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Man-made ancient cities built with heavy investment in many places in China are sparsely populated due to severe uniformity and lack of characteristics. After a total investment of more than 50 billion yuan, many scenic spots are still in red or empty cities.
In many places in China, ancient man-made cities built at huge sums of money are now facing disappointing passenger traffic, closed shops and operational difficulties. Data show that China’s cumulative investment in man-made ancient cities in the past eight years has exceeded RMB 50 billion (about US$7.6 billion).
Chinasocial media Recently, many videos have been circulated about man-made ancient cities, which show that these man-made ancient cities, which cost huge amounts of money to build, have few tourists, are deserted, and most of the shops are deserted.
according toBaidu Hot search news shows that in the past eight years, China’s cumulative investment in man-made ancient cities has exceeded 50 billion yuan. Some bloggers said that many ancient cities have more security guards than tourists. “50 billion looted in an empty city, the truth is heartbreaking.”
According to reports, more than 2,800 ancient cities, ancient towns and ancient scenic spots have been developed or are being developed throughout China, and less than 300 of them still survive. Among them, about 5% to 10% are well-operated and have formed mature commercial districts such as Wuzhen and Gubei Water Town; About 40% to 45% are having difficulty maintaining balance or experiencing minor impairment; About 45% to 50% are facing serious losses, even empty cities, or bankruptcy and restructuring.
Henan Elephant News, sponsored by the radio and television station, quoted industry insiders as saying that the purpose of many man-made ancient cities in the early days was not to make profits through tourism, but to “cultural tourism land acquisition”, that is, to package cultural tourism enterprises through the development of ancient cities, and then obtain preferential land policies and related support policies from local governments.
Industry insiders further said that the ancient city itself is a demonstration area, and the various residential areas, commercial roads and other facilities built around the ancient city can really bring benefits. Using the concept of ancient cities to increase the value of surrounding land and sell properties to obtain funding is a way to quickly obtain capital turnover for many development projects.
Man-made ancient cities have been criticized for many things. Many Chinese netizens commented online that man-made ancient cities have similar buildings and similar investment opportunities, and lack uniqueness. Tourist “Seeing one is like seeing a hundred.” They also lack local characteristics and local life, making it difficult to attract tourists.
Taking the Dayong Ancient City in Zhangjiajie as an example, it cost 2.4 billion yuan to build and covers an area equivalent to 22 standard football fields. Its style combines Ming and Qing architectural elements with Tujia characteristics. It was originally claimed to be a new benchmark for cultural tourism with exemplary significance to China, but it has been suffering continuous losses since its trial operation in June 2021, with cumulative losses of 1.08 billion yuan from 2021 to 2024. The only profitable thing is the parking space.
Summary FAQ
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Many man-made ancient towns have experienced problems such as lack of tourists, closed shops, and weak business environment. At some scenic spots there are even more security guards than tourists, which shows that it is generally difficult for such projects to attract tourists and make profits.
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Data show that China has invested more than 50 billion yuan in man-made ancient cities in the past eight years, but of the more than 2,800 that are developed or under construction, less than 300 still survive, and the overall eradication rate is quite high.
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Zhangjiajie Dayong Ancient City cost 2.4 billion yuan and has been incurring losses since its trial operation in 2021. From 2021 to 2024, it faces a loss of 1.08 billion yuan. The only profitable thing is the parking lot, which has become representative of failure.
