Nearest/most Accessible Ghost City?

[WoodWERD]

Thought it might be fun to explore a ghost city before I head home this summer. Some googling led me to Chenggong which is just outside Kunming; have any of you been out there before? There are articles discussing it’s ghost town status as far back as 2010 and as recent as 2013, so I’m wondering if it’s still a worthwhile visit or if it has filled in in the last few years. Any insight/discussion into visiting ghost cities is welcome…and if you’re up for a trip in late June or early July let me know!

[squirrel suit]

I am pretty sure that Chenggong is Kunming’s University City. I don’t know if it would be worth travelling to on it’s own merit, but Kunming is a great city and definitely worth a visit if you’ve never been. The “new” subway there actually goes out to Chenggong, so you could stay in the city and do the fun Kunming stuff and then hop on the subway to go out to Chenggong and explore out there

[muell]

Hey Woodwerd,

I was gonna suggest that earthquake site, the phosporus factory near pengzhou but then I did a forum search and it was you who posted about that (https://www.chengduliving.com/forums/topic/chuanxindian-earthquake-site/)    🙂

I’ve travelled around China extensively and in my opinion a lot of those reports of ghost towns get exaggerated by foreign media. There aren’t any real deserted places in China just because there are so many migrant workers and homeless/poor people. If you got an empty place it won’t take long until it gets taken over by squatters. Googled Chenggong and it looks a lot like that place in Ordos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangbashi_New_Area), the BBCs favorite ghost town – not really all that empty from what I heard.

The only places I could think of would be really remote areas like parts of Qinghai or Xinjiang, there might be villages that have been given up cause everyone moved away and I know in Xinjiang there is a historical ghost town that got swallowed by the desert (you can still explore the ruins).

I’d agree with squirrel, don’t go to Kunming just for that but go and explore all those cool places around Kunming.

[897934-884]

I assume you’re aware of the deserted “world park” in Xipu.  It’s been written up before on these sites.   A defunct theme park with a bunch of fake european architecture – now overgrown with vines and walled in.   10-15 minute walk straight-on past Xipu station on the metro.  left side.

Though last time I went by, it looked like they were in the process of taking it down… brick… by…. brick….

[WoodWERD]

Giving this one more bump before I decide whether to try to make this happen. And thanks goatboy, I was not aware of Xipu.

[j.slemmer]

Is this the location of the abandoned “world park”?
Around the lake?

https://www.google.com.hk/maps/@30.7611819,103.9604744,16.85z?hl=en

And WoodWerd, did you go to a Ghost town?

[WoodWERD]

Squirrel was right, it’s a university town that was waiting to fill in. I made it down to Kunming but didn’t bother going out there.

[Pk_c]

Yeah they are making a brand new school on the site I belive, works are not finished thought might still be worth a visit 🙂

[Dan]

Hey guys, finally published that interview with ghost cities explorer Wade Shepard. You can check it out on the Chengdu Living front page, or follow the link here: https://www.chengduliving.com/ghost-cities-with-wade-shepard/

Part 2 of that interview will come out in a couple of days. As for the closest “ghost city”, that would be the Tianfu New Area, the upcoming (in a couple of years/decades) eco-city that is going to form a mega-region with Chengdu and Chongqing… if they can every populate it. It’s still in the process of being constructed, but I’ve heard from some people who went to check it out that it is monumental.

[Author]

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