Abandoned places in China / 中国废墟
Shamei Mansion / 沙美大楼
During these last few days in Shanghai, I was riding my bicycle under the rain when I spotted a wonderful abandoned place: a historical building from the 1920s! After a few minutes of online research, I learned more about its past. Shamei Mansion was built from 1918 to 1921 by Atkinson & Dallas Co.ltd. It first carried the name […]
Guangzhou Space Wonders / 广州航天奇观
I went to Guangzhou for work this week, so I could not miss this opportunity to visit a very well-known derelict theme park about… Interstellar space! The park « Space Wonders » opened in 1997, following the general wave of theme parks aiming at pleasing the generation of « post-80 » children in China. The investment was very important, […]
Shanghai World Expo / 上海世博会
In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation. Guy Debord, The Society of the Spectacle (1967) So… I am in Shanghai these days. I often want to cry because of the speed of […]
Hangzhou Glass Factory / 杭州玻璃厂
So, because today is the opening of the G20 meeting in Hangzhou, I decided to write about an old exploration I did back when I lived there this year. The industrial building is located next to Hangzhou Steel Factory, which I also visited during the spring this year. It used to be a glass factory […]
« The World » Theme Park / 世界乐园
Still traveling during the summer, I arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan, and looked for abandoned places there. The idea of an abandoned theme park suggested by Gui made my day: Chengdu has a « world-themed » abandoned amusement park and… it is totally ok to visit it! Welcome to the first « authorized » urbex site I have ever visited […]
The derelict movie set in a geological parc, Gansu province / 甘肃省某一个地质公园里的废弃的摄影场
On a visit to a very famous geological parc in Gansu, I learned that the desertic landscape was once used for a movie set. The parc atmosphere was pretty oppressive because of the mass of tourists who came to take photos of the colourful canyon. Indeed, one has to admit, the natural environment is very […]
The ruins of a Buddhist temple in Xiahe, Gansu / 甘肃夏河的寺庙遗址
This summer, I was trekking from Gansu to Qinghai province starting from Xiahe, a famous pelerinage city for Tibetan Buddhism. The trek started from the Labrang Monastery and went through the grasslands. It was a long distance of 67 km so I could not really take time to wonder around too far from the trail. […]
Just an abandoned factory in Ningxia / 宁夏省的某一个废弃的工厂
I was traveling and sightseeing in the Western parts of China when I got very attracted to this particular place. In Ningxia province, near Yinchuan, one can admire the beautiful dolomitic landscapes of Helan Shan (贺兰山), where I went hiking. On the way to the natural parc, there was this abandoned factory just next to […]