I'm going to possibly expose myself to some ribbing by assuming this this a genuine question instead of a statement that just presses the joke.

By "see-through" I assume the author refers to (mostly motel style) apartment buildings that are completely unoccupied or even unfinished and hence they lack blinds, drapes, furniture, (and sometimes walls). Thus, you can completely "see-through" them from street level.

You can---by the way---see the same phenomena in the American South where gulf-relief zones made building (or to start building) new apartments/condos in some areas practically a tax-dodge but where the natives in those areas don't have the means to buy them at even a quarter (sometimes eighth) the cost.

I'm not sure about in China, but in the South another way such buildings are "see-through" is that the buildings were built elevated over completely empty parking lots.

There are streets where you can see two or three streets over "through" these empty parking lots.

i thought it might refer to buildings laying fallow and having no substance in the context of their use; ghost buildings. nowhere in the article does he refer to why they are see-through but he does mention unused buildings.

A good friend of mine has just moved out there and judging by what he's told me, I think this might refer to empty apartment buildings i.e. each apartment literally consists of a few walls and has no electrical wiring, plumbing, windows or anything else. They just buy the shell and sit on it.

I think he's referring to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPILhiTJv7E

He just means unoccupied apartment buildings.