In this article, discover five essential locations selected from our Urbex China Map, which features over 500 abandoned places across China, carefully documented for unique and immersive explorations.
Abandoned villages in China tell a different story from the factories and ghost cities. Rural depopulation, the gravitational pull of megacities, dam flooding, fishing industry collapse, and failed urban planning experiments have emptied thousands of settlements across the country — leaving behind everything from ancient Hakka walled villages to surreal European replicas built for residents who never arrived.
Why China Is One of the Best Destinations for Abandoned Village Urbex
China's urbanization has been the largest in human history. Over 300 million people moved from rural areas to cities between 1990 and 2020 — emptying entire villages in the process. Some were flooded by dam projects. Others were bypassed by infrastructure. Many simply ran out of young people willing to stay. The result is a country scattered with ghost villages of extraordinary variety, from subtropical islands swallowed by vines to Baroque English market towns with no residents.
📍 All locations below are referenced on our Urbex China Map — GPS coordinates, access notes, condition ratings, and explorer reports included.
1. Houtouwan – The World's Most Photographed Abandoned Village, Shengshan Island (Known Location)
The most iconic abandoned village in China — and one of the most photographed in the world. Houtouwan on Shengshan Island was home to over 2,000 fishermen at its peak in the 1980s, nicknamed "Little Taiwan" for its prosperity. As the harbor became too shallow for modern trawlers and the island lacked roads and schools, families left one by one. By 2002 it was empty. Two decades of subtropical humidity allowed Parthenocissus tricuspidata — Boston ivy — to consume every building, wall, and staircase at a rate of up to a metre per year.
In 2015, aerial photographs went viral on Weibo and were picked up by CNN, National Geographic, and The Guardian. The village was dubbed "the most beautiful abandoned village in the world."
👉 Stone houses draped entirely in green, staircases reclaimed by vines, crumbling walls overlooking the East China Sea — a lost civilisation hidden in the mist.
| Architecture | Fishing village — stone houses on steep hillside |
| Condition | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Overgrown — partially accessible |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Easy — official entry path (50 RMB entrance fee) |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: Harbor too shallow for modern fishing fleets; no roads, no schools. By 2002 all 600 families had left. Now a protected tourist site — plan for a minimum two-day trip from Shanghai.
🔗 More on Houtouwan: Wikipedia – Houtouwan
2. Thames Town – China's Abandoned English Village, Shanghai (Known Location)
One of the most surreal abandoned places in Asia. Thames Town is a 1 km² replica of an English market town built in 2006 on farmland 40 kilometres southwest of Shanghai, as part of the city's "One City, Nine Towns" urban decentralisation plan. It features cobbled streets, Tudor and Victorian houses, red telephone boxes, a Gothic church modelled on Christ Church in Bristol, and statues of Winston Churchill and Shakespeare. Built at a cost of £540 million, it was designed for 10,000 residents. By 2008, fewer than 900 people lived there.
Today Thames Town is deserted except for wedding photographers — couples use its European streetscapes as a backdrop for bridal portraits. Much of the retail is shuttered, the streets are empty, and the overall effect is described by visitors as "The Truman Show brought to life".
👉 An exact copy of a British village with no British people — empty cobbled streets, locked Tudor pubs, and a Gothic church echoing with silence.
| Architecture | English village replica — Tudor, Victorian, Georgian |
| Condition | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium — largely empty |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy — Metro Line 9 to Songjiang New Town, then taxi |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: Part of Shanghai's "One City, Nine Towns" initiative, each town built in a different Western style. Thames Town was never a real community — its apartments were bought as investments, not homes. It remains a ghost village in plain sight.
🔗 More on Thames Town: Wikipedia – Thames Town
3. The Abandoned Hakka Walled Village – Guangdong Province (Exclusive on our Map)
A deserted Hakka tulou-style walled settlement in Guangdong, emptied by rural migration to Guangzhou and Shenzhen over the past three decades.
👉 Circular earthen walls collapsing inward, ancestral halls open to the sky, and inner courtyards overrun with subtropical vegetation — one of the most atmospheric abandoned villages in southern China.
| Architecture | Hakka walled village — circular earthen structure |
| Condition | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Deteriorated |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Easy |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: The Hakka diaspora moved to Pearl River Delta cities in the 1990s and 2000s. The walled villages built by their ancestors over centuries were left behind in a single generation — too remote to redevelop, too important to demolish.
📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.
4. The Abandoned Mining Village – Shanxi Province (Exclusive on our Map)
A complete coal mining settlement left empty when the mine closed — houses, communist-era shops, a workers' club, and a school, all frozen in the 1970s.
👉 Main street slogans reading "Serve the People" still painted above shuttered storefronts, a hairdresser's that was the last shop to close, and workers' apartments with calendars still on the walls.
| Architecture | Mining village — residential, commercial, civic |
| Condition | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Deteriorated |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Very good |
👉 Story: Shanxi's coal mines sustained entire communities for decades. When mines closed or consolidated, the villages built around them were abandoned simultaneously — entire streets of daily life left intact overnight.
📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.
5. The Abandoned Island Village – Zhejiang Archipelago (Exclusive on our Map)
A deserted fishing settlement on a remote island in the Zhejiang archipelago, emptied as the fishing industry declined and ferry links made the mainland easily reachable.
👉 Stone houses on steep terraces overlooking the open sea, overgrown alleys still lined with fishing nets, and a harbour wall where boats haven't docked in decades.
| Architecture | Island fishing village — stone terraced houses |
| Condition | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium — island ferry required |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: Dozens of island villages across the Zhejiang and Fujian archipelagos were emptied between the 1980s and 2000s as improved transport links made urban life accessible. Many remain completely unknown outside local fishing communities.
📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.
Urbex China – Safety & Legal Reminder
Urban exploration in China carries specific risks. Trespassing is illegal, and security has increased significantly around abandoned structures. Always:
- Research each site thoroughly before visiting
- Explore with at least one other person
- Wear protective gear — mask, gloves, and sturdy boots
- Never force access or cause damage to any structure
- Respect the spaces and leave no trace
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Villages Urbex China
What is the most famous abandoned village in China?
Houtouwan on Shengshan Island is the most photographed — its vine-covered houses went viral globally in 2015. It is accessible with a 50 RMB entrance fee and requires a minimum two-day trip from Shanghai.
How do I get to Thames Town from Shanghai?
Take Metro Line 9 to Songjiang New Town Station, then a short taxi or bus ride. The journey takes approximately 60–90 minutes from central Shanghai. Entry is free and the streets are publicly accessible.
Why are there so many abandoned villages in China?
China's urbanization displaced over 300 million rural residents between 1990 and 2020. Villages emptied due to migration, infrastructure isolation, fishing industry decline, dam flooding (Three Gorges), and failed urban planning experiments. The result is one of the world's richest landscapes for abandoned village exploration.
🎯 Conclusion
China's abandoned villages offer some of the most emotionally powerful experiences in urbex China — from fishing settlements swallowed by vines to English replicas with no English people, ancient Hakka fortresses to communist mining towns frozen in the 1970s. Each one is a chapter in the story of a country that urbanized faster than any other in history.
Thanks to our Urbex China Map, you get access to over 500 unique locations for a safe and immersive exploration experience — with GPS coordinates, access ratings, photos, and explorer reports for every spot.
