Officially, the reasons behind the project's abandonment aren't clear – but a local farmer told the news organisation AFP: "Frankly, it was because of official corruption. They cut off the funding and cracked down on uncontrolled developments, so it was left half-finished."

If the pause in construction was temporary, the bursting of China's property bubble made it permanent. Developers Greenland Holdings found itself in hot water following the government crackdown on excess borrowing. The state-backed company defaulted on a $432 million (£330m) debt in 2023. To make matters worse, China's English-language news service Yicai Global reported in July 2024 that Greenland's director was under investigation by Shanghai's anti-corruption watchdog.

Inside China's 'ghost cities' full of empty homes and streets