New Century Global Center

신세기 글로벌 센터

Opened in 2013, one of the world's largest buildings by floor area (about 1.7 million m²): a 500 by 400 m glass hall, 100 m high, holding malls, hotels, offices and an indoor beach with an artificial sea.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: China
Location: Tianfu Avenue, Chengdu, China
Built: 2013
Height: 100 m

Quick answers

Where is New Century Global Center?

New Century Global Center is in Tianfu Avenue, Chengdu, China.

When was New Century Global Center built?

New Century Global Center was built in 2013.

How tall is New Century Global Center?

New Century Global Center is about 100 m tall.

The New Century Global Center is a giant multipurpose building in the Tianfu New Area of Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It is about 100 metres tall and has a base of 500 by 400 metres, with about 1.7 million square metres of floor space. Wikipedia lists it as the world's third-largest building by floor area, while many other sources call it the largest. It opened in 2013.

Inside are shopping, offices, conference rooms, a university complex, hotels, an IMAX cinema, a 'Mediterranean village' and an Olympic-size skating rink. The star is an indoor water park called Paradise Island, with a 5,000 square metre artificial beach. It is served by Jincheng Plaza station on Line 1 of the Chengdu Metro.

The indoor beach

The water park's artificial beach has a huge screen, 150 by 40 metres, that shows sunrises and sunsets as a horizon, so that visitors feel they are at the sea. At night a stage reaches out over the pool for concerts. A stand overlooking the pool holds a food court. About 400,000 square metres of the building are for shopping, and the InterContinental hotel on the edge has 1,009 rooms in six blocks of eight storeys.

Who built it

It was developed by the Entertainment and Travel Group, owned by the billionaire Deng Hong. The exact cost has not been disclosed by the Chinese government, but estimates put it between 8 and 10 billion US dollars. The building was planned to face the Chengdu Contemporary Arts Center, a project designed by the architect Zaha Hadid.

A delayed opening

Parts of the shopping area opened in early 2013, and the centre was supposed to open formally in March 2013 for the Global Fortune 500 conference. But Deng Hong was arrested on corruption charges, and the conference moved to a hotel in Chengdu. The formal opening was delayed until 22 August 2013, and it was scaled back after more than 50 local officials were detained in a series of investigations.