Featuring everything from sports stadiums to shopping malls, hundreds of new cities in China stand empty, with hundreds more set to be built by 2030. Between now and then, the country's urban population will leap to over one billion, as the central government kicks its urbanization initiative into overdrive. In the process, traditional social structures are being torn apart, and a rootless, semi-displaced, consumption orientated culture rapidly taking their place. Ghost Cities of China is an enthralling dialogue driven, on-location search for an understanding of China's new cities and the reasons why many currently stand empty.
Wade Shepard is editor in chief at The China Chronicle.
1. The New Map of China2. Clearing the Land3. Of New Cities and Ghost Cities4. When Construction Ends the Building Begins5. Megacities Inside of Megacities6. A New City, A New Identity7. No Going Back8. Powering the New China9. Staying Afloat10. What Ghost Cities Become
Scholars and students of Chinese studies will gain greater clarity and understanding regarding the dynamics and unknown facets of the ghost cities of China. It is a book that everyone interested in ghost cities and the future of China would do well to read.'
Kerry Brown, Kalley Wu Tzu Hui, UK) Brown, Professor Kerry (Lau China Institute, King's College London, Taiwan) Hui, Kalley Wu Tzu (Independent Scholar, Paul French