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Wade Shepard

Ghost Cities of China: The Story of Cities without People in the World's Most Populated Country (Asian Arguments) Paperback – May 15, 2015

by Wade Shepard (Author), Paul French (Series Editor)

22 ratings

Part of: Asian Arguments (20 books)

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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.

Print length

232 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Zed Books
Publication date

May 15, 2015
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.53 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

178360218X
ISBN-13

978-1783602186
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Having grown up in the 'rust belt' of America, Wade Shepard is familiar with the emptiness and ruin of cities in decline. In Ghost Cities of China he guides us on a comprehensive - yet still often intimate - tour of cities "that are just being born." Through his in depth engagement of the country's vast urbanization on the cusp of its emergence, Shepard exposes both the myths and realities of China's ghost cities; haunted spaces, which are not dead and abandoned, but rather have yet to come to life." -Anna Greenspan, author of Shanghai Future: Modernity Remade

A well-reported and fascinating primer on China's ghost cities. Wade Shepard cuts through the sensational coverage of China's infrastructure boom to deliver an eye-opening piece of reportage on the topic. A refreshing primer on China's complex and often misunderstood property market." -Rob Schmitz, Marketplace's Shanghai Bureau Chief

"There is much to enjoy in this energetic if chaotic account: the landscape Shepard travels is so strange and monumental that it is hard to avoid being fascinated." -The New Statesman

"In his exploration of East Asian cities that are literally disposable, Wade Shepard provides an intriguing overview to a phenomenon that combines two of this century's biggest narratives: global urbanization and the unprecedented growth of China." -Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding and Marco Polo Didn't Go There

". . . offers an interesting glimpse of the strange path China is taking on its march to modernization." -The World Today, Chatham House

"In this succinct study of a country bulldozed to make way for generic conurbations, China Chronicle editor Wade Shepard dispenses the facts with chilling clarity. As he examines mountains literally moved, relocations on a gargantuan scale and the duplication of Hallstatt, Austria, in Guangdong province, a stunned awe sets in." -Nature

For anyone who has visited China beyond the usual tourist destinations and wonders why a large railway station has been built in the middle of a desert, or where the roads with no cars go to, or whether anyone will ever live in the multiplying tower blocks, Wade Shepard's book provides some answers." -The Socialist Review

"Ghost Cities of China is an accessible look at one aspect of urban development in China that may help to illuminate others, by an author who holds strong opinions about the state of architecture and planning in China." -Environment and Urbanization

From the Back Cover

Featuring everything from sports stadiums to shopping malls, hundreds of new urban areas in China stand empty, with hundreds more set to be completed 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 rootles, semi-displaced, consumption oriented culture is 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 have not yet attracted sizable populations.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zed Books (May 15, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 178360218X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1783602186
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.53 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,111,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,046 in Sociology of Urban Areas
- #2,384 in Chinese History (Books)
- #2,400 in Human Geography (Books)

Customer Reviews:
22 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		58%
4 star		14%
3 star		7%
2 star		13%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Patricia F. Sheffield

Inside View of China

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2015

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This is a fascinating story about how China is trying to upgrade the lives of many people by building huge "new" cities, which are now empty, but which will in the future have residents once businesses have come in to provide jobs, etc. Many Chinese are now simply buying apartments as an investment, but the hope is that future residents will have a much better life. Published in the UK by an American who has lived in China, speaks Mandarin and traveled all over to document this.

6 people found this helpful

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John Lehman

A good analysis of the link between China's plans for mass urbanization and the "ghost city" phenomenon

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2015

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A good analysis of the link between China's plans for mass urbanization and the (mis)reporting of ghost city construction by the Western media. Much better followup on what happens to these developments than usual.

4 people found this helpful

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rick

Amazingly descriptive, well written and researched book

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016

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Ghost Cities of China is an impressive and fascinating book to read. Wade Shepard is an amazingly descriptively writer. It is apparent that he extensively visited and researched the places he wrote about. This book is a must for all who want to learn more about Chinese culture and it's financial intrigue. I advise anyone who is interested in learning more about China to read this well written and researched book.

2 people found this helpful

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readerRR

A Must Read if You Want to Understand China

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2015

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Opinions about China and it's development are usually ill-formed and authored be people who never explored the country. It's like they saw one picture of Beijing on CNN or Fox News and formed an exhaustive opinion based on only that. Or, there are books written by jaded people who tried to be ESL teachers for a year or two and then returned home to write a Kindle ebook about how they were horrified that China is not culturally exactly like America. This is one of those rare books that is so not that. Wade Shepard plays the role of both a travel writer and a journalist. Here is analysis of somebody who has walked Chinese streets, talked to people, and did his research. If anybody wants to even come close to understanding the emerging Urban China, this book is an absolute must read.

6 people found this helpful

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QHello

If more American writers can tell the story of China like Wade Shepard

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015

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A solid field work without bias, sensationalism, and condescending attitude. If more American writers can tell the story of China like Wade Shepard, people in these two countries will understand each other better. Looking forward to Shepard's next book.

7 people found this helpful

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Viva LasVegas2020

Fascinating and well-researched study

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2015

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Ghost Cities of China is a fascinating, highly readable, and well-researched study of the role that urbanization and real-estate development have played in the Chinese economic growth "miracle" of the last 30 years, based on many years of research in China. Maybe the title should be "Ghost Cities?", with a question mark, because the author questions whether new cities are truly "ghost cities" or cities that are only ghost-like in a temporary sense because they have been built faster than people have been able to move into them? It is clear that China has had the biggest real estate boom in history. Whether this is a prelude to the biggest "bust" in history is an open question.

7 people found this helpful

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Just Julien

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2016

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Extremely interesting read.

3 people found this helpful

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Roger Young

Interesting Read - 5 Stars !

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2016

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Interesting read on the most populated place on the planet.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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tallmanbaby

upbeat and impressive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2015

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I have always loved cities and urbanism, I've even self published a collection of stories about imaginary cities. 101 Quiet Cities

There has been a fair bit of coverage of China building cities that just sit there empty. Not cities that have served a purpose like Detroit, but cities that have been built and no one came.

This is a fascinating account of the phenomenon. I was not too sure what to expect, would it just be a wistful wander through endless empty shopping malls built for chinese shoppers that would never come? It is actually a fascinating account of the phenomenon of these empty cities, setting out how China really is different, very very differnet, and nothing is quite what it seems. Despite being an old country, China is new to getting big cities, so it is building its own, some dull soviet style, some spoofs of European icons, some eco cities.

There is the mindboggling thrill of something incredible being built from nothing, that you can get from science fiction, like terraforming a strange planet. This is an urbanism of epic sweep and grandeur.

I am not sure whether the book was slightly rushed to publication, it is bang upto date, but the first half felt a little more polished than the second. Some of the arguments in the second half felt a little under developed. An editor's eye might also have picked up the use of `epidemic' when, `endemic' might have been better. Also the description of a series of bell curves, I think most folk would just call that a sine curve.

Overall the book is optimistic about China, though few might share the author's optimism that China can/will increase domestic demand to match its output. A gloomier view can be had in China's Urban Billion, in the same Asian Arguments series, by Tom Miller.

The Kindle version is well nigh perfect, including a functional index, but sadly no photos. My only real quibble is that it is rather expensive, if it were cheaper I would just have bought up half the Asian Arguments series immediately.

One person found this helpful

Nomadic Backpacker

Intriguing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2020

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Have crossed China twice myself, east to west. Wade's book for me can be summed up in one word. Intriguing! Of course I could add 'very' in front of it or use a whole host of other superlatives. We all know China is a unique country and this book really gets into the heart of the way cities are planned and built.

Amazon Customer

Solid read on urban development in China

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2016

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The book title is a little bit of a misnomer, it's more of a general book on urban development in China, and all his info supports his main argument even though there is lots of evidence of stagnancy in certain ghost cities. But it's an interesting argument differing from the media rubbish we're surrounded by and well worth a read!

Fernanda de Oliveira Silva

Amei

Reviewed in Brazil on December 23, 2016

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O livro faz um apanhado geral das situações econômica, social, política, etc. contemporâneas da China, explicando como os processos se iniciaram, como estão se desenvolvendo e as possíveis implicações no futuro.
Apesar do autor não ser arquiteto, trata muito bem das questões urbanas, sobretudo do planejamento pioneiro que vem sendo feito no país.

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Alex

VERY interesting and insightful. Truths are told and misconceptions ...

Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2016

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VERY interesting and insightful. Truths are told and misconceptions are revealed. Not exactly what you'd expect from the title! China definitely does things their own way. Curious to see if the country can keep up the momentum... or collapse from exhaustion!

One person found this helpful

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Ghost Cities of China: The Story of Cities without People in the World's Most Populated Country (Asian Arguments) Paperback – May 15, 2015

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