For the last few weeks in Shenzhen, we’ve been experiencing bouts of torrential rain almost daily and when you add to this the occasional typhoon then you’re in for a fun ride. As an Englishman, I’m not usually caught without an umbrella but on the odd occasion I do forget, there’s not much to do but find shelter.
![Waiting](https://randomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr_backup/5007954499_ea0701960c_b.jpg)
Faced with the choice of an early shower or staying at home the only other option around here is to entertain yourself in one of the many mega-malls which have sprung up around most of the more affluent neighbourhoods (like Coastal City). While I have absolutely zero interest in shopping some of the building’s interiors are quite impressive…
![Escalator Stack](https://randomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr_backup/5019497011_9287a2e25e_b.jpg)
On one such wet afternoon, I decided to go for a wander around the self-acclaimed “King Glory Plaza” in Luohu on the slightly more scruffy east side of the city. Set apart from its rather ageing surroundings the mall is a shining beacon of China’s love affair with commercialism and sports the most amazing set of stacked escalators I’ve ever seen.
![Criss Cross](https://randomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr_backup/5019506539_1b35feffa6_b.jpg)
It’s enormous interior atrium extends eight floors top to bottom with parallel escalators positioned diagonally on top of each other; 16 in total. The result when viewed from the highest level is mesmerizing but probably pretty terrifying if you’re acrophobic. It would be so cool to drop a high-speed video camera off here and watch it back in slow motion!
![P1070951](https://randomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr_backup/5020141216_4ba5894156_b.jpg)
Looking back up there’s an equally cool view of this feat of engineering – I wonder how much it all weighs?!
![P1070949](https://randomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr_backup/5020134850_9b7c48a651_b.jpg)
Some of the lighting is also pretty cool – these crazy-looking chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling and dangle all the way down the centre of the atrium.
![Don't Look Down](https://randomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr_backup/5020119892_0ba17a65e2_b.jpg)
The other end of the building sports a more traditional but still dizzy-inducing escalator arrangement. I like to imagine James Bond being thrown off the balcony here and managing to save himself by grabbing the hanging lights!
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