Travel Guides & Tips in this video
- Tip 1Try the passion fruit dessert drink, a delicious combination of dessert and drink, available for just five yuan. (2:10)
- Tip 2Indulge in the cheap and affordable street food in Dongguan, especially the barbecue, known for its exceptional taste. (2:53)
- Tip 3Explore the Cantonese-style hot pot, a local staple, for an authentic culinary experience. (3:07)
- Tip 4Many businesses in China now operate primarily online, so they only need a small space to manage orders, which reduces rent costs. (14:55)
- Tip 5Consider market research before embarking on large-scale projects to assess their viability and potential success. (15:33)
Explore the world's largest ghost mall in Dongguan, China, with Nico as he uncovers its surprising reality. From a billionaire's ambitious dream to its current state, this video reveals unexpected finds, local interactions, and a captivating story of ambition and adaptation. Discover if this massive mall is truly a ghost town or has found a new life.
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This video follows Nico's journey to Dongguan, China, to investigate the world's largest "ghost mall," the New South China Mall. Contrary to its reputation, Nico finds that the mall isn't entirely empty, with a bustling ground floor filled with shops and businesses.
The mall's initial ambition to attract 100,000 daily visitors fell short, resulting in many empty spaces on upper floors. However, the mall has adapted by subdividing large areas into smaller, more manageable shops, catering to smaller businesses and online sellers.
Nico explores various sections of the mall, including a food court where he tries local delicacies, and a now-closed theme park area that evokes a sense of nostalgia and lost potential. He highlights the contrast between the vibrant ground floor and the largely empty upper levels, offering a unique perspective on the mall's current state.
The video also delves into the mall's history, revealing the story of the billionaire who invested over a billion dollars to build it. Nico reflects on the challenges of such large-scale projects and the importance of market research, suggesting that aiming for a more realistic target might have yielded better results. The video concludes with Nico's reflections on the mall's survival despite its initial failure, and a call to viewers to share their opinions on the project's success or failure. The video also teases an upcoming trip to Wuhan.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What was the most surprising thing about the mall?
- A: It wasn't as empty as I expected. The ground floor was actually quite busy!
- Q: What did you think of the Youtiao?
- A: They were amazing! So thick and tasty, maybe even too big to eat with chopsticks.
- Q: What's the story behind the mall's construction?
- A: An instant noodle tycoon invested over a billion dollars to build the biggest mall in China, but it didn't meet expectations.
- Q: Why did the mall fail initially?
- A: They aimed for an unrealistic number of visitors and targeted the wrong demographic. It was also too far from public transport.
- Q: What's the mall like now?
- A: It's surviving, not thriving. They've subdivided the space into smaller shops to attract smaller businesses and online sellers.
