Ghost Cities of China: The Story of Cities Without People in the World's Most Populated Country

Over the next couple of decades, it is estimated that 250 million Chinese citizens will move from rural areas into cities, pushing the country's urban population over one billion. China has built hundreds of new cities and urban districts over the past thirty years, and hundreds more are set to be built by 2030 as the central government kicks its urbanization initiative into overdrive. As China redraws its map with new cities, it isn't just creating new urban areas, but also engineering a new culture and way of life. Yet, many of these new cities, such as the infamous Kangbashi and Yujiapu, stand nearly empty, construction having ground to a halt due to the loss of investors and colossal debt.

In Ghost Cities of China, Wade Shepard examines this phenomenon up close. He posits that the shedding of traditional social structures in the country is at an advanced stage, and a rootless, consumption-centric globalized culture is rapidly taking its place. Incorporating interviews and on-the-ground investigation, Ghost Cities of China examines China's under-populated modern cities and the country's overly ambitious building program.

Author: Wade Shepard
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 05/15/2015
Pages: 232
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.60d
ISBN13: 9781783602186
ISBN10: 178360218X
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Sociology | Urban
- Social Science | Anthropology | Cultural & Social
- Social Science | Regional Studies

About the Author

Wade Shepard is editor in chief at The China Chronicle.
Wade Shepard is editor in chief at The China Chronicle.