A ghost town in China is perched atop cliffs looking at the sea. Abandoned homes have been ravaged by weather and creeping vines, and there is little noise besides the surf, birds and mosquitos. Houtouwan—”Black Bay” in Mandarin—is an abandoned fishing village that has been engulfed. It is located on the far eastern island of Shengshan, 90 kilometers off the coast of Shanghai. Small groups of tourists recently visited the muddy footpaths and overgrown lawns to photograph the village and ask: What happened?
Visitors must take a boat to Shengshan and then a taxi up a hill to a cemetery overlooking the village, then they must walk down a dangerous footpath.
The village isn’t full abandoned, and is home to five residents. Sun Ayue lives just off the main path, and said that 600 families left Houtouwan because it lacked proper roads and a school.
Check out some images below.
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