Luodian New Town (5/5/2012)

Saturday, May 5, 2012
Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Another day, another ghost town from the "One City, Nine Towns" project. However, Luodian New Town wasn't exactly a ghost town...
First of all, when we arrived at the Meilan Lake station at the end of Metro Line 7, we were greeted by a dozen real estate persons waving brochures. It appears as if even though the project itself was discontinued that developers have built "Nordic-looking" residential buildings in the area and are selling the apartments.
Luodian was designed by the Swedish firm of SWECO (specializing in sustainable engineering and design) and built in 2004. It is supposed to be an exact replica of a small historic town of Sigtuna in Sweden, or at least the North European Shopping Street is. The lake is a replica of Lake Malaren, one of Sweden's largest lakes, but this one is much smaller.
Unlike the other new towns we have seen, there are no traffic lights in this one:

Cars approached the intersection with horns blaring and it was first come, first served.
It was busy along the lakefront, with fishing:

Children's activities:

And Chinese picnicking:

These are the SWECO horses:

Tamiko with a skyscape horse:

They apparently allowed for Scandinavian permissiveness, because all the sculptures were naked:
"Expectation:"

"Hope:"

Menage a trois:

Contortionists:

"Vitality:"

"Loving:"

These were at an entrance gate:

The town had the Lake Malaren Exhibition Hall:

An outlet mall and plaza with children's amusements:

And here is the North European Shopping Street:

Actually several streets.
There were a few shops open here, but many abandoned ones:

Chinese-Nordic doors:

Dog park:

Abandoned restaurant:

Another street:

Mailboxes:

The Nordic Tower:

The tower is a copy of a church spire in Sigtuna, but this building is home to a wedding photography company. Which meant the town was full of bridal couples:

And wedding photo props:

Are these really wedding photo props?

Broken Love:

Tamiko in Cinderella's carriage, after midnight:

Another prop:

Spain and Taipei?

They are wedding photo props!

So Luodian New Town is important as:

an Asian Wedding Photography Base.
Even middle-aged folks get into the act:

The sales office for Bund Castle residences:

Town to the left, residences to the right:

Lake Malaren entrance:

We walked around Meilan Hu/Lake Malaren:

Brides on the beach:

The Exhibition Hall on the right and more residences to the left:

Someone's siesta spot:

We took a shortcut through the hole in the fence:

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we finished the day with dinner and Happy Hour at a Mexican restaurant.