Who would want to scale it down? Thinking about this actually makes me a bit sad, realizing how the Eastern world is getting more and more Westernized and flooded by ideas of power and economic progress, whereas the Oriental philosophy used to be more about seeking harmony and balance between nature and culture. Yin & Yang and all that stuff.
I don’t think anyone would want that but we can all see glaring signs of instability, from the dramatic disparity between wealth and poverty in China. The majority of China is impoverished and at the same time you see the most extravagant signs of wealth here that you see anywhere on earth. Those two extremes need to reconciled, and I believe they will, in some kind of crash.
It could be something quick and sudden, like the 2008 crash in the United States, or something long and gradual, like Japan over the last two decades. Chengdu becoming a booming market for the world’s most expensive handbags is a bit concerning since the average income is still around 2,000 rmb per month.
All of this development is also a threat to Chengdu’s notoriety as a city “good for living”. The slow and relaxed pace of life and leisurely activities are slowly but surely being replaced by the trappings of developed cities in Asia like Beijing and Shanghai: skyscrapers, multi-national companies, rising property values, direct foreign investment, etc.
This “gold rush” to Chengdu will change the city forever.