Anting Ghost Town

It must be strange for some people to find that, although I am living in Shanghai, it takes me 35-45 minutes by direct bus to get downtown. The reason is because, obviously I don't live in Downtown Shanghai. Rather, I am living in a suburb called Anting New Town (ANT).

For anyone who has studied a bit of history, the Cold War will bring to mind concepts of five year plans and centrally planned economies. And while China hasn't shown itself to be particularly communist during my stay thus far, this town is certainly the manifestation of an alternative economic model.

In most countries, cities develop and condominiums are built as an increasing population creates a proportional demand for such construction and facilities. In Anting New Town, the reverse is true. Phase I of the town has already been built, and awaits residents to make it their home. Bob Rennie would probably lose his mind if he had to sell this.


The government has envisioned Anting New Town to be the future Detroit of China. Not so much the violent crimes part, but rather the aspect about Detroit being the automotive centre of America (although that's not going very well either). In fact, Anting New Town is also known as the Automobile City. Anting New Town is a 4.98 square-kilometer project located approximately 30 kilometers west of the City of Shanghai, and is also part of the Shanghai International Automobile City development. With the completion of Phase II (I'm living in Phase I), the town will eventually support 50,000 residents. On the corporate side, the town is doing well, being close to the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai Volkswagen (which has the largest market share in China), Ford China, and other auto companies that have decided to base their operations here (no doubt in part to cultivate guanxi with the government). However, ANT has achieved residential occupancy levels of perhaps 2%.


My initial impressions of the town was that it was very new and clean, but for some reason deserted, like in those zombie movies where everyone has locked themselves inside or has run way because zombies are everywhere. Except there were no zombies. The guards stationed at the road intersections bear an eerie resemblance to Pyongyang's deserted road system and indeed, very few cars ever drive here.

A subway line that connects to Downtown Shanghai is to be completed by 2011. In fact, everything in town claims to be "coming soon," including a shopping mall, a super market, and a whole bunch of other amenities.

To be fair, the town does have a hotel (which I'm staying at and doubles as a golf club), a bakery (overpriced, but is the morning meeting place for expats), a pub (evening meeting place for expats), a cornerstore (24 hours but closes at 2200) and supposedly a Chinese restaurant (which I have yet to find). The government also commissioned a free direct bus to Downtown Shanghai that leaves ANT everyday at 0900, 1000 and 1330 and picks people up from Zhongshan Park for the return trip at 1715, 1830, 1930 and 2100. A taxi ride back costs anywhere from 120-160 kuai. There's also a bus that goes to Anting Old Town until 1900, and a cab ride back is just 10 kuai.


The town is very modern and has a state of the art design, thanks to the efforts of AS&P, or Albert Speer & Partners. Yes, it is the son of Albert Speer, the Nazi architect who was convicted during the Nuremberg trials, who designed my town. In fact, the city is supposed to have German themes. Another similar project is Thames Town, which is also 30 km away from Shanghai City in Songjiang, and is supposed to emulate an English settlement.


I'm cautious to say that in fact, I like ANT. Even as I hear the crickets chirp at night, I enjoy the tranquility this town provides, because in Shanghai, peace and quiet usually comes attached with a hefty price tag. Little details, like miniature rivers that grace the community, pathways for the blind and motion sensors that control traffic lights and room lights, make this place a special place to live. For now, I don't mind being far from downtown, because I actually have the chance to live a normal life here.

It'll be interesting to see the fate of this development in the near future. Will it pay off and become a pre-eminent example for planned communities, or will it live on as one of China's failed ghost towns? Only time will tell.

Dialogue

- Free, it was actually quite liberating to use the washroom at Oscar's, for some bizarre reason. And no, not many local friends yet, due to the language barrier and gender wariness. I may go to the Jazz Festival this weekend with some locals.
- Nick & Ed, I didn't ask for my friends' explicit permission to post their pictures, so I wanted to respect their privacy. But the Great Firewall does give me headaches from time to time.
- Char, I've seen all of those things (spitting, picking, squatting, etc.) although they're not extremely widespread. In terms of Engrish, I notice many things are "forbidden." It makes it that much more tempting to try.
- Em, my boss for now is this young guy, and you know what young men are like. No Pho yet, getting desperate.
- Marian, I hope to be recognizable upon my return. But you're right, in the future I'll try not to censor my own face (unless I become horribly scarred).