The “Xiong’an” area south of Beijing, including large portions of Beijing, Hebei, and Tianjin, is among the most ambitious mega cities. To anchor the area and create land appreciation, Beijing is moving its massive bureaucracy from the city center to the outlying Tongzhou District. Land prices in 2017 in the area rose dramatically in anticipation. In some parts of Xiongan–Zhuozhou, Hebei is one example–real estate prices as much as tripled in a few months.
The area pictured above is part of the Goldin Polo Club, anchor of a district in which officials hazily imagine that lower middle class workers will live and commute to Beijing. Below are other developments in the zone. The apartment pictured in the middle, in Beijing, was selling for $5.5. mln in January 2017. It has about 160 usable square meters of totally unfinished space.
When you go to Xiong’an, you go to the Fatherland’s most needed area.
No expense was spared at the Goldin Polo Grounds. Even the sawdust for the ring was imported from the U.K. The horse trainers are Argentinian, and there are veterinarians in residence. The hotel was completely empty, but staff said that the company chairman often stays in the presidential suite.
When you visit Tianjin, be sure to stay at the Jinjiang Hyatt. There’s not much to eat, and the tap water is muddy, and make sure to bring an overcoat, but it looks really cool.
The Xiong’an District is now home to Asia’s second-tallest building, which will be completed as soon as there is financing.
View from the 57th floor, accessed by terrifying construction elevator.
In the Binhai Zone of Tianjin, the local government is very eager to demonstrate that its duty-free shopping center will soon be filled up. Pictures of the model in the showroom and the reality in the shopping center below.
