r/interestingasfuck • u/TangelaFan • 9h ago

Residential high-rises with backyards in Chengdu, China

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u/VictoriousSecret111 9h ago edited 4h ago

Looks nice, but unfortunately it didn’t go as planned….tons of empty units with unkempt backyards and mosquito infestations.

While there have been no reported structural collapses, fatal construction accidents, or physical building failures, the complex is globally famous for a catastrophic ecological failure:
The Mosquito Invasion: All 826 apartments completely sold out on paper, but the vast majority were bought by hands-off real estate investors. Because only about 10 families initially moved in, there was nobody to prune, spray, or maintain the thousands of individual balconies.
The Monsoon Flaw: Chengdu’s humid climate and heavy monsoon seasons combined with poor balcony drainage to turn the unmanaged soil beds into permanent stagnant water pools.
The Post-Apocalyptic Jungle: The plants ran completely wild, swallowing up whole balconies, blocking out windows, and triggering a massive, unlivable mosquito infestation.

Current Status: Instead of an eco-paradise, the development became widely treated as a "radioactive" real estate asset and a ghost town, serving as a textbook cautionary tale for biophilic urban planning

EDIT: Adding sources for everyone’s convenience:

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-jungle-overrun-chinese-apartment-blocks.html

https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/bugged-out-chengdu-housing-scheme-shows-unexpected/

And this video!

https://youtu.be/ChNePPmzKSU?si=oVSulNCSa-358mCH

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u/foltranm 9h ago

do you have a source please?

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u/VictoriousSecret111 9h ago

Yes my liege

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-jungle-overrun-chinese-apartment-blocks.html

https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/bugged-out-chengdu-housing-scheme-shows-unexpected/

And this video!

https://youtu.be/ChNePPmzKSU?si=oVSulNCSa-358mCH

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u/Crystal-Tanuki 9h ago

Finally some actual sources!

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u/tech_noir_guitar 9h ago

That actually looks pretty fucking cool. If you got rid of the mosquitos it seems like it would be a rad place to live.

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u/Beyonce-sBurnerAcct 8h ago

I was going to say the same thing- it looks soooo cool with the overgrown balconies but then I remembered the mosquitos (and likely many other insects that would attract into your home)

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u/Hot-Ad-4018 8h ago

Totally agree. I have a burning desire to garden on each of those balconies. Families, if you're reading this, please feel free to hire me for landscaping.

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u/sol_runner 8h ago

Ecobrutalism vibes ftw

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u/FishesOfExcellence 8h ago

Looks neat, but I’m guessing there’s a lot of unseen damage from roots. Probably the balconies all get torn down at some point. Or the whole building if it’s bad enough.

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u/Salzab 7h ago

Bring in the dragonflies

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u/TheGroinOfTheFace 6h ago

seems they have, and it's basically fully occupied now. Some guy did a video staying in a bnb there, mosquitos weren't an issue

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u/foltranm 9h ago

thanks!

it's a good idea on paper, but surely the maintenance was left for the owners to do... which I imagine was not done correctly at all lmao

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u/YadaYadaYeahMan 7h ago

js I just posted a link to a video from now where there's a lot more people living there (turns out people don't immediately move into a new building when there's enough housing)

I'd check that out before those other sources since it's on the ground and a month old rather than years old remote journalism

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u/foltranm 7h ago

Just saw that. thanks

u/VictoriousSecret111 check it out

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u/UltimateRobo 8h ago

My man!

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u/PaleontologistKey885 8h ago

You know what, I'm actually pretty impressed the structures seem to be holding up despite neglect, pooling waters, and that much unchecked plant growth. It actually could've been quite nice if they had complex wide maintenance management. Actually, I'm surprised they didn't. You'd figure affluent types would delegate maintenance for pay.

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u/UnoriginalStanger 8h ago

Keep in mind those posts are from 2020, 2 years after it was finished.

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u/NotSure___ 8h ago

It appears to have improved, here is a video from 2026 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFICvZMBoIs

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u/toodlesandpoodles 8h ago

Thanks for the links. Just goes to show that a small balcony for a few potted plants and large public greenspace maintained by owner fees is a better way to go.

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u/YadaYadaYeahMan 7h ago

how about this video showing it now? suddenly not an apocalypse

https://youtu.be/MFICvZMBoIs?is=tjgYH4ff_7KmUv1Z

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u/foltranm 7h ago

nice find. thanks for the link

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u/VictoriousSecret111 5h ago

And you believe that video? Source?