In its rush to become a major first world power, China tends to dispense with creativity in favor of ripping off the West—like the exact copy of a quaint Austrian mountain town that cost $940M. Now, it seems Chinese developers have moved on to that most sacred of American building styles: the McMansion. Now popping up on the outskirts of several major Chinese cities are homes that would make even the Real Housewives of New Jersey blush. The Rose Garden (above) is a development outside of Shanghai that, once complete, will contain a jaw-dropping 236 McMansions, the largest of which is asking close to $13M. The 9,600-square-foot home will feature both indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a design by the "American SWA Planning & Design Group, American Tao & Lindberg Planning & Design Group, and American HCZ Design Office." This is the sort of outsourcing we can get behind.
? The Chinese government had banned the sport of golf up until the 1980s—it was too bourgeois—but, like so many other things since then, that ban is long gone, in favor of luxe golf-centric developments like the Summer Palace Golf Chateau. The huge, multi-stage development is built around a Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole course on the fringes of Guangzhou. With the first two phases successfully sold out, developers are hoping the third phase will be their cash cow. That shouldn't be too difficult if a few people pony up the $25M asking price to take over a modern mansion that measures nearly 29,000 square feet.
? The Regency Park development, outside of Shanghai, looks like it might as well be in Florida, what with the decorative fountains and neat rows of trees. The 111-acre site is set to hold hundreds of homes, but the 77 three-story "villas," each with a private garden, are to be completed soon. The community shares a clubhouse stocked with amenities, like an indoor swimming pool, outdoor and indoor gyms, bowling alley, and a function room. Prices are available upon request.
? Admittedly, many of these Western-style developments are aimed at expats, but perhaps none more so than the residences at the Four Seasons in Beijing. Ensconced in English-speaking service, residents enjoy sweeping views of the city along with luxuries like dual ovens in the kitchen—in a country where one is a rarity—a "resident's only swimming pool, hot tub and fitness center." The smallest one-bed apartment is priced at more than $2.5M, so it's not difficult to imagine the largest, a 3,400-square-foot three bedroom, carries a hefty price tag.
? Details are few and far between when it comes to the opulent ThaiHot Mansion and Courtyards on the Canal, an over-named, high-priced development near Beijing. The single photo doesn't reveal much, but Yahoo! is reporting that more than a dozen houses are being offered for $47M or more. That doesn't quite ring true, but if the rumors about the ridiculously expensive fittings, like $8,000 faucets and $25K chandeliers, are true, these could very well be the most expensive homes on offer in China.
· China Will Sneakily Clone Entire Austrian Mountain Town [Curbed National]
· Rose Garden [PropGoLuxury]
· Summer Palace Golf Chateau [PropGoLuxury]
· Regency Park [PropGoLuxury]
· Beijing Private Residence [Four Seasons Residences]
· China's most expensive home priced at US$47 million [Yahoo! Real Estate]
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