A housing complex exists with over 20,000 residents who have no reason to ever leave it as everything they could possibly need is contained inside.
When looking for a place to live, many of us choose to buy or rent somewhere that’s convenient for the commute to work, near to good schools for children, or even just close to amenities such as shopping and nightlife.
Well, all those boxes and more are ticked for the 20,000 residents of the massive Regent International complex in Hangzhou’s central business district Qianjiang Century City.
Those living in the 675-foot-tall S-shaped building, which is one of the largest buildings in China with 260,000 square feet, have little to no reason to ever leave their block as everything they could need is contained within.
@fatheristheone The Regent International apartment in Hangzhou, China is famous for having a lot of inhabitants comparable to a small town, around 20,000 #unreal #😎 #followme #love #free #forever #friends #earth #biggest#apartments#hangzhou #china ♬ original sound – father is the one
The building, which can accommodate a total of 30,000 residents at full capacity, offers a wide variety of amenities and businesses spread across 36 or 39 floors depending on which side of the building you live on.
Residents have access to an enormous food court as well as nail salons, hairdressers and barbershops, medium-sized supermarkets, and even internet cafes.
They can also relax with a swim in an on-site pool, should they choose to remain in the building.
While it may seem a bit claustrophobic to spend your entire existence never stepping foot outside your building, the Regent International has been fascinating social media users.
One TikToker showed just how gargantuan the building was by using drone footage, and the housing has also been praised for being super sustainable by having everything under one roof.
The building was designed by Alicia Loo, who was the chief designer of Singapore Sands, the world’s second seven-star hotel, and the building was initially intended to be a six-star hotel.
The building is in Qianjiang Century City, a central business district in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Credit: Zhu Hanxiao/VCG via Getty Images
It ended up being made into thousands of apartments instead, proving hugely popular with students and graduates, who make up the majority of the residents, along with young professionals as well as small business owners and influencers.
The units are also very affordable, with Chinese news agency Sin reporting that small apartments usually go for around 1,500 Chinese Yuan, which equates to around $210 a month, though those apartments usually come without windows.
@chinesewithmia The monthly income of this building exceeds the GDP of some county towns! #china #coolplaces #apartment #apartmentbuilding #coolbuildings #architecture #chinatravel #travelchina #chinatrip #hangzhou #杭州 #learnontiktok #trending #fyp #chinesewithmia #mia_yilin #浙江 #zhejiang #attractions #touristattraction #coolfacts #crazyfacts #crazyarchitecture ♬ original sound – Explore China
If you’d prefer to enjoy some natural light and a bit of outdoor space, larger units with balconies are still pretty cheap at 4,000 Yuan ($562) a month.
After videos of the complex were shared on TikTok, social media users shared their thoughts… and they weren’t all so positive.
“Scary building! If there are structure issues, how will they fix it.. I would feel so unsafe in it,” one person commented.
A second added: “This stresses me out.. what’s the fire drill situation like?”
“As an introvert, this would be my greatest nightmare,” a third wrote.
And a fourth commented: “[You] can have a long distance relationship in the same building.”
Personally, I’d definitely be forking out the extra for some more space, fresh air, and natural light but each to their own.
