South China Mall

South China Mall
华南Mall
Map
LocationDongguan, China
Opening date2005
OwnerFounder Group
Total retail floor area659,611 m2 (7.1 million sq ft)

South China Mall (Chinese: 华南Mall; pinyin: Huá nán) in Dongguan, China (formerly New South China Mall) is the fifth largest shopping mall in the world in both gross leasable area and total area.

South China Mall opened in 2005. For more than 10 years, it was mostly vacant as few merchants ever signed up, leading it to be dubbed a dead mall.[1] In 2015, a CNN story reported that large parts of the mall were "full of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues" after extensive renovations and remodeling, though large portions of the mall still remained vacant. But CNN also added that most of the unoccupied units, in addition to halls and walkways, were still under renovation.[2]

According to an article published in January 2018, after more than a decade of high vacancy, most retail spaces were expected to be filled soon after renovations and updates to the space.[3] The mall features an IMAX-style cinema, theme park, and marine mammal park. In 2020, China Times reported that the occupancy rate was 91%, projected to increase to 98% the following year.[4] However, footage from 2024 reveals large vacant areas, especially on the upper floors.[5]

  1. ^ Donohue, Michael (2008-06-12). "Mall of misfortune". The National. Abu Dhabi Media Company. Archived from the original on 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2010-01-12. Location: Dongguan, China Year Opened: 2005 Gross Leasable Area: 7.1 million square feet
  2. ^ Nylander, Johann (28 April 2015). "Chinese 'ghost mall' back from the dead?". CNN. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  3. ^ Keegan, Matthew (31 January 2018). "World's Biggest Shopping Mall in China Is No Longer a 'Ghost Mall'". Culture Trip.
  4. ^ 李, 未来; 张, 慧敏 (2020-12-21). "疫情之下，华南mall坚持改造升级，将着重打造岭南特色街区". China Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  5. ^ Nico (2024-05-13). The world’s largest GHOST MALL is in China. Retrieved 2024-10-17 – via YouTube.