Kangbashi is a metropolitan district in Ordos, in Inner Mongolia, China. It is renowned for its world-class architecture, featuring extravagant skyscrapers, cultural landmarks, and wide boulevards. All these were meant to facilitate the lives of about a million people.
Now, it sits just as a ghost city, a relic of what it could have been. This article gives the story of Kangbashi. It articulates its history, why it was abandoned, and what has become of it.
History of Kangbashi
The famous Ordos Museum. Photo credit
The origins of Kangbashi date back to the Qingchunshan Development Zone, which was approved as an autonomous region-level development zone. This marked the first move towards establishing a new urban area for further development.
The administrative region of Qingchunshan was passed to the Dongsheng District from Yiqi. Later that year, the People’s Congress of Ordos City approved moving the municipal government into the zone. This marked the importance of the zone.
In 2004, it got a new name. Kangbashi New District and the government approved its leading detailed control plan for the zone development. A few years later, a new urban planning area was integrated into the Ordos urban plan. The city government moved into Kangbashi, marking its recognition as the new administrative center.
With Ordos lying atop rich coal deposits, the city became one of the wealthiest cities in China. Kangbashi was an ambitious project. Between 2006 and 2010, massive construction programs were carried out. Residential buildings, office complexes, cultural institutions such as museums and theaters, and public places were built.
Iconic buildings included the Ordos Museum and the futuristic Genghis Khan Square, representing what the city looked up to. In 2010, the urban center covered an area of 35 square kilometers and could easily house approximately 300,000 people. The project required heavy investment, estimated at 1.1 trillion yuan or around $161 billion.
While the region’s development was initially founded on the economic exploitation of natural local resources, the officials raised some concerns. Chief among them was the encroachment of the Ordos Desert, which meant natural water supplies became less accessible.
Why Was Kangbashi A Ghost City?
Kangbashi soon acquired the reputation of a “ghost city” due to its meager population in the years following its construction. It was designed and built on a big scale with the most modern infrastructure imaginable. The project entailed heavy investment and was built more quickly than the population that could grow within it.
Ordos’s economy is heavily based on coal mining and related industries, which are concentrated in nearby Dongsheng rather than Kangbashi itself.
In addition to that, Ordos is rich in coal resources. As such, its economy also heavily relies on the coal industry. A slack in the coal market during the late 2000s and early 2010s led to a slowing economy. This ultimately reduced the income levels and cut demand for housing.
There was also a matter of people not willing to move. They did not want to relocate to Kangbashi because there were few employment opportunities. Most of the residents of Kangbashi continued to live and work in cities where their job prospects were better.
Kangbashi planners predicted a large influx of migration from the countryside to the cities of Inner Mongolia and internal migration in China. However, because of the remoteness of Ordos and the thought that Kangbashi was under construction, migration rates were not as high as they were supposed to be.
Also, while Kangbashi had modern facilities, many residents preferred more familiar districts such as Dongsheng. They preferred regions where they already had community networks and services. This decline left a lot of partly utilized real estate projects, adding to the impression of abandonment that hit Kangbashi.
Kangbashi, Over the Years
Kangbashi library. Photo credit
Initial reports heralding Kangbashi as a “ghost city” started in 2009. After that, it garnered a lot of media coverage because of its empty state. Government incentives were introduced, including subsidized housing and tax breaks for businesses that moved into the district.
Though Kangbashi has been relatively slow in attracting residents, it has partially realized hopes for the area’s renewal. Despite all that, it takes the title of the largest ghost city in the world, with about 120,000 occupants, which was below the target.
Over the last couple of years, since schools and cultural centers moved into Kangbashi, there has been a distinct rise in property prices in the region. Some of the best schools in the area, including Ordos No. 1 High School and administrative offices, were relocated.
This made Kangbashi more attractive for residency. The families of students, teachers, and government workers moved into the district and began populating it.
Other facilities that drew in more people included education and cultural ones, such as libraries, museums, and performance centers. Those curious to see the more modern infrastructure and resources the district had in store were the most interested.
Can You Visit Kangbashi?
Kangbashi is open to visitors and has actually become quite the tourist destination in recent years. Its striking architecture, major cultural institutions, and the “ghost city” story made it famous. Large sculptures and art installations dot the city, more so around the grand public squares.
There are several museums and cultural centers in the region. They include the Ordos Museum, famous for its strange exterior resembling a metal dun. Performance cultural centers that present the heritage of Inner Mongolia also play a part in this. Visitors can go through local history, art, and Mongolian culture exhibitions.
Spring and fall are generally the most comfortable times to visit, given the bitter winters Inner Mongolia can experience. The district of Kangbashi is located about 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) from the older district of Dongsheng in Ordos. It can be reached by bus or taxi from Dongsheng or by flight via the Ordos Ejin Horo Airport serving the area.