The US invented shopping malls, but China is writing their next chapter
- Written by John Rennie Short, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
People walk under a light projection at a shopping mall in Beijing. (Photo by Jade Gao / AFPJade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)On a recent research trip to China, I wandered through the Oasis Mall in suburban Shanghai. Like many Chinese shopping centers, this complex was filled with empty stores that reflected the end of China’s 30-year-long...







