Sevenword

Build it and they will come. That appears to have been the strategy for urban development in China over the last decade, during what has arguably been the largest and fastest urbanization of a society in modern history. In Zhengzhou, the capital of central Henan province, this approach has had mixed results. Just a few years back, a new development zone, an adjunct to the main city, was labeled China's largest ghost city -- rows and rows of luxury apartments and office buildings sat empty on vast, deserted boulevards. But now locals here say signs of life have sprung up and the city is growing. On a recent national holiday, visitors flocked to a new park by the river. It was a remarkable green oasis of willow trees, ponds, fountains and man-made marshes surrounded by shining new towers of glass and steel. Amid the greenery, several wedding couples posed in tuxedos and gowns for professional photographs, the brides pampered by make-up artists. Among them were the Zhangs, newly-weds who traveled more than a hundred miles for this photo shoot. Though they clearly appreciated their surroundings, they said they could not afford to live in the sprawling, newly-constructed district of Zhengzhou. The same went for 25-year-old Li Cai Juan and her friends. Several years ago, she had an office job at a construction company that built some of Zhengzhou's rows of towers. Fantasy photos for

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July 2026