As the holiday season inches ever so close, it seems like China is poised to become a Singaporean hotspot once December rolls around. Just ask around; you’re bound to find a colleague or relative who’s skipping out on Hokkaido to experience winter in Harbin instead, or shopaholics opting for the bustling city of Chongqing rather than Seoul.
Speaking of which, a visit to the local shopping malls is never a bad idea, whether you’re looking to do some retail therapy or just curious if they can hold a candle to the ones back at home. Well, here are some of the best malls in China to put on your itineraries, and trust us when we say these sprawling retail havens give even MBS a run for its money.
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Image credit: 香港吃喝玩乐師® via RED
Since Shenzhen is widely known as China’s Silicon Valley, it should come as no surprise that its malls have to look the part. As such, swing by the Shenzhen Wanda Plaza. The building might look like an innocuous box on the outside, but go past its doors and you’ll get a glimpse of what your shopping experience can look like decades into the future.
Image credit: @snapshot_____story via Instagram
You won’t have to search hard for the mall’s sci-fi themes; just have a look at the mall’s 6-storey tall escalator. The ride will take about 2 minutes to reach the top, during which you can gaze at the giant LED screen fixed on the bottom of the 6th floor that displays captivating, futuristic backdrops.
The fascination with stairs doesn’t end there, as there are other IG-worthy steps to strike a pose at, such as an intersecting bridge which spans multiple levels and a red-hued spiral staircase. If you’re not too squeamish, you can also take a walk on a 77.77m-long glass bridge that straddles the corridors of the mall on the upper levels.
Back on the 6th floor, you’ll find a mini art gallery containing a shimmering replica of a planet suspended in the air. Feel free to stay for a while to experience this light show, as the planet will periodically glow in different shades and patterns.
Image credit: Klook
On the same level, the mall also has an entertainment park called Partyday (from RMB168, ~S$31.20), and calling it huge is an understatement. This singular facility alone houses a bowling alley, ice skating rink, Go-Kart circuit, laser tag arena, and trampoline park all in one, so spending an entire day here shouldn’t pose too big of a challenge.
Address: Huanan 2nd Road, Pinghu Street, Longgang District, Shenzhen
Opening hours: 10am-9pm, Daily
Contact: 0755-84502411
This 9-storey tall LED screen will probably be the biggest screen you’ll ever see in your life.
Image credit: 江边芦苇 via RED
When it comes to megamalls, the ones in China are of a different level; take the recently opened Wushang Dream Plaza mall for example. Located in Wuhan, this mammoth of a mall opened late 2022 and has 800,000sqm of commercial space. For comparison, Singapore’s largest mall VivoCity has about 100,000sqm of net lettable area.
So, what can you find in a mall that’s roughly 8 times larger than the already massive VivoCity? For starters, the mall is split into 3 zones, A, B, and C, and they each have 10 stories of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and entertainment facilities to explore.
Once you’re done shopping, head on over to its indoor theme park called WUSHANG DREAMPARK (from RMB220, ~S$40.86). Here, you’ll be able to let loose on rides such as a viking ship, roller coaster, carousels, and even sit in for a fairytale-themed live performance, all in the comfort of the mall’s air conditioned premises.
Image credit: Trip.com
If that’s not enough, you can also partake in winter sports at the WUSHANG BONSKI ski resort (from RMB139, ~S$25.82). Yes, you needn’t fly too far North to experience a winter wonderland; you can go on ice slides, duck into igloos, and ski, and snowboard to your heart’s content right at Wushang Dream Plaza.
Image credit: 小红薯5F0E2042 via RED
Finally, as a testament of how much space Wushang Dream Plaza has, it even has its own equestrian club – horse stable and all – in the form of Celestial Equestrian Center. It’s sat on the mall’s rooftop, where visitors can saddle up and pick up horseback riding right after their shopping sprees.
Address: 598 Wuluo Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Image credit: 小菇总再也不打工了 via RED
For a literal interpretation of the phrase “concrete jungle”, look no further than Guanghuan Shopping Park. Also known as The Ring, this mall in Chongqing is what Gardens by the Bay would look like as a retail haven, as it houses a living, breathing forest within its premises.
Much like GBTB’s Cloud Forest, there’s an ascending walkway here too that gives you views of the indoor forest.
Image credit: 小菇总再也不打工了 via RED
Dubbed the Tree Light Forest, the mall has transformed a section of its space to become an indoor forest and botanical garden which contains over 300 kinds of tropical rainforest plants. To go along with the greenery on the ground, visitors can relax by the 20m-tall waterfall, or marvel at the 7 trees that seemingly suspend in the air.
To go along with the green theme, there’s even a cosy reading nook where you can donate old books for credits that you can spend at the mall.
Guanghuan Shopping Park also has multiple works of art to fill your camera reels with. There’s a seashell structure outside the mall carved with intricate patterns, and a 15m-tall squirrel statue made out of 16,500 colourful tiles which seems to hug the building when viewed from the inside.
Address: 118 Hucai Road, Yubei District, Chongqing
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Contact: 023-63363515
Image credit: 英雄联盟手游赛事 via RED
The sheer scale of the New Century Global Center in Chengdu is almost foreboding, until you realise that it’s just an oversized shopping mall. It’s not just any oversized shopping mall though; it stands as the world’s largest building in terms of floor area, measuring in at a whopping 1.7 million sqm.
However, the retail section of the building only takes up about 400,000 sqm, which is nothing to be scoffed at. In fact, quite a sizable portion of the mall is made up of office space. Still, there’s over 400 stores here, selling everything from luxury goods to tasty local bites, for you to shop till you drop.
What you should be amazed at instead, is the fact that they managed to fit an entire indoor water park within the building’s premises. Enter Paradise Island Ocean Park (RMB50, ~S$9.29). It’s a water park complete with slides, a lazy river, and a wave pool to splash about in; it even has an artificial beach and a giant LED screen that forms a horizon to provide digital sunsets.
There’s also an aviation museum to check out, decked out with life-sized models of planes.
Image credit: @摩卡出门啦 via RED
The water park is also right next to the luxurious InterContinental Chengdu Global Center 5-star hotel. Stays here start from RMB805 (~S$149.52), and might as well be compulsory as there’s no way you can thoroughly explore all 4 corners of the mall in a single day.
Address: 1700 Tianfu Avenue, Wuhou District, Chengdu City
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Image credit: 青山夕照水悠悠 via RED
Similar to The Ring mall’s indoor forest, The Hill mall in Changchun also draws inspiration from the great outdoors to enhance its shoppers’ experience. Like its name suggests, the mall contains an artificial mountain, and its various stores are built into different levels of the man-made mountain face.
While exploring this quirky mall, one moment you could be walking through archaic archways and the next, visiting a cyberpunk-esque food street illuminated by neon-lit signs. Even if you’re not planning on emptying your wallet while shopping at The Hill, just strolling down its narrow walkways will feel like trekking through a valley.
Image adapted from: 闹儿姐 & CaroX_X via RED
Before you leave, be sure to swing by the enormous Buddha statue situated at the back of the mall; you might’ve spotted it peeking above the storefronts when you first entered the mall. Here, you can buy a little charm for RMB5 (~S$0.93), write your wishes on it, and tie it against the railings. There’s also a small pagoda located on the upper levels of The Hill, which gives you sweet aerial views of the mall.
Address: 1005 Hongqi Street, Chaoyang District, Changchun
Opening hours: 10.30am-10.30pm, Daily
Contact: 0431-81137000
Image credit: Michelle叮叮当 via RED
Even if you’re not planning on sprucing up your home with the offerings you’d find at the Louvre International Furniture Exhibition Centre in Foshan, it definitely still warrants a visit. That’s because once you venture past its various showrooms and seemingly countless furniture stores, you’ll realise why it borrows the namesake of Paris’ most famous museum.
Make your way to level 5 of the building, and you’ll momentarily get transported to a whole different continent. Called the Constellation Plaza, this floor is intricately decorated with buildings whose architecture resemble those found in Europe. You’ll want to get your cameras out, as the Roman columns and intricately designed arches are a sight to behold.
Apart from the Baroque-like buildings, there’s also a colossal steel structure which takes the form of a cyclone in the middle of the Constellation Plaza. For more works of art to fill your IG stories with, level 1 of the Louvre Furniture Mall has a tower made of 382 translucent blue chairs that’s supposed to mimic a waterfall.
For major Sistine Chapel vibes, make a stop at the Golden Hall, also found on level 5. Tilt your gaze towards the ceiling, and take in the views of the masterfully painted murals above you.
Address: 325 National Road, Shunde District, Foshan City
Opening hours: 9am-6.30pm, Daily
Contact: 0086-4001881222 | Louvre International Furniture Exhibition Center website
Of course, you’re gonna want to solve all your connectivity woes before you hop on a plane to explore these astounding malls in China for yourself. How else are you going to keep the folks back at home and on IG updated with your latest shopping escapades? As such, look no further than StarHub’s mobile plans.
When you’re in the market for a hardware upgrade, you might want to consider StarHub’s 2-year contract Device Plan. These plans come bundled with the latest phones to choose from; have a peek at the full list of phones available for the Device Plan on StarHub’s website.
Apple fans can rejoice, as you’ll be able to pick up an iPhone 16 completely FOC with plans like StarHub’s Device Plan L ($135/month). On top of that, subscribers to the plan get to indulge in freebies such as 2GB global data roaming monthly, a 12-month subscription to watch the Premier League, and a 3-month Amazon Prime subscription, amongst other goodies.
StarHub’s Star Plan also comes equipped with lag-free 5G connectivity, which you’ll be able to tap into if it’s supported in your travel destination.
Also, take a look at their 5G SIM Only Star Plan, an all-digital mobile service accessible via the StarHub App. For frequent travellers, the Star Plan L ($32/month) is especially handy as it’s bundled with free 2GB data roaming to popular holiday destinations, such as South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia. For a complete list of all the countries that support StarHub’s data roaming services, do visit the StarHub website.
With its many nifty features, opting for StarHub’s Device Plan or Star Plan L is a great way of ensuring fuss-free holidays. With data roaming included, you won’t need to rely on unsecured public Wi-Fi which can leave your devices vulnerable to cyber attacks. You also get to retain your number to receive important calls and messages from home, so kiss goodbye to swapping SIMs to receive your 2FAs and OTPs.
Plus, all plans come with an eSIM option too, so you can activate quickly and get connected easily without having to change physical SIM cards.
This post was brought to you by StarHub.
Photography by Jaslyn Tan.
Cover image adapted from: 青山夕照水悠悠, 爱定家居, & 小菇总再也不打工了 via RED
Based on prices and offers valid as of publishing date. Check www.starhub.com/mobile for the latest offers.
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