Under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, numerous unfinished projects have emerged, with Guizhou Province becoming a heavily affected area. An iconic landmark building in Panzhou City, Liupanshui, Guizhou Province, which cost over a hundred million yuan to build and is referred to as the “world’s largest artificial moon,” has been left idle since the trial operation in 2020, with some parts of the project remaining incomplete.
At the peak of Moon Hill in the Central Forest Park of Panzhou City, Liupanshui, stands a “man-made moon” approximately 100 meters tall with a spherical diameter of 40 meters. It is dubbed as the “largest man-made moon in the world” by local media.
According to a report by Red Star News on November 14, the project was initially completed at the end of 2020 and ceased operation after less than a hundred days. The road leading to the site has since been blocked off. Local officials stated that the project was halted due to a lack of funding from the construction unit, as well as issues with fire safety, construction quality, and incomplete procedures.
Public information indicates that the management authority for the Moon Hill Complex Construction Project belongs to the Panzhou City Housing and Construction Bureau. According to the previous bidding plan, the project was supposed to commence in August 2017 and be completed by October 2020. Insiders revealed that “the project required a huge investment, and due to the company simultaneously working on multiple projects, the company’s funding chain broke at the end of 2020, leading to the suspension of the complex construction.”
Guizhou Hongcai Corporation, the construction entity, was established in 2004 and is a state-owned limited liability company with Chen Xingbo as the legal representative. The Panzhou City Industrial and Information Technology Bureau is the major shareholder of Guizhou Hongcai Corporation, holding over 99% of the shares. The company was listed on the list of dishonest entities 25 times from 2023 to 2024. In 2025, it was listed twice again, and the legal representative Chen Xingbo became a discredited person. In October of this year, the company was fined 300,000 yuan for issuing false VAT invoices.
As of August this year, the construction cost of the Moon Hill Complex Project has exceeded 107 million yuan. However, the construction fund has been difficult to sustain, and the “man-made moon” has been basically at a standstill since 2020.
Residents at the foot of Moon Hill mentioned that at the end of 2020, when the artificial moon was first lit, the entire area at the foot of the mountain was illuminated, even without street lights, making it as bright as day in the night.
According to informed sources cited by Chinese media, the project, including the trial operation period, was only open for about two to three months, with no further progress since then. By the end of 2020, only the 1st-floor lobby, the top “moon,” and the rotating restaurant inside the sphere were completed, with the remaining 2 to 8 floors, originally designed as a hotel, still unfinished.
Reportedly, the “man-made moon” with a diameter of 40 meters features a 5024㎡ LED spherical screen on the “moon.” According to the official introduction by “Panzhou Tourism,” the sphere uses a full-color LED display screen, allowing for a 360° panoramic view of animated content without any blind spots.
However, experts have previously pointed out that prolonged exposure to intense light could have an impact on the circadian rhythms of residents and wildlife in the area.