Chinese are swarming into malls, which usually have many levels that rise up rather than out in the sprawling three-level style typical in much of the United States. Chinese consumers arrive by bus and train, and growing numbers are driving there. On busy days, one mall in the southern city of Guangzhou attracts about 600,000 shoppers.

Developers are spending billions of dollars to create these supersize shopping centers in the country's fastest-growing cities — betting that a nation of savers is on the verge of also becoming a nation of tireless shoppers.

"These shopping centers are just huge," said Radha Chadha, who runs Chadha Strategy Consulting, which tracks shopping malls and the sales of luxury goods in Asia. "China likes to do things big. They like to make an impact."

Retail sales in China have jumped nearly 50 percent in the last four years, as measured by the nation's biggest retailers, government data says. And with rising incomes, Chinese are spending their money on shoes, bags, clothing and even theme-park-style rides.

"We like this place a lot," said Ruth Tong, 27, a visitor to the South China Mall here in Dongguan with her husband and son. "They have a lot of fun things to do. They have shopping and even rides. So we like it and yes, we'll come back again."

Although China is still a land of disparity, it has a growing middle class.

"Forget the idea that consumers in China don't have enough money to spend," said David Hand, a real estate and retailing expert at Jones Lang LaSalle in Beijing. "There are people with a lot of money here. And that's driving the development of these shopping malls."