I recall 12 years ago in Shenzhen it was much like this. There was construction everywhere, cranes on top of buildings, more bright shiny buildings than you could count. The trouble was that the were all empty! Security guards at the doors of empty lobby's. That went on for years but now look at Shenzhen. Those building are full and they are tearing down old neighborhoods to make room for more high-rise housing. Its just taken 12 years time and that is one of China's biggest resources... time.