I have noticed something funny about a few commercial buildings that were built recently in Shenzhen. The top floors are empty. Or, should I write, the place that should be occupied by the theoretical top floors is empty.
You can see it on the left a picture I took this afternoon. And I noticed two other similar buildings within 5 minutes walk of this one.
I guess this is a typical case of Chinese people favoring form over substance. Or am I wrong?
What is surprising is that everybody can see it at first glance. Usually, uncovering the truth takes a little more investigation.
For example, those who spend lots of time in Chinese factories know that the top floors are often empty. If a building counts 5 levels, and you can only visit 3 of them, do you ask to see the remainder?
Maybe it is a workshop belonging to another company–renting available space. Maybe it is just a warehouse for storing stuff. Maybe it is empty and the owner hopes his company will need it soon.
It took you long enough to realize Chinese have nothing up stairs.
Yep. I noticed they like to set up Potemkin factories/offices, but what is surprising here is that they don’t really conceal it… They could use very dark windows for the top floors, for example.
This post is complete bunch of bollocks.
The top level of the building is designed as such as this might be the current fashionable design for buildings. Plenty of such in easy of China as well or in other countries around the world. This is a simple way to allow an otherwise gray building have some certain “livenss” to it. Imagine it without the top.
“I guess this is a typical case of Chinese people favoring form over substance.”
What a lame derogatory and inaccurate comment. Thank god that we have you here to tell us to check empty floors in Factories.
Hi Luca, thanks for the comment. Believe it or not, I never noticed this anywhere else. Maybe you are right and it’s the latest fashion trend.
Drawing a parallel with Chinese factories might be a long shot, but you’d be surprised what can be found in the top buildings of some factories.