China now has at least fifty ghost cites...

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Over the past two decades, the twin engines of “urbanization” and “land finance” have pushed local governments to build vast new districts in the hopes of attracting investment and residents. Yet surveys and media investigations show that China now has at least 50 ghost cities—fully built urban centers with roads, high-rises, and public facilities but hardly any residents.

These districts feature immaculate infrastructure, expansive boulevards, and even airports and metro lines, but after dark, they fall almost completely silent.

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Among them, Xiong’an New Area stands out. Announced in 2017 with enormous political fanfare, Xiong’an was billed as a “millennium plan” and meant to absorb Beijing’s non-capital functions. The government announced an investment target equivalent to US$85 billion, describing the project as China’s next great urban experiment.

Eight years later, official reports still insist the area is booming—state enterprises are moving in, population is rising, and schools, hospitals, and housing are “taking shape.”

But recent visits by independent observers paint a sharply different picture that contrasts starkly with the official narrative.

One visitor filmed his walk through Xiong’an and described the experience as “post-apocalyptic”: “If you want to know what a world without people looks like, come here. This is it.”

He noted the contradiction—meticulous landscaping, spotless streets, and gleaming new towers, yet no sign of human life.

“You look up at an entire block of high-rises and see two windows lit. Everything else is black. It’s beautiful but tragic.”

The emptiness reminded him of the Hollywood film I Am Legend: “Honestly, this place could be a tourist attraction. I’m not joking.”

He wondered what it must feel like to work in these vast, vacant towers: “Imagine going to the office knowing that every floor from bottom to top is empty.”

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