Download pdf - China's Ghost Cities

Transcript
Page 1: China's Ghost Cities

Addendum

Satellite and Surface Images of the

Vacant Ghost Cities of China

The result of China’s annual 8% GDP “growth” target: Entire cities devoid of inhabitants

The empty city of Chenggong in southwest China has more than 100,000 new apartments, no occupants, and enormous office towers without any workers. Image credit: “Rise of the Chinese Ghost Town,” by Holly Krambeck, World Bank Transport Blog (July 12, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/rise-of-the-chinese-ghost-town

Page 2: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: Dedicated bus lanes without routes assigned to them, and stations without purpose. Image credit: “Rise of the Chinese Ghost Town,” by Holly Krambeck, World Bank Transport Blog (July 12, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/rise-of-the-chinese-ghost-town

China’s Vacant Ghost Cities are the product of several factors:

● Domestic M2 Growth (Stimulus)

● Central Government’s 8% Annual GDP Growth Mandate

● Manner in Which China Calculates GDP: Growth = Mirage

  ●  State-Owned Banking System: Channeling loans to sub-national governmental entities (LGFVs)

Result: large-scale loan growth = large-scale mal-investment and NPLs

Page 3: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: Taxi stand without any taxis and lush park with no visitors. Image credit: “Rise of the Chinese Ghost Town,” by Holly Krambeck, World Bank Transport Blog (July 12, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/rise-of-the-chinese-ghost-town Stalled Urbanization: Another contributory factor impeding further urbanization in China is the central government’s “hukou” (household registration) system, which conveys hereditary residence rights to Chinese persons and classifies all citizens as either urban or rural. Rural migrant workers retain their agricultural land-use entitlements but are denied access to urban services including healthcare, education, pensions or other social security benefits, and are not allowed to purchase property in the larger cities even if they could afford to do so. The hukou system represents a fundamental component of China’s economic model by creating a social underclass to provide inexpensive labor, but it also effectively prevents migrant workers from gaining a stake in the gleaming new cities which they helped to build.

Page 4: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: One of many unoccupied government buildings. Image credit: “Rise of the Chinese Ghost Town,” by Holly Krambeck, World Bank Transport Blog (July 12, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/rise-of-the-chinese-ghost-town Highly Recommended: Reuters Special Report: China Bets Future on Inland Cities http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/03/us-china-urbanisation-idUSTRE6721D320100803 Financial Times: China Rapid Urbanisation Could Prove Illusory http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6bca8058-b2d4-11e0-bc28-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1ypor7kj5

Page 5: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: Home to thirteen immaculate new government buildings. Image credit: “China: No One Home,” by Geoff Dyer, Financial Times (February 21, 2010). The article is accessible at: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/47cfb09c-1f0f-11df-9584-00144feab49a.html "There’s city after city full of empty streets and vast government buildings, some

in the most inhospitable locations. It is the modern equivalent of building pyramids. With 20 new cities being built every year, we hope to be able to expand our list going forward." 340

- Gillem Tulloch, Analyst, Forensic Asia Limited (Hong Kong)

                                                            340 Source: Report issued by Forensic Asia Limited (Hong Kong). Reference to the report appears in a presentation by Business Insider entitled, “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China” (December 14, 2010). The presentation is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?comments_page=1&op=1 

Page 6: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: Satellite image. Image credit: “Rise of the Chinese Ghost Town” by Holly Krambeck, World Bank Transport Blog (July 12, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/rise-of-the-chinese-ghost-town

Page 7: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: Satellite image. Image credit: “Rise of the Chinese Ghost Town” by Holly Krambeck, World Bank Transport Blog (July 12, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/rise-of-the-chinese-ghost-town

Page 8: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: Building skyscrapers by the hundreds. Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html

Page 9: China's Ghost Cities

Chenggong

Chenggong: China plans to build 20 vacant cities each year for the next 20 years. Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html Image of Chenggong’s empty universities is accessible at: http://worldtruth.tv/new-satellite-pictures-of-chinas-ghost-cities-2/

Page 10: China's Ghost Cities

Zhengzhou New District

Zhengzhou New District: Uninhabited ghost city. Image credit: “The Ghost Towns of China: Amazing Satellite Images Show Cities Meant to be Home to Millions Lying Deserted,” Daily Mail (December 18, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339536/Ghost-towns-China-Satellite-images-cities-lying-completely-deserted.html

Page 11: China's Ghost Cities

Zhengzhou New District

Zhengzhou New District: Ghost city filled with glamorous public buildings. Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html Images are also accessible at: http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/22883/chinas-ghost-cities/

Page 12: China's Ghost Cities

Zhengzhou New District

Zhengzhou New District: Neighborhoods with ‘forests’ of high rise vacant residential buildings. Image credit: “The Ghost Towns of China: Amazing Satellite Images Show Cities Meant to be Home to Millions Lying Deserted,” Daily Mail (December 18, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339536/Ghost-towns-China-Satellite-images-cities-lying-completely-deserted.html

Page 13: China's Ghost Cities

Zhengzhou New District

Zhengzhou New District: Vacant residential towers. Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html

Page 14: China's Ghost Cities

Jiangsu

Jiangsu: Vacant new city devoid of people and cars Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html

Page 15: China's Ghost Cities

Jiangsu

Jiangsu: New unoccupied housing outside Jiangsu. Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html

Page 16: China's Ghost Cities

Bayannao’er

Bayannao’er: This mostly empty city has a World Bank-sponsored water reclamation plant. Image credit: “The Ghost Towns of China: Amazing Satellite Images Show Cities Meant to be Home to Millions Lying Deserted,” Daily Mail (December 18, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339536/Ghost-towns-China-Satellite-images-cities-lying-completely-deserted.html

Page 17: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Vacant city built by the nearby City of Ordos to be closer to the water supply (which has since dried up). Image credit: “The Ghost Towns of China: Amazing Satellite Images Show Cities Meant to be Home to Millions Lying Deserted,” Daily Mail (December 18, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339536/Ghost-towns-China-Satellite-images-cities-lying-completely-deserted.html

Page 18: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: There are no cars in the city except for a few dozen parked at the glamorous government center. Also known as Ordos or New Ordos (referencing the nearby city of the same name), this city has been vacant for years. Image credit: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html

Page 19: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Linyinlu Square. Image credit: Archived photograph (2010). Panoramic Image of Linyinlu Square is accessible at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43198692@N04/5823390615/

Page 20: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Monument to Genghis Khan in Linyinlu Square.  Image credit: Archived photograph (2010).

Page 21: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

  Kangbashi: Monument to Genghis Khan in Linyinlu Square.  Image credit: Archived photograph (2010). Image of this monument is accessible at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43198692@N04/5987149703/

Page 22: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Monument to Genghis Khan in Linyinlu Square.  Image credit: Archived photograph (2008).

Page 23: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Statue of rearing stallions in Linyinlu Square. Image credit: Archived photograph (2010). Time Magazine photo essay of Kangbashi, New Ordos District, Ordos, Mongolia, China: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1975397_2094492,00.html

Page 24: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Vacant residential buildings. Image credit: Time Magazine photo essay of Kangbashi (Ordos New District). The photo gallery is accessible at: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1975397_2094492,00.html

Page 25: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

District Kangbashi (Ordos, Mongolia): Designed for more than a million inhabitants, still abandoned, even six years from the date of commencement of construction. Image credit: Time Magazine photo essay of Kangbashi (Ordos New District). The photo gallery is accessible at: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1975397_2094492,00.html Additional images are accessible at: http://allfromweb.net/ghost-town-in-china

 

Page 26: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Although the city is mostly uninhabited, new construction continues in Ordos New District. Image credit: Archived photo (2011).

Page 27: China's Ghost Cities

Kangbashi / Ordos New District

Kangbashi: Although the city is mostly uninhabited, new construction continues in Ordos New District. Image credit: http://blog.timfranco.com/tag/a-town-2/ “It's all going to railways that will never make money, roads that no one drives on and cities that no one lives in. It's like walking into a forest of skyscrapers, but they're all empty.” Source: Gillem Tulloch, Analyst for Forensic Asia Limited (Hong Kong). Source: “China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty,” Daily Mail (June 19, 2011). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005231/Chinas-ghost-towns-New-satellite-pictures-massive-skyscraper-cities-STILL-completely-empty.html#ixzz1y0hFhjD3

Page 28: China's Ghost Cities

Unnamed City Near Xinyang

Unnamed city near Xinyang: This huge new development remains vacant. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1

Page 29: China's Ghost Cities

Unnamed City Near Xinyang

Unnamed city near Xinyang: No signs of activity in the city except for a few cars parked near the government building. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1

Page 30: China's Ghost Cities

Unnamed City Near Xinyang

Unnamed city near Xinyang: The city is located to the northeast of Xinyang. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1

Page 31: China's Ghost Cities

Unnamed City Near Xinyang

Unnamed city near Xinyang: No cars in the city except for about 100 clustered around the new government headquarters. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1 Image is also accessible at: http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/22883/chinas-ghost-cities/

Page 32: China's Ghost Cities

Dantu

Dantu: This city has been mostly uninhabited for well over a decade. Image credit: “The Ghost Towns of China: Amazing Satellite Images Show Cities Meant to be Home to Millions Lying Deserted,” Daily Mail (December 18, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339536/Ghost-towns-China-Satellite-images-cities-lying-completely-deserted.html

Page 33: China's Ghost Cities

Dantu

Dantu: No cars or signs of life in most neighborhoods. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1

Page 34: China's Ghost Cities

Qiandaohu

  Qiandaohu: Expensive lakeside condos in Qiandaohu but no one lives there. Image credit: Business Insider. A commenter at blog.worldbank.org writes: “Several years ago, a company from Hangzhou, China took me on a sightseeing trip to 1000 Island Lake, which is not far from Hangzhou. They showed me a residential development that looked every bit like it came from Southern California. It was in absolutely pristine condition in every way. The houses were fabulous. The view of the lake was magnificent. The odd thing was, there were no cars, no people anywhere. This beautiful town was built with the expectation by the individual owners of each property that they would sell their property in the future at a profit, but none of them wanted to live there themselves because it was too far from where business was conducted. So, it was pure speculation and investment risk.” From Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-ghost-cities-2011-5): “China plans to build 20 cities a year for the next 20 years. The unacknowledged problem is finding buyers for those hundreds of millions of new homes. Last year we published images of ghost cities based on a report from Forensic Asia Limited. This week we asked analyst Gillem Tulloch what has happened in the past six months. ‘China built more of them,’ Tulloch said. ‘China consumes more steel, iron ore and cement per capita than any industrial nation in history. It's all going to railways that will never make money, roads that no one drives on and cities that no one lives in. It's like walking into a forest of skyscrapers, but they're all empty,’ he said of Chenggong. Tulloch described a recent visit to a fishing village near Hong Kong, where new apartments are selling for up to $80,000. ‘People there were joking that no one in Denaya could afford to live there,’ he said. If these apartments sell at all, it is to speculators.’”

Page 35: China's Ghost Cities

Gushi

Gushi: Construction workers walk past a farmer leading his goat herd past newly constructed residential buildings in the town of Gushi in Henan province. Image credit: “Special Report: China bets future on inland cities,” by Chris Buckley and Simon Rabinovitch, Reuters (August 03, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/03/us-china-urbanisation-idUSTRE6721D320100803

Page 36: China's Ghost Cities

Gushi

  Gushi: Newly constructed government building. Image credit: Image credit: “Special Report: China bets future on inland cities,” by Chris Buckley and Simon Rabinovitch, Reuters (August 03, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/03/us-china-urbanisation-idUSTRE6721D320100803                 

Page 37: China's Ghost Cities

Gushi

Gushi: Courtyard of new government building Image credit: Image credit: “Special Report: China bets future on inland cities,” by Chris Buckley and Simon Rabinovitch, Reuters (August 03, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/03/us-china-urbanisation-idUSTRE6721D320100803              

Page 38: China's Ghost Cities

Loushan

Loushan: A farmer turns soil in front of a new sports stadium under construction Image credit: Image credit: “Special Report: China bets future on inland cities,” by Chris Buckley and Simon Rabinovitch, Reuters (August 03, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/03/us-china-urbanisation-idUSTRE6721D320100803

Page 39: China's Ghost Cities

Erenhot

  This city was built in the middle of a desert: Erenhot, Xilin Gol, Inner Mongolia.

Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1            

Page 40: China's Ghost Cities

Giant Empty Hotel in Erenhot

Erenhot: Image of what appears to be a giant hotel in Erenhot, China’s “Jurassic Park” which has extensive dinosaur statuary along both the highway and the city streets, and also in the public squares. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1

Page 41: China's Ghost Cities

Erenhot

Erenhot: Half of the city is vacant and the other half is unfinished. Image credit: “And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China,” by Chandni Rathod and Gus Lubin, Business Insider (December 14, 2010). The report is accessible at: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-chinese-ghost-cities-2010-12?op=1 Image URL: http://static7.businessinsider.com/image/4d07a70accd1d52c4b070000-900/half-of-erenhot-is-empty-the-other-half-is-unfinished.jpg

Page 42: China's Ghost Cities

Erenhot

Erenhot: Impressive entrance to the vacant city of Erenhot in Xilin Gol, Inner Mongolia. Image credit: http://asiaobscura.com/2011/08/a-postcard-from-erenhot.html

Page 43: China's Ghost Cities

SBS Dateline (Australia)

Video: China’s Ghost Cities and Malls (on SBS Dateline Website)

Video: China’s Ghost Cities and Malls (on YouTube)

Video: China’s Ghost Cities and Malls (on YouTube)

Transcript

Slideshow Tour of China’s Empty Cities

Aljazeera

Video: China’s Empty City (on Aljazeera Website)

Video: China’s Empty City (on YouTube)

Video: China’s Empty City Revisited (on YouTube)

Video: China’s Empty Cities – Government Stimulus and Central Planning at Work (on YouTube)

NTDTV

Video: House Prices Plunge in Chinese Ghost City (on YouTube)

Video: House Prices Plunge in Chinese Ghost City (Alternate Link on YouTube)

Time Magazine

Photo Gallery of Ordos

Adam Dean Photo Essay

Kangbashi District of Ordos: City of Broken Dreams

Daily Mail

The Ghost Towns of China: Amazing Satellite Images Show Cities Meant to be Home to Millions Lying Deserted

China’s Ghost Towns: New Satellite Pictures Show Massive Skyscraper Cities Which are STILL Completely Empty

Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Television’s “Behind the Wall”: China’s Ghost Cities

Videos and Additional Images

Note: Highly Recommended

Page 44: China's Ghost Cities

China Builds Desert Ghost City as Critics Warn of Bubble

China’s Desert Ghost City Shows Property ‘Madness’ Persists

Business Insider

New Satellite Pictures of China’s Ghost Cities

And Now Presenting: Amazing Satellite Images of the Ghost Cities of China

British Broadcasting Corporation

BBC: Work stops on Chinese ghost town

Iowa Public Television

World’s Largest Shopping Mall (South China Mall in Guangzhou) is Almost Entirely Empty

Ludwig von Mises Institute

Chinese Government Stimulus Builds a City But No One Comes

Chinese ghost town

Chinese Ghost Town, part 2

Chinese Ghost Town, Part 2(b)

Sky News

China’s Ghost Cities Fuel Boom-to-Bust Fears

World Net Daily

Why is China Building Eerie ‘Ghost Cities’?

New York Times

Endangered Dragon: Building Boom in China Stirs Fears of Debt Overload

The Extinction Protocol / Earth Changes News

China’s Ghost Cities

The Salfordian (Blog)

Video: Spookily Silent Chinese Ghost City (on The Salfotdian Website)

Video: Spookily Silent Chinese Ghost City (on YouTube)

Page 45: China's Ghost Cities

Google Maps: Links to Satellite Images

Zhengzhou New District, Henan

South China Mall, Dongguan

Ordos, Inner Mongolia

Erenhot, Xilin Gol, Inner Mongolia

Dantu, Zhenjiang,Jiangsu

Yunnan University Campus, Yunnan, Changgong

Page 46: China's Ghost Cities

Erenhot

  Erenhot: Image credit: Archived photo (2011).

“You can’t really move to a city with no economy…” 341

- Aljazeera video report on China’s empty cities

Principal Investigator: Gillem Tulloch, Analyst, Forensic Asia Limited (Hong Kong). Website: http://www.forensicasia.com/public/

                                                            341 “China’s Empty City,” video report, Aljazeera (November 2009).


Recommended