Ordos City in Inner Mongolia, China is home to a unique collection of contemporary architecture. The urban centre was intended as a modern, futuristic utopia when construction began in 2004, but it has sadly not performed anywhere near the anticipated level. The plan was to create homes for over a million people, but only a fraction of the finished buildings are actually occupied, with a population of around 100,000 in May 2015.

The city has become known as China’s largest “Ghost Town”. Developers have abandoned many of the unfinished buildings because they failed to attract interest, struggled with debt or couldn’t find buyers. Alongside them are finished buildings that seem doomed to remain unused because of the lack of interest and the small population.

The Kangbashi district is one of the most distinctive parts of the city, featuring impressive monuments, the Theatre, Ordos Museum, a library building and a multitude of skyscrapers for residential and business use. The district looks primed for life; shops, restaurants and bars are all open for business, but there are very few people for them to serve. On a trip through the area you may very well see more maintenance workmen than pedestrians or visitors.

Ordos City is an amazing combination of ancient Mongolian history and contemporary design. The best example of this is the Theatre, with its notable design featuring a myriad of curves and circular drums to reflect the footwork patterns of the traditional dance The Long Sleeves. It was a major achievement to incorporate the ancient pattern into a modern design, but sadly there are few visitors to the city to enjoy it.

Ordos Library has an equally stunning design, with a structure that resembles a leaning stack of books on a shelf. However, again, the library struggles to attract the number of visitors which were initially expected. Its neighbour, the Ordos Museum, suffered a similar fate. The futuristic building is clad in polished metallic tiles to protect it from the sandstorms which blow in from the desert. The interior features smaller blob-shaped exhibition spaces connected by bridges.

Major efforts are being made to encourage people to move to and visit Ordos City, with large events being hosted in some of the beautiful buildings and stadiums in the area. Increased interest has not materialised as of yet and the city still remains a “ghost town”, although one which contains some of the most innovative and distinctive examples of architecture in China.