Empty cities of China

chunxueping · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 749 Location: Beijing, PRC

China's cities are not open sewers, most of them are quite acceptable to the people who live there. You have the wrong country. Whatever the problems there are in one city does not mean that millions of people are going to move to another miles from anywhere with no infrastructure, let alone engage non-existent craftsmen and designers for apartments they dont actually want to use.

I know why don't you fly in celebrity chefs to show people how to cook and open restaurants and stage "X Factor" there to encourage the local talent. We have all seen how easy it is for one celebrity to turn things around in ten minutes with a lot of swearing and a lamb cutlet in a raspberry jus.

It is not something that can be fixed in half an hour of Reality TV with a couple of rolls of sticky-backed plastic and a staple gun.

Go and live in China before you start telling Chinese people how to run their lives.

Edwina Lee · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1278 Location: High Wycombe, UK

I am not telling chinese people how to run their lives. It is not the 1st time in history that big projects do not live up to expectations. In fact, there are many such projects. Nevetheless, people do not give up completely to try to rescue some value from them.

If ancient tombs like the Great Pyramids have value in the middle of a desert, then surely populating a new city does not look like an impossible challenge.

It is not a matter of selling ice to the eskimos, but developing a new life for millions of very poor rural chinese.

pensggs · Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 359

Interesting discussion

China's problem and maybe the world's problem dealt with a tab on the key board.

The market theory does not exist, people do not exist and people and businesses can be made into 'robots' to stop pollution, wasted resources and energise redundant speculative projects. All these on the basis that governments and businesses in China and around the World would suddenly become charitable organisations to fund mistakes made by speculators in China and get them out of the 's***hole' they had built themselves.

Bring back all dictators of the world, past and present, and march all ye slaves, captives and servants to these empty houses, make these slaves etc start businesses, make them into educated slaves and built a fence around these cities, and control the rest of the world by telepathy to buy all you produce. What a DREAM.

A good plot for humankind inside a computer.

Welcome back xueping. Dimsum is certainly back.

chunxueping · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 749 Location: Beijing, PRC

I've been to the Great Pyramids. They are not in the middle of the desert they are about 500 metres from a luxury hotel and 2km from one of the largest cities on earth. They have no value apart from attracting well-heeled western tourists to gawp at them.

They are also ruins.

That said Ordos has public buildings of heart-rending beauty but the place is empty. It may develop one day but that does not change the fact the nearest town is Baotuo 90 km north and even Hohhot is over 200 km to the NE. Old Ordos is a thriving, crowded, old place of about 30,000 people but nobody wants to go to new Ordos.

I am not around very often these days.

Edwina Lee · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1278 Location: High Wycombe, UK

Here is a totally non-coersive plan:-

[step 1] Provincial Government publish a report about the state of an empty city. In it, a conclusion would state that unless there is co-ordinated action, the city will remain empty, and the government is willing to help create a body with economics, business & town planning expertise to talk with all stake holders (investors, banks, businesses, even other provencial governments), in order to create a viable plan;

[step 2] Regularly, publish a report which monitors the empty city against the report;

[step 3] When there is enough stake holder interest for the government to act, create the body;

[step 4] The body arrange informative talks, and conferences in order to create a plan which will create a viable economy, attract migrants from desired parts of China (e.g. from over crowded cities, from failing export businesses, from poor villages), attract businesses;

I really can't see what is wrong with that. Has this been tried? One would have thought obvious to do that.

chunxueping · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 749 Location: Beijing, PRC

Do you honestly think that China government and local authorities have not tried many different things or do you believe that all mainland Chinese people are helpless retards that can only sit around until some "armchair expert" tells us what to do? Is it really likely that the local authority and CCP official is going to publish a report saying "I've just blown 100 Billion Rmb on a city nobody wants in a place with no infrastructure." He might as well put the gun in his own mouth.

Old Ordos is a small, vibrant, traditional Chinese village within walking distance of New Ordos but they prefer to stay with their family and friends with the businesses they run and the homes they love. I suppose your solution is to send in the army with the bulldozers and cattle prods to teach them what's best. People dont want, and cannot afford, to live there full stop.

Please worry about the problems in the EU before you start telling us what to do in the remotest parts of China.

Edwina Lee · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1278 Location: High Wycombe, UK

Are you not in effect saying that the officials responsible for the development did not make a proper effort to get the empty city filled, because if they tried, then they would have had to admit responsibility?

In short, you are saying that there was a lack of effort to try to get the empty cities filled.

Surely, an empty city would have been noticed rather quickly by central government.

Something is seriously amiss here.

chunxueping · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 749 Location: Beijing, PRC

No I am not.

If you want to discuss this privately fine but for a few remarks to be publically beaten to death to make an issue over something we can do nothing about destroys all the pleasure in life.

I've been there, I know the reasons.

Now for God's sake let it lie! No wonder nobody posts here anymore.

pensggs · Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 359

The city was built by 'Ordos-dian' and paid for by the citizens and inhabitants of Ordos. If they are 'rich' enough to build a model city, leave it empty, all paid for by Ordos-dian, why are you getting so 'hecked-up' about this city being 'empty'.

In this economic times, one month ago, a multi millionaire opened a traditional public house. He just spent £3 million to satisfy his wish to own his own very traditional pub. The fact that he might not earn enough income to make this pub, self financing, is not relevant. The fact that the pub might not have enough customers, is not relevant. This is ORDOS on a smaller scale. It is a whim of the rich, built for no reasons except that they can afford to build it.

So, there, there, now cry your heart out. Why do anyone need to feel sorry for the whims of the rich.

Once upon a time, there was a medical student. He decided to give up his course one nonth before graduation. When asked why he decided not to continue his degree at this late stage. His reply was that he did not enjoy being in the medical profession. When asked why if he did not liked the medical profession, why he chose a medical degree course? His reply was 'Because he could'. The arrogance of the young and the well-endowed (rich).

ORDOS is a whim, a symbol of 'Wealth' so all you mortals without, just cry our heart out.

Edwina Lee · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1278 Location: High Wycombe, UK

Calm down both of you.

Curiosity about China is healthy discussion. Curiosity is about {what, why, when, where, whom, which}, hence generate conversation.

chunxueping · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 749 Location: Beijing, PRC

No, over-analysis and endless picking over details destroys interest and happiness. It is merely another form of "Trolling." That is why nobody posts here anymore.

There is always someone that has to have the last word, has to beat you down, will not tolerate any voice other than their own. You are not actually interested in what other people have to say, you only want to hear yourself.

As they say in 1984, "Picture a human face being stamped on forever."

That is the Internet, that is what public opinion and so-called free-speech amounts to these days.

Edwina Lee · Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 1278 Location: High Wycombe, UK

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

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