Site: Shengshan Island, Zhoushan Archipelago, Zhejiang Province, China
Tucked away off the eastern coast of China is Houtouwan Village, a ghost village slowly being consumed by the forces of nature. This bait farm on the remote Shengshan Island used to house more than 2,000 people It’s weird this former fishing village has strange silences, ivy-clad houses swallowed by greenery and mossy roofs This former fishing village on Shengshan Island crumbled decades ago when its waters became uninhabitable due to pollution decades ago, is deserted now but for the sound of the insects and birds in the wilderness.
Few, anyway — even within China — have heard of Houtouwan, despite its surreal beauty. And far fewer still understand why it was mysteriously abandoned.
Houtouwan, as it was a packed and busy fishing village in the 1980s and 1990s. The sea around Shengshan Island was bountiful and the villagers lived by the sea. But as fishing restrictions tightened and resources declined, life became more difficult in the remote village.
Why the village was abandoned:
The lack of transport — it was either a hike or costly boat rides to reach the village.
Few economic incentives — young people traveled to big cities for better jobs.
Bad healthcare and schooling — few, if any, services were available.
The last residents had been moved out by the start of the 2000s, and nature started to reclaim what had been built.
Satellite images and drone photos show virtually every building — from a dilapidated fisherman’s hut to a small cable station for a communication tower — has been swallowed by vines and greenery. It has been compared to the real-life fantasy scenes in movies like Princess Mononoke or The Jungle Book. EVIDENCE:
Houtouwan Doc.Trigger Chinese photographer Tang Yuhong took gorgeous photographs of Houtouwan in 2015, which became popular on Chinese micro blogsites like Weibo.
National Geographic featured it in the network’s 2017 “Abandoned Places” series.
Although the official story is that the village was abandoned because of logistical challenges, others imagine that there was an unspoken intervention by the government. Because Shengshan Island is in the Zhoushan Archipelago and located near important shipping lanes and military areas, some people speculate that the area's strategic significance prevented habitation.
This aspect is not yet officially confirmed — but residents are complaining about areas of the island being closed off, even to tourists.
Over the last few years, however, Houtouwan has become low-key chic among China’s urban youth and foreign adventurers who adore “ruin photography.” Yet tourism is restricted, and would-be visitors are frequently cautioned not to desecrate the ruins nor enter hazardous buildings in ruin.
Houtouwan is a ghostly, haunting testament to just how quickly nature will retake what we leave behind. It also points to larger issues of social abandonment, urban flight and the tacit decisions behind the displacement of communities.
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