3,000 villas, but no one’s home: Inside the Jing Jin ghost city

About an hour's drive from Beijing, beside an exit on the Jinji Highway in Tianjin, stands a triple-arched gate of mixed European and Chinese styles that welcomes visitors to Jing Jin City.

The Kai Xuan Men, named after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, opens onto an area about five times the size of Hong Kong's Wan Chai district - home to no less than 3,000 villas, a five-star hotel, hot springs resort, golf course, museum, temple, two colleges, entertainment facilities and a large undeveloped lot. All that's missing, it seems, are the people.

One resident, Guo Huaxu , who is in his 60s, said there were nearly 400 villas where he lived, but only eight to 10 houses were occupied in autumn and winter. "It's a bit better in spring and summer, but still no more than 20 houses are occupied," he said.

Tianjin's Baodi district government, together with Hong Kong-listed property developer Hopson Development began construction of the project in 2002. Four years later, the State Council approved Jing Jin City as one of 11 satellite cities for the metropolis - an eco-friendly town offering leisure activities that was close to Beijing and Tianjin.