Is Ordos a ghost city or a thriving monument to China's industrial ambition?

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Once dismissed by Western media as a hollowed-out ghost city, Ordos has undergone a dramatic transformation. While its sprawling Kangbashi district was initially built to house hundreds of thousands, it is now a bustling hub of energy, manufacturing, and even massive server farms, challenging simplistic narratives about China's urban development.

Ordos, located in Inner Mongolia, is a prefecture-level city defined by its vast natural wealth and complex history. Administered under its current name since 2001, the region sits atop one-sixth of China's coal reserves. This resource abundance has fueled a transition from traditional mining to renewable energy, manufacturing, and even large-scale bitcoin mining operations. Despite its modern industrial profile, the area remains deeply connected to its past, with the name 'Ordos'—meaning 'many palaces'—referencing the historical nomadic camps and the sacred relics of Genghis Khan.

The city's reputation for being a 'ghost city' stems from the rapid development of the Kangbashi District. Designed as a grand civic center filled with monuments and cultural institutions, the area struggled to attract residents in its early years. In 2009, the population of Kangbashi was just 30,000. However, by 2017, that figure had surged to 153,000. As housing prices rose and vacancy rates plummeted, the 'ghost city' label became increasingly difficult to justify. Today, the city serves as a testament to the scale of Chinese urban planning, balancing its role as an economic powerhouse with its identity as a repository for regional history.

Beyond its urban centers, Ordos is a landscape of extremes, spanning 86,752 square kilometers of plateaus, grasslands, and deserts like the Kubuqi and Mu Us. Its history is equally layered, from the Paleolithic Hetao culture and the ancient Qin Zhidao military road to its strategic importance during the Han–Xiongnu wars. In recent years, the city has also entered the realm of modern geopolitics, with reports of new intercontinental ballistic missile sites being constructed within its borders. Whether viewed as an economic miracle or a site of strategic military expansion, Ordos remains a pivotal, if often misunderstood, player in the northern Chinese landscape.

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