Incredible photos show how a Chinese ghost town has been reclaimed by nature

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Incredible photos show how a Chinese ghost town has been reclaimed by nature

houtouwan ghost village

Sam McNeil/AP

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  • The fishing village of Houtouwan has been deserted for more than 20 years.
  • It has just five residents left, and most of its buildings are now covered by greenery.
  • Scroll down to see what the village looks like.


A remote fishing village in China has become so abandoned that all its buildings have succumbed to nature.

Drone photos taken over Houtouwan, located on the eastern Chinese island of Shengshan, showed the village's buildings completely covered in ivy and worn down by roots, rain, vines, and wind.

Some of the structures even have flowers growing from them.

houtouwan ivy building

Sam McNeil/AP

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houtouwan plants

Sam McNeil/AP

The village, which was once home to some 3,000 fishermen, was abandoned in the early 1990s as residents moved to live closer to cities.

Today, the area is home to just five people, the Associated Press reported. The residents include 60-year-old Lin Fazhen, pictured on the left with his neighbour in the photo below.

When asked if Houtouwan was haunted, Lin told the AP: "I've lived in this world for such a long time, and have never met one [ghost], right?"

houtouwan residents

Fu Ting/AP

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The village has now become a major tourist attraction, as Shengshan, the island where it's located, is easily accessible from the Chinese mainland.

The remoteness of Houtouwan is a far cry from Shanghai, which is just 55 miles away. Late last year the bustling city opened a massive amusement park-like Starbucks that roast, package, and serve coffee in front of customers.

houtouwan tourists

Fu Ting/AP

Tourists at Houtouwan.

houtouwan birds eye view

Sam McNeil/AP

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