impressive! This must be one of the largest construction sites in the world at the moment.


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## IngMarco

I go speechless when look at those pictures, the whole place is impressive and I declare myself in love of this future skyline, not to high... but perfect to my taste.


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## Atmosphere

Pansori said:


> This is just damn impressive! This must be one of the largest construction sites in the world at the moment.


Probably yes. However, there are some MASSIVE land reclamation projects going on in South-Korea which are even bigger than this one.


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## zapor1

Is there really demand for all this space?


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## xJamaax

Nice one!:cheers:


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## the spliff fairy

zapor1 said:


> Is there really demand for all this space?


Basically China right now has this window of opportunity to build many of its future business CBDs, before rising wages make projects this size prohibitively expensive. Its urban population is skyrocketing alongside, in the midst of the largest human migration in history.


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## binhai

Atmosphere said:


> Probably yes. However, there are some MASSIVE land reclamation projects going on in South-Korea which are even bigger than this one.


Tianjin has some gargantuan land reclamation projects too . (This map is actually missing a huge project, there's another huge peninsula not shown on this map near the south)


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## binhai

8.2 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

8.5 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

8.16 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

8.20 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

8.26 bohaibbs.net


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## King of Construction

Thanks Barbaric, for bringing us all these pics.
Really appreciate it.


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## Atmosphere

So far, the cladding on the buildings that are finished is looking quite good.


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## binhai

8.30 bohaibbs.net


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## Urbanisten

This is sick!! just one thing to say about this project; 
ONLY IN CHINA!


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## binhai

9.4 bohaibbs.net


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## hmmwv

BarbaricManchurian said:


> 8.30 bohaibbs.net


Wow with so many pits around it the road almost seems to be elevated.


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## tim1807

:lol: Yeah that's right.


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## binhai

9.20 bohaibbs.net


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## harry·chao

awesome !!


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## binhai

10.1 bohaibbs.net


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## CoCoMilk

by 万里台风


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## Pansori

I was already starting to wonder why it's been so quiet in this thread. Many thanks for the update CoCoMilk. The amount of construction is just unbelievable.

It's quite amazing, though, how few views this thread has... I mean this whole thing U/C is perhaps bigger than any business district anywhere in the world and it's all being built NOW. Something that doesn't happen quite often outside China.


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## Guusbok

amazing project!


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## CoCoMilk




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## binhai

11.20 gaoloumi.com


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## Munwon

Insane!


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## KillerZavatar

poor wally is confused and hopes for help. what are these 4 tallest buildings?
are these all the buildings over 300m in that region planned?
Is 1 or 4 the R&F Tower? Because for 4 i remember that design but cant remember what building it was.
Is 3 maybe the 4 Seasons? although it looked like it was in a different area of the city because i cannot see the world financial center.


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## IngMarco

The fourth one looks a lot like 1wtc.


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## KillerZavatar

so R&F tower was changed upwards to 500m, the other tower i titled 4. is over 500m too it seems. goldin finance will be the tallest with 597m on a different end of the city. and then not to forget chow tai fook binhai center which is on the other side of the city. the city will have 4 500m+ buildings then, but all of them in different areas so that there will be many EPIC skylines in one city


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## Myster E

I thought number 4 was just a conceptual design with a final supposed height exceeding 700m, becoming the country's tallest.


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## binhai

KillerZavatar said:


> poor wally is confused and hopes for help. what are these 4 tallest buildings?
> are these all the buildings over 300m in that region planned?
> Is 1 or 4 the R&F Tower? Because for 4 i remember that design but cant remember what building it was.
> Is 3 maybe the 4 Seasons? although it looked like it was in a different area of the city because i cannot see the world financial center.


1 is the R&F Tower, 2 is the Sino-Steel Tower, I'm not too sure but I think 3 is the Powerlong Center (298m), and 4 is the Yujiapu main tower, final design not released yet but people are predicting around 700m.

Four Seasons is in the main city, 40km away, other supertalls in the main city include TJWFC and Kerry Center. Goldin Finance 117 is to the southwest of the main city.

You'll be able to see Chow Tai Fook Center from Yujiapu, it is only 3km away, in another part of the Binhai New Area. From this perspective it'll be behind and to the right of the Yujiapu main tower.


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## binhai

Xiangluowan is at the bottom left, Yujiapu at the bottom center across the river, and Chow Tai Fook at the top right, as part of the TEDA Modern Service District project (mostly midrises).


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## KillerZavatar

BarbaricManchurian said:


> 1 is the R&F Tower, 2 is the Sino-Steel Tower, I'm not too sure but I think 3 is the Powerlong Center (298m), and 4 is the Yujiapu main tower, final design not released yet but people are predicting around 700m.
> 
> Four Seasons is in the main city, 40km away, other supertalls in the main city include TJWFC and Kerry Center. Goldin Finance 117 is to the southwest of the main city.
> 
> You'll be able to see Chow Tai Fook Center from Yujiapu, it is only 3km away, in another part of the Binhai New Area. From this perspective it'll be behind and to the right of the Yujiapu main tower.


oh wow thank you a lot. i can see that tianjin really is booming. i mean i knew it was but soo many ultra tall buildings is simply amazing. And this is one of the few cities i actually believe can build this stuff and actually need it.


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## xlxiaoling




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## binhai

12.11 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

12.15 bohaibbs.net


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## hmmwv

I'm still fascinated by this project, it's scope is simply epic. Compare to this Pudong's initial build up was nothing.


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## Energy2003

unbelivable, so many buildings under construction in the surrounding area


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## z0rg

KillerZavatar said:


> poor wally is confused and hopes for help. what are these 4 tallest buildings?
> are these all the buildings over 300m in that region planned?
> Is 1 or 4 the R&F Tower? Because for 4 i remember that design but cant remember what building it was.
> Is 3 maybe the 4 Seasons? although it looked like it was in a different area of the city because i cannot see the world financial center.


No. 3 is this:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1297535

You can see Powerlong next to it, on the left. Powrelong:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1180055

And the weird blue thing between 3 and 4 is Tishman Speyer plot.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1467450

But that render isn't showing the whole picture. Keep on mind that we're expecting around 12 supertalls un Yujiapu only (the right area). But they may take the whole decade of 2010 to develop, or even longer.

As for Yujiapu main plot (Rose Rock International), I don't think it'll be started before 2015, and we'll probably wont even see real renders in years.


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## KillerZavatar

^^
zorg providing additional information when i was already satisfied of what i got. tianjin still is unbelievable for me, its just too much things, that are too tall, for that city i think i will start to only talk about buildings that started construction or are over 500m so i have at least a bit of an overview, its just insane


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## foxmulder

Why so many of office space is needed...



> North China economic zone attracts over 100 of World Top 500 companies
> 
> TIANJIN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA), a major economic development zone in the port city of Tianjin, has attracted more than 100 of the World Top 500 companies, local authorities said Tuesday.
> 
> So far, 106 companies from the World Top 500, mainly from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, have registered their branches here with 256 investment items, said an official with commercial commission of the TBNA.
> 
> The U.K.-based Unilever, France-based Total, and Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Elevator, are among the companies that established branches this year, said the official.
> 
> By November, the export and import trade value of TBNA surged 27.87 percent year-on-year to 57.2 billion U.S. dollars, he said.


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## binhai

2.2 bohaibbs.net


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## iamawesomezero

I think this place is awesome!!


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## sic!

is there anywhere a detailed map of the district with the buildings under construction, finished and proposed?


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## binhai

^^check the first post


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## sic!

thanks, but i meant an actual one... and like most europeans i have certain problems reading chinese


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## hmmwv

sic! said:


> thanks, but i meant an actual one... and like most europeans i have certain problems reading chinese


There

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.99...&spn=0.027983,0.038581&num=1&t=h&z=15&iwloc=A


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## little universe

By popoeye from www.gaoloumi.com




















*>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SCROLL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*











*>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SCROLL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*


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## maldini

Are these buildings designed by the same architect? They all look quite similar.


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## Eric Offereins

that is a lot of boxes U/C


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## lianli

maldini said:


> Are these buildings designed by the same architect? They all look quite similar.


They are mostly boxes, so their cores will look similar, but the final designs (with cladding) aren't so similar. Just look at the renders on the first few pages of this thread.


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## tim1807

Good question, I wonder myself.


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## Pansori

josedc said:


> I bet this question has been asked already but, Does China really need ALL these buildings or is it an effort to keep pushing the economic growth using the construction sector?


No, all those hundreds of millions of currently rural residents and new businesses do not need buildings. They will be living in caves and slums. :nuts:


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## lianli

Guys, just look at the low vacancy rates in Chinese cities. There is certainly a demand for those building.
Many of those tower a private funded. A private company doesn't care about "pushing the economic growth", it cares about profit.


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## Yuri S Andrade

How far is this project from Downtown and the old European concessions? Where are the current Tiajin's CBD?


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## Pansori

lianli said:


> Guys, just look at the low vacancy rates in Chinese cities. There is certainly a demand for those building.
> Many of those tower a private funded. A private company doesn't care about "pushing the economic growth", it cares about profit.


What are the office vacancy rates in different Chinese cities? I've read they're extremely low in Shanghai or Beijing. Maybe it's not the case elsewhere? Anyway we should see the numbers.


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## SimFox

Yuri S Andrade said:


> How far is this project from Downtown and the old European concessions?


44 km, as crow flies

Area is connected to the core city by roads, BMT light rail (elevated metro) light as well as heavy rail (with station in Tangu (to wich few CRH trains from Beijing South arrive) this line is gonna be extended right into this new CBD.




Yuri S Andrade said:


> Where are the current Tiajin's CBD?


about there - at downtown in the triangle between Central railway station on the north, east end of Nanjing lu (the road) on the south and cross between nanjing lu and Weijin lu on the west.... But it it is very rough and "partial" "bordering"... I mean if you need one. But to be precise Tianjin doesn't really have one defined CBD , at least not presently... Early years it had - the road running north from the east end of Nanjing lu to the main railway station - all the banks and so on were concentrated on and around it. And Tianjin was one of the main financial centers of China 2 of the 5 biggest banks of the land in early 20 century were from Tianjin.

But to be honest businesses are spread around all parts of the core Tianjin.For instance cities tallest building - nearly 600m tall Golding Finance is built on the south-west "edge" of the city, beyond it's ring road.


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## Scion

Pansori said:


> What are the office vacancy rates in different Chinese cities? I've read they're extremely low in Shanghai or Beijing. Maybe it's not the case elsewhere? Anyway we should see the numbers.


From Colliers' Q4 2011 reports, Beijing's office vacancy rate is 4.3%. Shanghai is at 7.4%. Tianjin's is 17.5%.

Beijing http://dsg.colliers.com/document.aspx?report=2559.pdf
Shanghai http://dsg.colliers.com/document.aspx?report=2278.pdf
Tianjin http://dsg.colliers.com/document.aspx?report=2731.pdf


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## Pansori

Thanks Scion. Beijing and Shanghai vacancy rates look dangerously low.


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## Igor Antunov

Indeed. They have to build more office space.


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## Pansori

I guess that is being solved by the Beijing CBD expansion, right? I know this is not the right topic to ask but what is the total sq.m planned for beijing CBD? Isn't it several million square meters of space?


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## binhai

4.25 bohaibbs.net


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## binhai

4.25 gaoloumi.com


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## Ed007Toronto

Coming along nicely.


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## sakai

amazing! is there a list of all the buildings in the area?

how tall are the already topped-out ones?


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## foxmulder

10 years from now, we will have a crazy skyline here. Good for photographers. :lol:


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## General Huo

These look tremendous



big-dog said:


> 4.25 Tianjin Port and Binhai CBD
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> by popoeye, gaoloumi.com


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## idoke

Huge over supply is forecast in Tianjin. In 2 years the new supply of grade A office will be enough for 60 years!

　该报告根据各个城市优质写字楼的消化周期计算公式，即消化周期=目前至2014年底的存量/过去16个季度的平均吸纳量，得出一个惊人的理论数字：天津到2014年底新增的优质写字楼存量超过500万平方米，消化周期需要60年。


http://house.hexun.com/2012-05-10/141250151.html


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## KillerZavatar

idoke said:


> Huge over supply is forecast in Tianjin. In 2 years the new supply of grade A office will be enough for 60 years!
> 
> 该报告根据各个城市优质写字楼的消化周期计算公式，即消化周期=目前至2014年底的存量/过去16个季度的平均吸纳量，得出一个惊人的理论数字：天津到2014年底新增的优质写字楼存量超过500万平方米，消化周期需要60年。
> 
> 
> http://house.hexun.com/2012-05-10/141250151.html


i hope that tianjin can make its demand higher then, it would suck if it is true and the bubble busts when goldin finance isn't even halfway up.


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## everywhere

^^ New updates of Xiangluowan please


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## skyridgeline

idoke said:


> Huge over supply is forecast in Tianjin. In 2 years the new supply of grade A office will be enough for 60 years!
> 
> 该报告根据各个城市优质写字楼的消化周期计算公式，即消化周期=目前至2014年底的存量/过去16个季度的平均吸纳量，得出一个惊人的理论数字：天津到2014年底新增的优质写字楼存量超过500万平方米，消化周期需要60年。
> 
> 
> http://house.hexun.com/2012-05-10/141250151.html


The article is brought to you by the department of propaganda for current speculators :lol:.


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## binhai

May 5


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## binhai




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## CoCoMilk

wow they are close


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## hmmwv

Coming along nicely.


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## Skizo91

Damn the chinese are fast at building.


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## Igor Antunov

So how much does this cost?


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## Pansori

Igor Antunov said:


> So how much does this cost?


6.9bn USD as of May 2011 it seems. Probably more by now or in a few years time.
Source: http://gochina.scmp.com/tianjin/government/investment-business-district-hits-434b-yuan


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## everywhere

^^ Seems that this district is almost done. :cheers:

Cladding is up next.


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## binhai




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## everywhere

^^ Seems that the other business district is just on the other side


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## binhai

The background is Xiangluowan, the buildings in the foreground are in Yujiapu. Pic is taken from a building in Yujiapu, facing west toward Xiangluowan.


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## everywhere

BarbaricManchurian said:


> The background is Xiangluowan, the buildings in the foreground are in Yujiapu. Pic is taken from a building in Yujiapu, facing west toward Xiangluowan.


Thanks a lot.


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## binhai




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## TheKiwi

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18831935


----------



## everywhere

@BarbaricM: seems that a few buildings along Xiangluowan are topped-off already. Now claddings and interiors are up next...


----------



## VECTROTALENZIS

TheKiwi said:


> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18831935


Citing the reporter:



> Rising skywards, this is China, celebrating yet another skyscraper. Acres of them are built here on the coastal mud flat at Tianjin. *They stand brand new and empty.*
> 
> To do this Tianjin and dozens of cities like it have borrowed money billions upon billions, they are now deep in dept. If China's economy is slowing, that raises huge questions, *would Tianjin ever fill these buildings?* Would it make a profit? Or will China's dept drag it down?


----------



## deepblue01

It's from BBC, what do you expect?


----------



## little universe

I thought Chinese People resent the narcissistic CNN rather than the snobbish BBC. Or maybe both? :lol:


----------



## maldini

It looks like the building cluster here are not close and high density enough. Also, they should be built taller, like a couple of 700m+ and 800m+ will make better use of land.


----------



## ZZ-II

maldini said:


> Also, they should be built taller, like a couple of 700m+ and 800m+ will make better use of land.


would be awesome, but won't happen


----------



## everywhere

little universe said:


> I thought Chinese People resent the narcissistic CNN rather than the snobbish BBC. Or maybe both? :lol:


It's both... :lol:

What can we expect from their non-sense and aggressively biased reporting... :lol:


----------



## Myster E

little universe said:


> I thought Chinese People resent the narcissistic CNN rather than the snobbish BBC. Or maybe both? :lol:


Both are hated, but the BBC is better at shit stirring


----------



## Severiano

^^ Make better use of land! This is China, that's illegal. Buildings should be inconveniently spaced apart and surrounded by plants and fences. This makes it a pain just to cross the street. The greenery makes it look green eventhough the development is built for cars and is not pedesterian and bike friendly. 

Tianjin has a very nice CBD I don't know why they can't just build these offices there. These buildings will never be full, its a GDP padding project. "If you build it they will come" worked in Pudong because it was conveniently located in the largest city in China. Tianjin isn't a small city, but this is in the middle of nowhere. I can just imagine how bad the food will be at the canteens they open in the basements of these buildings.


----------



## Igor Antunov

Severiano said:


> ^^ Make better use of land! This is China, that's illegal. Buildings should be inconveniently spaced apart and surrounded by plants and fences. *This makes it a pain just to cross the street. The greenery makes it look green eventhough the development is built for cars and is not pedesterian and bike friendly.*


Wrong.



> Tianjin has a very nice CBD I don't know why they can't just build these offices there. *These buildings will never be full, its a GDP padding project. "If you build it they will come" worked in Pudong because it was conveniently located in the largest city in China. Tianjin isn't a small city, but this is in the middle of nowhere.* I can just imagine how bad the food will be at the canteens they open in the basements of these buildings.


Wrong again.


----------



## cfredo

Severiano said:


> Tianjin has a very nice CBD I don't know why they can't just build these offices there. These buildings will never be full, its a GDP padding project. "If you build it they will come" worked in Pudong because it was conveniently located in the largest city in China. Tianjin isn't a small city, but this is in the middle of nowhere. I can just imagine how bad the food will be at the canteens they open in the basements of these buildings.


You do realize that *285 of the Global Fortune 500 companies* already have branch offices is Tianjin Binhai New Area? So apparently "they" are already coming.

In 2010 Foreign Direct Investment (not from the Chinese government) in Binhai reached 7,04 billion $.


----------



## Severiano

^^ Good supporting arguments!


----------



## cfredo

Being serious or sarcastic? :lol:


----------



## Severiano

I was talking to the poster above you, sarcastically


----------



## deepblue01

As skyscraper fans, we should only be focused on the buildings and skylines themselves. Who cares if they get occupied or not. We like the towers themselves, not so much the economics behind it. Of course it would be best if its occupied, but it shouldn't bother us so much and it shouldn't be the focal point!!


----------



## maldini

cfredo said:


> You do realize that *285 of the Global Fortune 500 companies* already have branch offices is Tianjin Binhai New Area? So apparently "they" are already coming.
> 
> In 2010 Foreign Direct Investment (not from the Chinese government) in Binhai reached 7,04 billion $.


Where in Binhai new area are these companies located now?


----------



## cfredo

maldini said:


> Where in Binhai new area are these companies located now?


If you look on Google Maps you can see an industrial/office zone north of the Xiangluowan Business District.
http://goo.gl/maps/9Hzc


EADS Airbus, Rockefeller, Nestle, Unilever, Motorola, Tishman Speyer, Chevron, Pepsi, Siemens, Toyota, HSBC, Citibank...
Just to name some of the companies that already openend offices or plants in Binhai.

The world's 5th largest port (Tianjin Port) is only 5km away.


----------



## binhai

Severiano said:


> ^^ Make better use of land! This is China, that's illegal. Buildings should be inconveniently spaced apart and surrounded by plants and fences. This makes it a pain just to cross the street. The greenery makes it look green eventhough the development is built for cars and is not pedesterian and bike friendly.


Somewhat agree here. This project isn't the worst offender but could be a lot better.



Severiano said:


> Tianjin has a very nice CBD I don't know why they can't just build these offices there.


Massive amounts of construction are also happening in Tianjin's old CBD. It's not an either-or scenario, it's both, and why not?



Severiano said:


> These buildings will never be full, its a GDP padding project. "If you build it they will come" worked in Pudong because it was conveniently located in the largest city in China. Tianjin isn't a small city, but this is in the middle of nowhere. I can just imagine how bad the food will be at the canteens they open in the basements of these buildings.


Bullshit speculation. It is a possibility, but it is very unlikely that North China's premier financial district will remain empty for long. The entirety of North China doesn't have a project like this, while East China already has Lujiazui, and South China already has Zhujiang New City, and soon Qianhai. Also this isn't in the middle of nowhere. It's a little far away from the city center, near the coast, but within 10 years the urban areas of Tianjin city and Binhai New Area should be merged. There will also be a direct high-speed rail connection from Beijing and Tianjin city, and a metro line connecting to Tianjin city and other places in Binhai. In China things change FAST, Tianjin was a completely different city in 2000 (3rd world shithole, honestly), and will be a completely different city by 2020.


----------



## skyridgeline

maldini said:


> Where in Binhai new area are these companies located now?


At the moment, not in Binhai ... but all over the world!


----------



## cfredo

skyridgeline said:


> At the moment, not in Binhai ... but all over the world!


He was talking about the plants and branch offices of those companies in Binhai, not about their company headquarters.


----------



## maldini

cfredo said:


> He was talking about the plants and branch offices of those companies in Binhai, not about their company headquarters.


So after all these companies move into their new Binhai offices, will the existing special economics zone just to the north be redeveloped?


----------



## binhai

^^Not for a while, the area isn't even full yet. But I could definitely envision some kind of redevelopment as the area grows into a large city, but really not for at least another decade.


----------



## binhai




----------



## cfredo

^^
The render looks like Chicago on steroids. 

Why is there a reflection of the Shanghai skyline in the water? :lol:


----------



## VECTROTALENZIS

When is this going to be finished? or partly finished?


----------



## binhai

It should be mostly done by 2014. A few buildings probably won't finish until 2020 though.


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Boxy is nice.


----------



## singoone

The good thing would be to build at least a few unboxy buildings to stand out. 
I also wonder how high is Tianjin vacancy rate? :dunno:


----------



## Momo1435

^^ Tianjin has a vacancy rate for the prime offices just above the 10% and declining, it's healthy at the moment

But when all these towers are completed from 2014 the total office supply will increase dramatically. Then it will be a challenge to fill these towers as quickly as the most recent big additions to the market where able to do.


----------



## binhai

Building a whole new city, next to the existing city


----------



## yankeesfan1000

Momo1435 said:


> ^^ Tianjin has a vacancy rate for the prime offices just above the 10% and declining, it's healthy at the moment
> 
> But when all these towers are completed from 2014 the total office supply will increase dramatically. Then it will be a challenge to fill these towers as quickly as the most recent big additions to the market where able to do.


Thanks for that vacancy rate number, as you eluded to it doesn't really tell the whole story though. I'd be interested to know how many square feet of prime office space currently exist in Tianjin where that 10% vacancy rate exists, how many square feet of comparable office space is expected to come on line, what a square foot costs in what is currently defined as prime offices, and what the costs per square foot will be in these new buildings that are currently U/C. 

Not expecting an answer to all those questions, but thanks for that vacancy rate number again.


----------



## Pansori

I don't think office space in China is measured in 'feet'.


----------



## hmmwv

Pansori said:


> I don't think office space in China is measured in 'feet'.


Well his name is yankeesfan so I think it's perfectly normal for him to use ft^2 than m^2.


----------



## binhai




----------



## RoofHeightMatters

This might have been answered before, but I'm curious what all the now-empty land in those pictures used to be? Farming? Industrial?


----------



## iveman94

wow, this project sooooo great! China rocks!


----------



## binhai

RoofHeightMatters said:


> This might have been answered before, but I'm curious what all the now-empty land in those pictures used to be? Farming? Industrial?


Villages and industry. The former villagers got moved to the towers in the foreground of the 1st and 2nd pics.


----------



## Pansori

Thanks for the update BM. I was already wondering what's happening there. Any chance to see it from the previously posted angles like this one?


----------



## Singidunum

What is the planned cost for this district?


----------



## Pansori

Singidunum said:


> What is the planned cost for this district?


I tried to Google some data but it's not very clear. Some sources give a figure of around 30bn USD while others cite 160bn USD as _already_ having been invested. It's really unclear. I would guess the figures that mention _hundreds_ of billions of USD include all fixed-asset investments like transport, infrastructure, etc.


----------



## binhai




----------



## Amastroi2017

^^
R&F Guangdong Tower is diagonally behind the complex that is half cladded? Just imagine in 5-6 years when R&F is complete and stands above these nice surrounding towers. Great district and awesome photos! :cheers:


----------



## hmmwv

I can already imagine the traffic jam on that bridge linking Yujiapu and Xiangluowan.


----------



## FM 2258

^^

Will there be good subway connections to/from and throughout this development? It doesn't seem like one line with one station for the whole development would be enough if that's their plan.


----------



## Pansori

hmmwv said:


> I can already imagine the traffic jam on that bridge linking Yujiapu and Xiangluowan.


Won't there be any tunnels?


----------



## binhai

There's gonna be a ton of bridges, multiple metro lines, and at least one road tunnel.


----------



## Pansori

^^
That sound about right then.


----------



## binhai




----------



## FM 2258

I'm glad to see they're planting trees in the district. Any idea when this district will be finished and fully functional?


----------



## binhai

I would say within 12-18 months.


----------



## binhai




----------



## Pansori

It now starts to look like a real city. I guess this is on my top must-see in China list now.


----------



## VECTROTALENZIS

^^

Wait until it's finished and in the meanwhile go to other cities in China such Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Xi'an.


----------



## Torch

As a kid I wondered how it be like if a city is build all at once. Never thought it would actually happen. But now especially Dubai and Tianjin showed me that it is possible.


----------



## FM 2258

This place looks great! Are there going to be any well world renowned hotels in this area?


----------



## maldini

Are there going to be pedestrian shopping streets in this district, like Nanjing East in Shanghai? A shopping street will make it more hustle and bustle. Do these tall buildings have sufficient parkades to accommodate the cars that will flow into this district.


----------



## Northern Lotus

_According to the CBS show "60 minutes', a lot of these towers have stopped construction and most of them are sitting empty; is that true? Would someone from Tienjin verify please._


----------



## Pansori

Northern Lotus said:


> _According to the CBS show "60 minutes', a lot of these towers have stopped construction and most of them are sitting empty; is that true? _


Since we have an opportunity to watch the progress right in this thread, the enswer is, of course, no.

This is a problem of many Western journalists. They don't speak or read Chinese, they don't read even relevant English-language sources (like SSC ) and they have zero clue about what's actually happening in China.

However they _have_ to create a sensation. And they do by any means or imagination they have. Then you get outright comical stories about 'Chinese ghost cities' or 'real estate bubble which is about to burst very very very soon'.


----------



## phoenixboi08

Pansori said:


> Since we have an opportunity to watch the progress right in this thread, the enswer is, of course, no.
> 
> This is a problem of many Western journalists. They don't speak or read Chinese, they don't read even relevant English-language sources (like SSC ) and they have zero clue about what's actually happening in China.
> 
> However they have to create a sensation. And they do by any means or imagination they have. Then you get outright comical stories about 'Chinese ghost cities' or 'real estate bubble which is about to burst very very very soon'.


Eh... There's usually some truth. Most of the time it's sensationalized, yes, but there is a lot of misallocation of capital in the country (and it's not just "western" journalists that do it. I've read similar type stories from the Chinese press...). 

However, what they always fail to grasp is that the economy is in a state that a rather large number of "white elephants" can be absorbed. 

But it's a bit disingenuous to go on like there aren't any bad manipulations in the real estate market...and retail for that matter. 

Office space, however, is a pretty good investment.


----------



## Pansori

phoenixboi08 said:


> Eh... There's usually some truth. Most of the time it's sensationalized, yes, but there is a lot of misallocation of capital in the country (and it's not just "western" journalists that do it. I've read similar type stories from the Chinese press...).
> 
> However, what they always fail to grasp is that the economy is in a state that a rather large number of "white elephants" can be absorbed.
> 
> But it's a bit disingenuous to go on like there aren't any bad manipulations in the real estate market...and retail for that matter.
> 
> Office space, however, is a pretty good investment.


And yet they ignore missalocation of capital back at their home countries. As if it makes sense to bail-out bankrupt banks yet ignore the fact that transport infrastructure has been starved of investment for decades now (UK is a rather extreme example of that. US is probably not doing too well there either).

The point is that China's economy fundamentals are strong. Perhaps as strong as they possibly could be in the current global context. The very same countries whose press is identifying 'misallocations' of resources in China are in a much, MUCH more serious danger of economic difficulties if not outright decline. I mean primarily UK and, to a lesser extent, the US.

Therefore it looks a bit suspicious once they blatantly ignore very deep-rooted and fundamental problems of their own countries (or worse, explicitly portray it as a non-issue) yet make a big deal out of something that happens in China that they have no clue and knowledge of and in some cases distort the information to make it look something else from what it actually is.


Just take China's HSR development as an example. Even if it's not a real-estate topic it suits the case rather well. Almost every single article posted by the likes of The Economist, WSJ and many other popular mainstream and 'respectable' Western media outlets (not talking of some niche and professional industry media, that's a different story) were publishing dozens of articles many of which without going much into details, without any exaggeration, amounted to utter and complete nonsense.

Such media tirade has been going on for ages and it has become a 'standard' to post how bad is this and that in China, how dangerous it may be and how unsustainable is everything from A to Z, how bad (and always getting worse and worse) is the situation with the 'human rights' and pretty much everything else. 

Even if there is some truth in that such irresponsible and openly biased publishing doesn't improve the credibility of those sources. Repeating the same all over and over again and showing the same 5 year old video broadcasts about some ghost-town somewhere along with a vacant shopping mall and concluding that China's real estate bubble is about to burst is nothing but sham journalism based on phantom 'facts'.


----------



## spectre000

Pansori said:


> Even if there is some truth in that such irresponsible and openly biased publishing doesn't improve the credibility of those sources. Repeating the same all over and over again and showing the same 5 year old video broadcasts about some ghost-town somewhere along with a vacant shopping mall and concluding that China's real estate bubble is about to burst is nothing but sham journalism based on phantom 'facts'.


Well that reporter wasn't walking through Tianjin from five years ago. She was walking through the current Yujiapu district. And even the local Chinese officials admitted it went on hold. How long construction is suspended will be the story. Could be fairly short, could be long term. We'll find out over time.

There are empty skyscrapers in China. But certainly more full ones than empty ones. As for us westerners, I think we just find it fascinating a country can construct huge buildings so frivously. It's not how are market works.


----------



## foxmulder

spectre000 said:


> It's not how are market works.


??

It is exactly how market works.


----------



## binhai

A number of buildings are on hold or have the appearance of being on hold, but the entire district is far from on hold as a whole. There is no point in opening buildings before the surrounding infrastructure is completed so a lot of topped-out buildings look on hold while surrounding buildings continue to rise. They're currently building parks and a 2nd bridge over the river and it doesn't seem like the schedule has slipped that much, most buildings are going for a mid-2014 opening along with the HSR station.


----------



## phoenixboi08

Pansori said:


> And yet they ignore missalocation of capital back at their home countries. As if it makes sense to bail-out bankrupt banks yet ignore the fact that transport infrastructure has been starved of investment for decades now (UK is a rather extreme example of that. US is probably not doing too well there either).
> 
> The point is that China's economy fundamentals are strong. Perhaps as strong as they possibly could be in the current global context. The very same countries whose press is identifying 'misallocations' of resources in China are in a much, MUCH more serious danger of economic difficulties if not outright decline. I mean primarily UK and, to a lesser extent, the US.
> 
> Therefore it looks a bit suspicious once they blatantly ignore very deep-rooted and fundamental problems of their own countries (or worse, explicitly portray it as a non-issue) yet make a big deal out of something that happens in China that they have no clue and knowledge of and in some cases distort the information to make it look something else from what it actually is.
> 
> Just take China's HSR development as an example. Even if it's not a real-estate topic it suits the case rather well. Almost every single article posted by the likes of The Economist, WSJ and many other popular mainstream and 'respectable' Western media outlets (not talking of some niche and professional industry media, that's a different story) were publishing dozens of articles many of which without going much into details, without any exaggeration, amounted to utter and complete nonsense.
> 
> Such media tirade has been going on for ages and it has become a 'standard' to post how bad is this and that in China, how dangerous it may be and how unsustainable is everything from A to Z, how bad (and always getting worse and worse) is the situation with the 'human rights' and pretty much everything else.
> 
> Even if there is some truth in that such irresponsible and openly biased publishing doesn't improve the credibility of those sources. Repeating the same all over and over again and showing the same 5 year old video broadcasts about some ghost-town somewhere along with a vacant shopping mall and concluding that China's real estate bubble is about to burst is nothing but sham journalism based on phantom 'facts'.


I just think talk like this is over generalizing. 

I'm not saying there isn't a particular editorial line being pushed; there sometimes is (all you have to do is speak with foreign correspondents in China - a lot of them don't want to cover half the stories they're made to). 

I'm just also pointing out that there are plenty of developments that don't always "add" up. A lot of it is really just growing pains, and some of it is systemic. 

I just think healthy debate about these kinds of stories can be enlightening if they have substance. 

As much as journalistic hyperbole irritates me, this creeping notion of Chinese infallibility does even more (almost as much as American exceptionalism- which isn't ubiquitous, by the way).

China's good at economic policy and commands respect for it, but they also **** up from time to time. I mean (to borrow from your example), we also thought Wall Street was pretty infallible as well... 

I think essentially, weeding out horrible writing from actual critiques is my core issue. Being critical doesn't mean they're out of touch or anti-china. That's really all I meant to say. There have been many a book written about the collapse of the Chinese economy (mostly shit, excuse my French), but that doesn't mean that recent indications of certain issues should be discounted.

*and practically every media story I've ever read about China's HSR has been nothing short of praise and (in our case here in the US) envy. Even with the imperative citing of safety concerns, I've read more scathing articles about the state of our transport than that in China.

Then again, I don't read the WSJ.


----------



## Northern Lotus

The show (60 minutes) missed to show a few things:
1) Chinese has the highest savings rate in the world; in other words, they have cash.
2) The concept of mortgage, borrowing money to buy property or car, is relatively new in China, a great portion of the property market were being bought with full cash or large down payment. At the end of the show, it shows people are still lining up to buy property. If people have money and are still buying, that means there is no bubble.
3) The show missed to mention the Chinese cultural tradition, that is buying property for their relatives. A couple with means will very likely buy a couple of extra units for their parents and definitely one for their son or daughter. They don't mind to let the units sit empty until their relatives need to occupy them.
4) No mention the rate of vacancy for the commercial/office space. I understand that the vacancy rate in Shanghai is around 9% while Los Angels is over 14% and Toronto is around 12%.


----------



## Pansori

phoenixboi08 said:


> I just think talk like this is over generalizing.
> 
> I'm not saying there isn't a particular editorial line being pushed; there sometimes is (all you have to do is speak with foreign correspondents in China - a lot of them don't want to cover half the stories they're made to).
> 
> I'm just also pointing out that there are plenty of developments that don't always "add" up. A lot of it is rrally just growing pains, and some of it is systemic.
> 
> I just think healthy debate about these kinds of stories can be enlightening if they have substance.
> 
> As much as journalistic hyperbole irritates me, this creeping notion of Chinese infallibility does even more (almost as much as American exceotionalism - which isn't ubiquitous, by the way).
> 
> China's good at economic policy and command respect for it, but they also **** up from time to time. I mean (to borrow from your examole), we also thought Wall Street was pretty infallible as well...
> 
> I think essentially, weeding out horrible writing from actual critiques is my core issue. Being critical doesn't mean they're out of touch or anti-china. That's really all I meant to say. There have been many a book written about the collapse of the Chinese economy (mostly shit, excuse my French), but that doesn't mean that recent indications of certain issues should be discounted.
> 
> *and practically every media story I've ever read about China's HSR has been nothing short of praise and (in our case here in the US) envy. Even with the imperative citing of safety concerns, I've read more scathing articles about the state of our transport than that in China.
> 
> Then again, I don't read the WSJ.


Of course there are exceptions but the general trend in the Western media is the following (ragarding the HSR development). Similar stance is taken regarding real estate or pretty much any other area of the economy:

- China's HSR boom is unsustainable, too expensive for 'ordinary people' (on the other hand they say tickets are too cheap to cover even operational costs... a bit of a contradiction)
- Safety standards are flawed (pointing to the Wenzhou accident for a millionth time in every single article since the accident took place)
- Fixed asset investment is bad and unsustainable
- bla bla bla.

At least this is what most of the articles wold argue for. And I do read pretty much everything on the subject in the UK and American media therefore I'm sure I'm not missing much.

The point is that the overall stance of the popular and respected media outlets is very biased, agenda-based and misinforming. The fact that there are some dangers in the Chinese real estate or other areas does not change that. There are dangers in real estate in pretty much every country in the world (with some exceptions... like Germany perhaps) and especially the US. The problem is that any of such potential dangers in China (where they are far from being the most dangerous compared to US or some other countries where economy is 'driven' by the means of 'quantitative easing' and similar fundamentally unsustainable measures) are completely blown out of proportion.

Many such articles 'argue' that China's real estate 'bubble' is very dangerous and may have consequences much harsher than the past bubbles in the US. Even using common sense and very fundamental logic one can identify that such claims are flawed in principle. This is because China's financial posituion and structure of the financial market as well as banking system and rules of buying property are in a different planet compared to the US or even EU countries. The conventional US style housing bubble is simply impossible in China. Not because some believe that China is somehow 'infallible' but simply because there are factors which make a conventional US bubble physically impossible in China.

There may be certain consequences and indicators in the housing market (and very likely they have been taking place for a while now) but there isn't and won't be a 'bubble' in a conventional (looking from the US and European perspective that is) form.


----------



## the man from k-town

wo they just built a new city within the city


----------



## HardBall

Just curious; 

What prevented them from building around the old city center, instead of carving out an entire downtown area from scratch. Now, there has to be massive movement of people, businesses, organization to the Binghai district; and a lot of infrastructures have to be built anew. I understand the argument of planning and having tabula rasa to start out, but wouldn't building next to the old downtown area greatly ease the transition??


----------



## krkseg1ops

Once complete, Xiangluowan will host several thousand employees, which will in turn generate gargantuan traffic. Look at Moscow now, it is basically a standstill near MIBC hence they are planning some bridges and/or elevated roads.


----------



## binhai

The riverside park will open at the end of June. Progress!


----------



## Pansori

krkseg1ops said:


> Once complete, Xiangluowan will host several thousand employees, which will in turn generate gargantuan traffic. Look at Moscow now, it is basically a standstill near MIBC hence they are planning some bridges and/or elevated roads.


Not several thousand but more like several hundred thousand.


----------



## binhai

It's all starting to come together.


----------



## spectre000

Now the area just needs people. LOL.

Just amazing to see. Will these towers be filled by mostly state-owned companies?


----------



## ThatOneGuy

Nice to see some cladding.


----------



## Munwon

noticable progress!


----------



## maldini

Will there be shopping streets, shopping malls and fancy restaurants that will attract the youngsters?


----------



## TowerVerre:)

Tianjin and Shenzhen are really the most exciting cities for skyscraperfans yet.


----------



## SkYsCrApEr2013

Loads of buildings popping up!


----------



## :jax:

And here's is a view from the antipodes (well, not really the antipodes, but anti definitely):
Northern China’s city of ghosts


> On the top floor of a riverside office tower a lone man stands smoking. It’s late afternoon and the hallways should be filled with the chatter and footsteps of workers leaving for the day. Yet, despite its marble floors, this prime office building in China’s newest financial district is silent.
> 
> The smoker is the only person to be seen in the building, which is one of 43 high-rise projects either completed or under *construction in this district dubbed “mini-Manhattan”. Officially it’s known as the *Binhai New Area CBD and it has the dubious distinction of being the country’s latest ghost town.
> 
> It was supposed to be northern China’s answer to financial districts in Shanghai and Shenzhen, but the early indications are not positive for this city centre, which was salt flats just three-and-a-half years ago. The smoker says he is one of only three tenants on the ninth floor of the Sino Trade Centre, which was completed eight months ago.
> 
> “There are a few more on the lower floors,” he says.
> 
> A walk through the building proves him correct, but only just. Of the roughly 500 offices available for rent, just 20 appear to be in use, equating to an occupancy rate of 4 per cent.
> 
> Things at the adjoining 46-level tower are only marginally better. The doorman says 20 per cent of the apartments are filled, while its 13 floors of office space look as empty as next door.
> 
> “I won’t even try to sell or lease a building in Binhai,” says Gao Fei, an analyst and sales manager at Centaline Property in the neighbouring city of Tianjin.
> 
> “There is just no demand. Not even God knows what will happen next.”
> 
> Such is the strange world of Chinese economics. In a market-based system, a higher power would not be required to predict the future. The answer would be simple: stop building.


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## lowenmeister

Its way too early to know if this will be considered a failure. Its location is very central in relation to other major cities in the bohai rim so at least its a good location for a new city to pop up.


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## idoke

I know of a non-profit foreign organization that just got a free office space in Binhai. Looks quite desperate IMO.


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## :jax:

Long-term, by which I mean something like 2030, I am sanguine. Binhai is basically Beijing-by-the-Bohai, some tens of millions will be moving to this region almost no matter what. Barring some hidden flaw, shoddy construction, vulnerability to natural disasters, planning shortcomings or similar, Binhai has a prime location (leaving aside that this still isn't quite by the sea). It will be a natural place to settle, with hopefully good infrastructure and services, possibly and hopefully with world class residential and commercial projects nearby. 

From here to there seems a gamble. Getting too much property online too quickly may actually deter or at least delay such a future. A general slowdown in the Chinese economy, or one misstep too many locally, and people may stay away, leading to deterioration in services and maintenance, until eventually the cheap rent, boom times, and/or good communications lure enough people in.


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## luhai

The Area from Google Map, cross post from Godin Finance.


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## Sergei Dekker

I really like this building.


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## hmmwv

Sergei Dekker said:


> I really like this building.


Me too, I like this kind of conservative designs, in fact I really like the mixture of designs at Xiangluowan, not too flashy.


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## Atmosphere

Yes, but I think some more colors are needed. Right now, it's all limestone brown and blue glass. I'm already glad it's not only glass but I would like to see some other tints. White, red, grey, etc.


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## binhai




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## Faisal Shourov

Tianjin's architecture is so much like American cities...and the density is similar...This part of tianjin doesn't look like a chinese city to be honest


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## _Night City Dream_

No, it's typical Chinese, but new one, stylish, and elegant. And Chinese cities look to me much more interesting and convenient than American cities.


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## phoenixboi08

Have any residential units been completed (will any be completed soon)?


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## binhai




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## KillerZavatar

can't wait for R&F to tower over everything next year :cheers: i really do like the twins with the spires, hope the cladding on them will look great and they are close to R&F as well which is really nice :cheers:


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## ThatOneGuy

Seems like the towers on this side are nearly finished.


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## binhai




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## IngMarco

The greenery gives it so much life, it doesn't look like an inception limbo anymore. Now those buildings need to be filled with people. The place is surreal.


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## spectre000

IngMarco said:


> The greenery gives it so much life, it doesn't look like an inception limbo anymore. Now those buildings need to be filled with people. *The place is surreal.*


Agreed, but it's fascinating to watch. Here's a fairly objective report on Tianjin's CBDs.

http://www.weekinchina.com/2014/04/the-emperor%E2%80%99s-new-clothes/

"...But progress has been slow. Only two buildings are in full working order and both of these are only partially occupied. .."


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## Eric Offereins

It seems that there will be demand, but it's a long term story, depending on amongst others,population growth.


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## :jax:

spectre000 said:


> Here's a fairly objective report on Tianjin's CBDs.
> 
> http://www.weekinchina.com/2014/04/the-emperor%E2%80%99s-new-clothes/


Funny they should mention Caofeidian (Tangshan), and that it will link up with the Tianjin metro system, which was news for me. I pinged this about a month ago, before the desalination plant announcement, to no response.




Eric Offereins said:


> It seems that there will be demand, but it's a long term story, depending on amongst others,population growth.


Long term there is no chance it won't fill up, given the central location and infrastructure (assuming it won't sink into the swamp or some other unforeseen disaster). But many projects of this kind have struggled for 5-10-20 years before getting to that point. Should something like this happen here, it would be a drain on the economy.


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## binhai




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## Munwon

Very promising update! They are building high-rise residential near by. Residents = more demand for other amenities like shopping, schools and restaurants.


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## KillerZavatar

they rise fast, but then take really long to get cladding up is my feeling. for the tallest buildings, R&F Tower also seems to be still in normal progressing, although it is hard to say with not too many updates, but from last year to march this year, the progress was really good. for yujiapo, powerlong center is powering thru and growing as well, yinglan ifc being really slow though. sadly if many projects progress slow it also means the currently halted projects like sino steel and rose rock will also take longer to start up again, since they seem to wait for the buildings around to be finished before starting.


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## jaysonn341

I get the feeling that if we fill up this place with Beijing's government offices and link it with a high speed rail line, it would solve several congestion problems in the capital and bring life to this place at the same time. Wishful thinking of course.


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## P05

There is not enough supply of new office space in Beijing, perhaps the high prices in Beijing will divert some of the demand to Tianjin?


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## spectre000

P05 said:


> There is not enough supply of new office space in Beijing, perhaps the high prices in Beijing will divert some of the demand to Tianjin?


That is the hope. I've heard Beijing has a vacancy rate around 2 or 3%. It's a ridiculously tight market there. But the construction delays have really hurt them.


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## :jax:

In a way Binhai is Beijing-by-the-sea (if we ignore that it isn't actually by the sea, but in the marshlands near the sea). 

The value and attraction of the Bohai sea will naturally stretch a bit of Beijing in a south-eastern direction, and the high-speed backbone helps keeping the distances short. However Guomao, Beijing CBD, isn't actually close to the Beijing South station, so the kind of businesses that naturally cluster around Guomao wouldn't naturally stretch to Binhai. Tianjin CBD is much closer to Binhai CBD, Xiangluowan, and a more natural stretch. In theory you could go from Tianjin CBD to Xiangluowan and back again in a long lunch break.


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## Pansori

There will be HSR station in Binhai CBD. What other transport links will be there besides expressways in the long term? I suppose there will be metro. What about some fast commuter railways connecting it to the nearby region and other main parts of Tianjin?


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## ItchyBoy

Really enjoyable thread with great updates throughout  Thanks.


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## VECTROTALENZIS

Any updates?


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## lawdefender

This project could not be carried on as the whole area become a ghost town.


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## surfnasi

What are you sure its a ghost town

Everything looks great in the photos above


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## General Huo

Ghost city, here we come !!!


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## General Huo

Some time in February from gaoloumi.com


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## deepblue01

How many of these towers (by estimate) are actually opened for use? Some seem like if they are still in the construction site (shown by the fences around the towers)


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## teddybear

When companies starts to locate to this area then we will see more cars and people, I think.


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## kunming tiger

Is this part of the Tianjin FTZ?


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## jaysonn341

kunming tiger said:


> Is this part of the Tianjin FTZ?


From observing this photo, I would say yes. 
My question would be: was this whole area originally designed knowing it would be part of a FTZ? 
If yes, then building everything makes sense. 
If no, then what a convenient way to make sure the buildings are filled :lol:


General Huo said:


>


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## surfnasi

There are cars but where are all the people


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## surfnasi

I looked at a fb video last night that stated there were 65 million vacant apartments for sale in China but the orindinary Chinese person could never afford to buy one


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## Zaz965

by gao7


gao7 said:


> http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2016-09/29/c_135723409_3.htm


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## KillerZavatar

^^ that number seems kinda low. That's a vacancy rate of under 5%


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## Renegade_Bison

Some buildings are open and in use but most of them aren't.

The public security bureau for example is located here in a nice tower

Many of the buildings are not 100% finished and some of those that are haven't opened doors yet because they must be waiting to sign on more tenants before taking on the operating costs


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## Renegade_Bison

Re the ownership of apartments, the cost of property is really high in China but ownership rates are also really high.

People here are mostly culturally averse to renting unless they have to.

Owning multiple properties is actually very common and many empty apartments are actually owned. In Chinese culture the parents of a groom are expected to buy their son and daughter in law a property before they get married.

With this in mind loads of people buy them a long time prior as an investment for their son. Typically the son will continue to live with his parents until he's married though, which whilst not covering all of the oversupply and empty properties, does cover an awful lot of them.


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## lawdefender




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## lawdefender




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## lawdefender

IT IS A GOOD URBAN BACKGROUND FOR ZOMBIE MOVIES.


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## lawdefender




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