The Chinese real estate industry has earned an uncanny reputation for building enormously huge structures and settlements that sooner or later end up becoming 'ghost towns'. The sad part is that these enormously huge buildings and towns are supposed to be an economic boon, but they end up becoming a huge bane. Not to mention a stark embarrassment for investors.

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If we stop to consider the list of China's ghost towns, then Shanghai's "Holland Town" and "Thames Town" will certainly stand out. These two expansive towns were built not just to recast the 'European feel' on the outskirts of Shanghai, but also to absorb Shanghai's growing population. But, today, these two towns wear a deserted look.

Not so far away from Holland Town and Thames Town is Pudong district, where another enormously huge building exists, whose emptiness is more stark and hallow. This is the 'Pentagon Mart' which is located in the heart of Shanghai city.

Completed in 2009, this was supposed to become China's largest shopping mall. A shopping Mecca of China. But today, this 500,000 square meter shopping mall has embarrassingly become China's largest empty building.

Not even its strikingly close resemblance to the famous defense Pentagon building in the U.S. was good enough to attract shoppers. Even foreign tourists very rarely visit this Pentagon style shopping mall.

With incredibly low footfalls, most retailers and shoppers obviously shy away from taking risk of setting up their shops in this large shopping mall. As a result, the Pentagon Mart looks like a 'ghost town'.

Chinese state media cites the mall's enormous size and highly confusing interiors as the main reasons for its failure to become a commercial success.

But news has it that authorities are not yet giving up on this shopping mall. They have reportedly pinned their hopes on 'Shanghai Disney Resort' -  Shanghai's equivalent of Disneyland, which is slated to open in June. The new Disneyland is just 5 miles away from Pentagon Mart.

Authorities are hopeful that when Shanghai Disney Resort opens its gate in June, the Pentagon Mart's fortune will finally start changing for better.

TagsPentagon Mart, Pentagon China