China Daily has the story:
Four houses were built on the rooftop of the Jiutian International Square, a shopping mall in Zhuzhou, Hunan province. The bureau conducted an on-site investigation after media reports voiced concern over alleged safety hazards and the legal status of the four buildings.The developer, Zhuzhou Jiutian Real Estate, used modern designs and landscape decorations to make the buildings look like villas, but never intended to sell them, Li said. The construction of the shopping mall — including the rooftop buildings in the mall’s four corners — obtained authorities' approval, he said.
This all comes after Beijing introduced a new rule in 2011 that requires green rooftops with living vegetation on buildings that have fewer than 12 floors and as such, the Zhuzhou government is trying to build a greener city.
You see, I'm all for green space on rooftops in Metropolitan areas, but I don't know that I could live knowing that people were walking around and purchasing jeans from the gap a mere 10 feet below my home. Could you live like this?