Videos

Here’s an interesting documentary from PBS’ POV series: Utopia, Part 3: The World’s Largest Shopping Mall.

The documentary explores the largest Mall in the world (bigger than Mall of America in Minnesota).

It’s the South China Mall outside of Guangzhou, China. Outdoing the techniques of American consumerism, South China Mall is Disneyland, Las Vegas and Mall of America rolled into one. There are carnival rides, mini-parks, canals and lakes amid classic Western-style buildings with space for hundreds of shops.

What’s the problem? It’s deserted.

In a nutshell, it’s a cautionary tale of supply outstripping demand OR how impossible it is to impose Western “values” on an ancient civilization OR how unnatural an impulse unbridled consumerism truly is OR a true-to-life fable of the folly of being “too big to fail” OR, better yet: a reminder of the Truth contained in my all-time favorite Shelley poem, Ozymandias.

Take a few minutes to watch this; it’s just a 14 minute piece and well worth your time.

Welcome to the Brave New World.