Abandoned Places in China

China's abandoned places reflect the extraordinary pace of the country's transformation over the past century — from imperial decline to revolutionary upheaval, from Maoist collectivization to the capitalist boom that has created the world's second-largest economy. The country's rapid urbanization and economic development have left behind a landscape of abandoned places that ranges from ancient ruins to half-built modern developments.

Wonderland Theme Park outside Beijing represents the most dramatic example of China's abandoned modern developments. Construction began in 1994 on what was to be Asia's largest amusement park, modeled after Disneyland. Disputes between developers and local farmers over land compensation halted construction in 1998, leaving behind a half-built castle complex, concrete frameworks, and empty moats. For years, local farmers cultivated corn in the shadow of the unfinished fairy-tale towers before the site was demolished in 2013.

China's rapid urbanization has created numerous ghost cities — entire new urban developments built in anticipation of population growth that never materialized. Kangbashi in Inner Mongolia, built to house one million people, had a population of only 28,000 when it was completed. Ordos, another Inner Mongolian development, became internationally famous as a symbol of China's overheated property market. These ghost cities, with their empty apartment blocks, deserted shopping malls, and unused infrastructure, represent a uniquely modern form of abandonment.

The country's industrial heritage includes numerous abandoned facilities from the Maoist era. The Daqing oil fields, once held up as a model of socialist production, have been partially abandoned as production declined. The steel mills and chemical plants of the northeast rust belt, built during the 1950s with Soviet assistance, stand as monuments to a planned economy that no longer exists. The Fushun coal mine in Liaoning Province, once the largest open-pit coal mine in Asia, has been partially abandoned as the most accessible coal has been exhausted.

China's ancient heritage includes numerous abandoned settlements and structures that predate the modern era. The ancient city of Loulan, abandoned around 400 CE when the Lop Nor lake dried up, stands in the Taklamakan Desert as one of the world's most remote archaeological sites. The abandoned villages of the Hakka people in Fujian Province, with their distinctive circular tulou earthen buildings, represent a living architectural tradition that is slowly being abandoned as younger generations move to cities.