SOHO China - SOHO China records RMB4.35 billion in sales for Sanlitun SOHO in first week of pre-sales

(Beijing, July 19, 2008) - SOHO China Limited ("SOHO China"; Stock Code: 410), a leading Chinese commercial property developer, announced that Sanlitun SOHO has already achieved RMB4.35 billion in pre-sales contracts as the company today celebrated the official launch of one of the largest commercial and residential complexes for sale in central Beijing.

The success of the launch, which primarily focuses on the project s retail and office portions, lends support to the argument that volume and pricing for prime city center real estate remain resilient despite an overall weak Chinese property market, with the average sales price at the development reaching RMB49,000 per square meter.

More detailed information on the project s pre-sales, which commenced on July 13, can be found on the Beijing Municipal Construction Committee website (www.bjfdc.gov.cn).

The Sanlitun SOHO project, which is expected to be SOHO China s highest grossing project to date, has surpassed Guanghualu SOHO and Beijing SOHO Residences, other recent SOHO China projects which registered RMB1.3 billion and RMB500 million respectively in the first week of pre-sales. The project also offers a big boost to the overall Beijing new property market, which had posted average weekly sales volume of only RMB3.5 billion for the first half of 2008, according to the Beijing Municipal Construction Committee.

Commenting on why Sanlitun SOHO was able to achieve these strong pre-sale figures against such difficult market conditions, Mr. Pan Shiyi, Chairman of SOHO China, highlighted the project s uniqueness. "It comes to me as no surprise that the project has won favor among investors because of its unrivalled location inside Beijing s 3rd Ring Road, where supply is virtually non-existent, and the remarkable architectural design of Kengo Kuma, one of Japan s leading architects.

These factors, along with the fact that Mainland investors are looking to counter inflation by investing in high-quality real estate assets, allow us to maintain our higher price points." He also noted that the company s brand and loyal client base played a large role in the launch s success, with repeat buyers accounting for 40% of volume and 100% of customers coming from the Mainland.

Mr. Pan also remarked, "The success of the Sanlitun SOHO project by no means points to a fundamental shift in the credit crunch conditions faced by the property industry as a whole. The worsening capital markets internationally, further tightening of domestic monetary policy, over-spending of developers having scrambled for land in 2007, as well as shrinkage in transaction volumes, are all factors which continue to impact the flow of capital for developers. As such, the call continues to be made for loosening of financial policy related to the real estate industry."

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About SOHO China
Founded in 1995, SOHO China is the industry leader in developing high-profile branded commercial properties in central Beijing. The company collaborates with internationally-recognized architects, translating their innovative designs into iconic real estate which possesses strong appeal to property investors and the local businesses and customer bases which they serve. On October 8, 2007, SOHO China was successfully listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong as the largest IPO for commercial real estate developers in Asia. The company was named as one of the "Most Admired Companies" in China by Fortune (China) Magazine in both 2006 and 2007.

About Sanlitun SOHO
Sanlitun SOHO is the third mixed-use commercial and residential project developed by SOHO China, following SOHO Newtown and Jianwai SOHO. It is located at the southwestern intersection of Gongti North Road and Sanlitun South Road in Beijing s most well-noted entertainment district. Upon completion, the complex will consist of five shopping galleria, four residential towers and five office towers covering planned gross floor area of 465,680 sq.m. The Sanlitun SOHO project was designed as an open community by Mr. Kengo Kuma, a well-known Japanese architect who has received multiple international awards. It uses Mr. Kuma s signature of diverse materials and curved facades to achieve a natural, organic look. Other collaborators in the Sanlitun project include interior design firms, the Ministry of Design of Singapore, Spaces Ltd of Beijing, and SAKO Architects of Japan.

About Kengo Kuma
Kengo Kuma is one of Japan s leading architects. His buildings are beautiful expressions of his interest in materials (especially traditional Japanese materials such as stone, bamboo and straw) and the pursuit of an environmentally and culturally sensitive architecture.

Kengo s work is much awarded, both within Japan and internationally. His exploration of building materials has seen him receive awards for work with stone, wood and glass. These include the International Stone Architecture Award, Italy, 2001, the Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award, Finland, 2002 and the American Institute of Architects Benedictus Award, 1997.

He established his first office, Spatial Design Studio in 1987 and in 1990 he established Kengo Kuma and Associates [www.kkaa.co.jp]. He has held two professorial positions at Keio University, firstly in the Faculty of Environmental Information (1998-1999) and later in the Faculty of Science and Technology (2001).

There is much written by and on Kengo Kuma. His own books include Anti-Object (Tokyo: Chikuma Publishing, 2000) and Defeated Architecture (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2004). Kengo Kuma: Selected Works (Princeton Architectural Press, 2005) is the most recent of many publications profiling his work.

About Ministry of Design
Singapore-based Ministry of Design has gained international recognition for its avant-garde spatial designs in the fields of hospitality, commercial and residential work. Awarded twice in the internationally acclaimed Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design 2007; Winner of the International Design Awards Interior Design of the Year 2007; Winner of the coveted President s Design Award 2006 - Singapore s highest design accolade; 5 time winner of the Interior Design Confederation of Singapore Design Excellence Award 2006 and ranked on Conde Nast Traveller s Hot List of Top 60 Best New Hotels in the World 2006, Design Director Colin Seah has also been nominated for the Marcus Corporation Foundation Prize 2007 as an emerging architect with potential for greatness and has been recognized as an Arena + Louis Vuitton Black Collar Man of the Year 2007 for his contributions as an architect and spatial designer. [www.modonline.com]

About Spaces Ltd.
Spaces Ltd. is an Interior Design practice specialized in the design of spatial areas. Established in Beijing on May 2005, the studio, led by Italian Designer Director Silvia Minciarelli, has successfully completed several Interior Design projects in different design fields: residential, corporate, commercial and hospitality interiors, as well as landscaping projects. Spaces Ltd. has experience in cooperating with different construction companies in Beijing, selecting carefully the proper specialized construction team, according to the nature of the project, whether residential, corporate or commercial. [www.spacesinteriors.net]

About SAKO Architects
SAKO Architects is a design firm established in 2004 by Keiichiro Sako. It is the recipient of the Interior Design Award in China, 2007, Commercial Space for Kid s Republic in Beijing. Mr. Sako was also named the 2007 Annual Best Designer by the 5th Modern Decoration International Media Prize (China). In 2007, the firm also was honored as Innovational top 10 on Tenment Design 2007 (China). Prior to establishing SAKO Architects, Mr. Sako worked extensively with Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop, and among his roles included taking the lead in designing Jianwai SOHO project in Beijing. [www.sksk.cn]

Media Inquiries:

Beijing
Ms. Chunlei Wang, SOHO China
Tel: (010) 5878 8326
wangchunlei@sohochina.com

Mr. Andrew Browne, Brunswick
Tel: (86) 1391 000 5690
abrowne@brunswickgroup.com

Hong Kong
Mr. Joseph Lo Chi Lun
Tel: (852) 3512 5033/9850 5033
jlo@brunswickgroup.com