Building Blocks
Depending on where in the world you grew up and spent most of your lifetime, a first time visit to China will put your understanding of “big” into perspective.
The multitude of building projects is jaw dropping – a housing bubble or merely an appropriate infrastructure for a growing and demanding middle class?
Another variable that changes is the time-to-market speed race of such projects. You can order an out-of-the-box 30-storey building and have it assembled in give or take 15 days.
Factor in incentive systems (for gov/org/coorp/lobby) and you end up with a lot of money on the table and a Lego-like building block morale.
What is at the end of the road? What are the social and economic consequences of this housing gamble? Only time will tell.
Yet, using a one or two year old China guidebook, you may quite literally feel first indications of that change. What the guidebook says/shows and what has become reality in the meanwhile may differ quite a bit.
Local knowledge via friends, guides or friendly citizens can help a lot. Trust in God and keep your powder dry.