In 2010, the company "Goselektroset" of the People's Republic of China conducted a census of electric meters of subscribers from 660 cities. As a result of this event, a rather strange fact was revealed. According to the census, on the counters of 65.4 million apartments there was zero. That is, no one lives on these squares. As it turned out, since 2000, China has been building ghost towns. More than twenty erected items remain uninhabited. Why does China need empty cities? Let's try to understand the article.
No housing crisis
It is difficult to believe that in an overpopulated country where the birth of every child is considered a crime, there are empty cities. In China, new buildings, highways, shops, parking lots, kindergartens, offices are being erected. Of course, housing is provided by utilities, water supply, electricity, sewage. Everything is ready for life. However, China is in no hurry to send its citizens to empty cities. What is the reason for their appearance?
One of the options
Why is China building empty cities? The government of the country sacredly keeps a secret, leaving the opportunity only to assume the true purpose of these points. There is an opinion that empty cities in China are just a duck. However, there are pictures of these uninhabited items. It’s worth saying here that it’s not difficult to get a photo of an empty city. In any, even large, metropolis, there is a period when there are no people or cars on the streets. This usually happens in the early morning. Well, if you couldn’t catch such a moment, you can use many well-known Photoshop programs. On this opinion, however, there are objections. First of all, it should be said that the Chinese themselves do not deny the existence of such cities. In addition, there are reliable satellite images. They clearly show that in the midst of the day there is no one on the streets, and there are no cars in the parking lots.
"Conspiracy theory"
It is also believed that every empty city in China has huge underground shelters. They are designed to receive several hundred million inhabitants. Thus, the Beijing government makes it clear to the Washington and Moscow authorities that the country is quite ready for a nuclear war. As you know, underground shelters are considered the most effective way to protect the population from damaging factors (penetrating radiation, shock wave, radioactive infection, radiation).
Empty cities in case of disaster
According to another assumption, the Beijing government, anticipating an imminent change of power in the United States, is preparing housing for its fellow citizens who are currently in America, but will be ready to leave it in the event of an economic collapse. The version is also being put forward that empty cities will become a refuge for the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom during an environmental disaster, when the water hides all coastal territories under it. And houses are being built in the most remote areas.
Investment
According to another version, empty cities are a monetary contribution of the government. Beijing authorities felt that it was more profitable to keep money in real estate than on the accounts of Western banks. In this regard, monumental but empty cities are being built - just in case. Again, this opinion can be argued. How long can an empty city stand? The photos presented in the article quite fully illustrate these uninhabited items - some of them have been standing for more than 10 years. They will stand still for 20 years, what will happen to them next? If nobody populates empty cities, they will have to be demolished, most likely.
New holiday villages
All empty cities are really built away from the coast. At the same time, the least seismically dangerous territories are selected for their construction. Actually, all this can be explained. If there is a choice of the place where to conduct such monumental construction, it is better to be safe right away and provide adequate protection to future residents, at least from earthquakes and floods.
Kanbashi and Ordos
The above was a version of a profitable investment. There is some truth in this assumption. Many owners bought apartments from developers at the initial stages of construction. Now the cost of housing has increased several times. As it became known from some sources, in the city of Ordos, apartments in houses have their owners. One of its areas - Kanbashi - is located twenty kilometers from the center. It is built in the middle of the desert. The area is designed for approximately 500, 000 people. However, it looks completely empty, since about 30 thousand constantly live in it. In fact, there are almost no free apartments in the area. Ordos is considered one of the richest Chinese cities. It stands on deposits of natural gas and coal. At the same time, the Kanbashi district for its residents is something like a summer residence. They come there for the weekend. It should also be said that the number of people who would like to work and live in Ordos is increasing annually. From this it follows that apartments in houses, even built 20 km from the center, are constantly becoming more expensive.
A spoon of tar
Almost no major undertaking can do without it, even in a country like China. Any large-scale construction is based on state subsidies. Responsible officials are appointed to control the movement of funds. However, not all of them are pure on hand. Periodically, someone comes across large thefts and frauds. So, for example, they began to build a fairly large settlement of Qingshuhe back in 1998. However, over the next ten years it was never completed. By the way, the average city for 500 thousand people is being built in China in about 6-7 years. The money allocated to Qingshuihe magically disappeared. The perpetrators, of course, were found and held accountable, but the village was never completed. For a long time it stands abandoned and completely unsuitable for living. However, the story with this village is more likely an exception than a rule.
