8 Striking Lost Cities and Structures Reclaimed by Nature
4. Houtouwan, China
Aerial view of the abandoned fishing village Houtouwan in China.
Image Credit: Joe Nafis / Shutterstock.com
The village of Houtouwan, on eastern China’s Shengshan Island, was once home to a thriving fishing community of several thousand. But its relative isolation and limited schooling options saw its population steadily decline in the late 20th century. In 2002, the village was officially closed and the last of its residents moved elsewhere.
With Houtouwan’s human inhabitants gone, nature took over. Its cliff-side properties, rising up the island’s hills to peer over the coast, were soon coated in lush greenery. Since then, the settlement has seen something of a resurgence, though not as a place to live. Tourists now flock to the town in droves to explore its abandoned homes and spectacular scenery.
Aerial view of the abandoned fishing village Houtouwan in China.
Image Credit: Joe Nafis / Shutterstock.com
The village of Houtouwan, on eastern China’s Shengshan Island, was once home to a thriving fishing community of several thousand. But its relative isolation and limited schooling options saw its population steadily decline in the late 20th century. In 2002, the village was officially closed and the last of its residents moved elsewhere.
With Houtouwan’s human inhabitants gone, nature took over. Its cliff-side properties, rising up the island’s hills to peer over the coast, were soon coated in lush greenery. Since then, the settlement has seen something of a resurgence, though not as a place to live. Tourists now flock to the town in droves to explore its abandoned homes and spectacular scenery.
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