Chinese Ghost City

[sees_all1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPILhiTJv7E

 

[hide=images]

Biggest point here is the lack of cars or pedestrians.

 

[/hide]

 

Long video, I know. Some reading materials instead:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/271265-the-phantom-growth-of-china-s-ghost-cities

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339536/Ghost-towns-China-Satellite-images-cities-lying-completely-deserted.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/china-ghost-city-english-town-2011-6

 

 

________

 

I'm surprised there isn't a topic on this. I don't even know what to make of it, other than only in a communist country can an entire city be built with no one to use it.

[Danqazmlp]

I'm absolutely speechless. I'm not caring about just how much it is a false economy for Chinas construction industry. I'm much more concerned with the environmental factor. Think about how much waste is produced through the construction and upkeep of pointless cities. It's just mind blowing. Then there are, as the video said, farmlands being taken by the cities as well.

 

All I can say that this is just another thing that will come back to haunt China in the years to come.

[All_Is_Great]

That's terrible...

 

But could you post the names of the cities? I didn't quite catch them when the guy said it with a British accent. :mellow:

 

Also could someone update me on Detroits situation? Last I heard the city lost almost half its inhabitants...

[sees_all1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widrX8EQdu8&feature=player_embedded

 

I don't know how to spell their names :oops:

[K4ylan]

They should really organize some street races in those cities.

[Ginger_Warrior]

I'm absolutely speechless. I'm not caring about just how much it is a false economy for Chinas construction industry. I'm much more concerned with the environmental factor. Think about how much waste is produced through the construction and upkeep of pointless cities.

Oh right. Because people in the westen world, the UK especially, are so good when it comes to waste efficiency. :rolleyes:

 

I'm not saying China's in the right here but seriously...

[Kimberly]

EDIT: Just wiping my post. I can see an environmental righteous discussion a'brewin' that I want no part of lol. >_<

[Danqazmlp]

I'm absolutely speechless. I'm not caring about just how much it is a false economy for Chinas construction industry. I'm much more concerned with the environmental factor. Think about how much waste is produced through the construction and upkeep of pointless cities.

Oh right. Because people in the westen world, the UK especially, are so good when it comes to waste efficiency. :rolleyes:

 

I'm not saying China's in the right here but seriously...

 

You're kidding right? China has blatant disrespect for the environment, not just here but in many other aspects. The majority of the developed world on the other hand at least takes measures to limit environmental damage and very rarely will damage the environment for no reason like the Chinese have.

 

The problem with developed countries is that being environmental costs, and takes time as institutions and cultures are very rigid. They can never be changed overnight, but are gradually being changed, especially in the UK. I can't think of a single part of my life that isn't somehow effected by environmental though, be it at work, home or travelling. It is very obvious however that governments, especially in Europe are trying to change. China on the other hand, as we can see, are wasting god knows how much, producing an uncountable amount of waste building cities for no other reason than to make itself seem more powerful and economically strong.

[sees_all1]

Also could someone update me on Detroits situation? Last I heard the city lost almost half its inhabitants...

Detroit is the exact opposite problem - Detroit grew because populations moved there, and after its hay-day populations are moving out. And, instead of building up the city (like China is doing), they're flattening it and turning it into farmland.

[Ginger_Warrior]

OK well, we'll just cry foul play at China from our electrically-powered (predominently coal- and oil-fueled) laptops over our electrically powered Internet routers while consuming food imported from the Ukraine and South America contained in packaging, only 25% of which we'll bother to put into a recycling box, and we'll all continue to feel sorry for Eric Pickles on the week he had to withdraw plans for weekly bin collections which he declared as a 'right' over fortnightly bin collections which are there to bully us into recycling but, despite our moral conscience, we couldn't seem to care less about.

 

Then we'll all claim the moral high ground for "gradual change" whilst spewing patriotic vitriole.

 

There is plenty we can do for ourselves first without blasting China for being unable to keep control of ballooning waste inefficiency in one of the fastest growing economies on Earth, yet strangely when it comes to election time, hardly anyone wants to hear what the Green Party has to say.

 

All I'm saying is, while our own record on waste and the environment is as pathetic as it is, I'd withhold on telling China how they should behave.

[Orpheus]

I'd argue there's two culprits as to why the world's ultimately doomed if they don't change: China, as evidenced here, and the spending of the U.S. military.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5219598/how-long-will-our-world-last-yes-we-are-screwed

 

It's also a fault of our own consumption, but the U.S. military has the highest budget in the world I think. If they were to shut down a few non-essential bases and stop intervening in everything, tons of issues could be resolved, like efforts to save the environment. It's only wishful thinking I hope.

 

That said, these things are ultimately why I felt like switching to another major: I want to save this planet. I've seen the future: It's not a pretty one at this rate. Saying it's similar to the Fallout universe would be accurate.

[sees_all1]

OK well, we'll just cry foul play at China from our electrically-powered (predominently coal- and oil-fueled) laptops over our electrically powered Internet routers while consuming food imported from the Ukraine and South America contained in packaging, only 25% of which we'll bother to put into a recycling box, and we'll all continue to feel sorry for Eric Pickles on the week he had to withdraw plans for weekly bin collections which he declared as a 'right' over fortnightly bin collections which are there to bully us into recycling but, despite our moral conscience, we couldn't seem to care less about.

Well, at least you're using your laptop. China isn't using its buildings.

 

Then we'll all claim the moral high ground for "gradual change" whilst spewing patriotic vitriole.

Because as long as there is hypocrisy, there can be no crimes. :rolleyes:

 

There is plenty we can do for ourselves first without blasting China for being unable to keep control of ballooning waste inefficiency in one of the fastest growing economies on Earth, yet strangely when it comes to election time, hardly anyone wants to hear what the Green Party has to say.

If you watched the video, one of the reasons its the "fastest growing" is because of these ghost cities. China is producing for the sake of producing.

[Sam]

That's so weird. Just seems like a bit of a waste of time to be honest.

[aspeeder]

Surprised everyone's taking the environmental view, the video was so fixed on the social impact on those who do live there and the inflated price which might lead to a housing bubble. Very mixed up priorities the government seems to have, valuing the international perception of their economy over the well being of their people and land.

[Orpheus]

Surprised everyone's taking the environmental view, the video was so fixed on the social impact on those who do live there and the inflated price which might lead to a housing bubble. Very mixed up priorities the government seems to have, valuing the international perception of their economy over the well being of their people and land.

 

With their barbaric population control schema and gratuitous waste of materials for the sake of looking like they've got a growing economy, they'll fall under their own weight. They won't last like this.

[Assume Nothing]

This thread will be useful for my Economics course. Thanks sees!

 

On Topic: Hmm, I was never aware of the issue before. How significant is the problem as a percentage of Chinese properties?

[sees_all1]

This thread will be useful for my Economics course. Thanks sees!

 

On Topic: Hmm, I was never aware of the issue before. How significant is the problem as a percentage of Chinese properties?

 

I think they said in the video that there are 68.5 million unoccupied apartments... figure a conservative 2 people per apartment and that's approaching 10% of their population...

[Will H]

OK well, we'll just cry foul play at China from our electrically-powered (predominently coal- and oil-fueled) laptops over our electrically powered Internet routers while consuming food imported from the Ukraine and South America contained in packaging, only 25% of which we'll bother to put into a recycling box, and we'll all continue to feel sorry for Eric Pickles on the week he had to withdraw plans for weekly bin collections which he declared as a 'right' over fortnightly bin collections which are there to bully us into recycling but, despite our moral conscience, we couldn't seem to care less about.

 

Then we'll all claim the moral high ground for "gradual change" whilst spewing patriotic vitriole.

 

There is plenty we can do for ourselves first without blasting China for being unable to keep control of ballooning waste inefficiency in one of the fastest growing economies on Earth, yet strangely when it comes to election time, hardly anyone wants to hear what the Green Party has to say.

 

All I'm saying is, while our own record on waste and the environment is as pathetic as it is, I'd withhold on telling China how they should behave.

 

The fact of the matter is the west's many environmental inefficiencies are beginning to pale in comparison to China's. There's always more work to be done to sort out environmentally sound ways of doing, well, everything here, but China's disregard for such things threatens to cancel out our efforts at lessening our impact on the environment. We all live on/orbit around the same planet, and a lot of this is fundamentally a global issue. A bunch of computers is one thing, but a city is a whole different kettle of fish.

 

Also, nobody listens* to the UK Green party because they're considered by many circles to be the voice of the irrational far-left, and they've politically branched beyond what their 'Green' title justifies. I commend the work of many environmental groups, but the Green party somehow manages to simultaneously lose the view of the bigger picture as well as extending beyond their mandate.

 

*Apart from Brighton Pavilion, apparently. But hey.

[H2PM]

What great places to have massive airsoft and paintball wars at.

[Atom Smash40]

They should really organize some street races in those cities.

First one to go from Taishian apartment, 5th floor to Zhonghua subway station (must go underground) 2 miles away wins :grin:

[K4ylan]

What great places to have massive airsoft and paintball wars at.

 

At least someone here sees the positive. There's not much that can be done now except for populating the cities and stopping the production of future ghost towns. Although they could do something like occupy these towns with homeless people.

[aspeeder]

What great places to have massive airsoft and paintball wars at.

 

At least someone here sees the positive. There's not much that can be done now except for populating the cities and stopping the production of future ghost towns. Although they could do something like occupy these towns with homeless people.

At first glance I'd agree, but you'd basically be sending them into the middle of the desert with a shelter. Whether you see them as leeches or survivors the homeless require either the charity or leftovers from other people who can get/have a job, without many other people and jobs I don't know where they'd get the things they need to live.

[jasignhagj]

What great places to have massive airsoft and paintball wars at.

Get 500 people on each side, and that would be indescribably epic.

[K4ylan]

What great places to have massive airsoft and paintball wars at.

 

At least someone here sees the positive. There's not much that can be done now except for populating the cities and stopping the production of future ghost towns. Although they could do something like occupy these towns with homeless people.

At first glance I'd agree, but you'd basically be sending them into the middle of the desert with a shelter. Whether you see them as leeches or survivors the homeless require either the charity or leftovers from other people who can get/have a job, without many other people and jobs I don't know where they'd get the things they need to live.

 

Yeah, I didn't think of that.

[All_Is_Great]

Just realized the news is pretty old. Yet you'd figure it would be pretty known by now if it was such a big problem.

 

Methinks that media is trying to make this into a bigger story than it is.

 

As for the topic of environmental issues, last I heard, developed modernized countries produce waste like no other. Every country has its problems, it is not the right thing to do to point fingers at each other.