What does the "ghost town" in Malaysia built by the Chinese look like and why no one wants to buy a house there

Forest City in Malaysia was supposed to be a "dream paradise", but instead it turned into a ghost town. The poor location of the area, which is located on islands remote from the nearest major city of Johor Bahru, scares away potential real estate buyers.

This is reported by the BBC. According to those who still decided to buy a house in Forest City, the city exudes an eerie atmosphere, so no one stays there for long.

In 2016, China's largest developer, Country Garden, unveiled a $100 billion "forest city" mega-project. The company aimed to build an environmentally friendly metropolis with a golf course, a water park, offices, bars, and restaurants.

Forest City was actually aimed at the Chinese domestic market, offering people to buy a second home abroad. The property prices were out of reach for most ordinary Malaysians. For Chinese buyers, the property would be an investment that could be rented out to locals or used as a vacation home.

At the moment, only 15% of the entire project has been built. The area looks more like an abandoned resort. There is a shabby playground and a rusty retro car on the deserted beach. There are signs near the water prohibiting swimming because of crocodiles.

In a purpose-built shopping center, many shops and restaurants are closed. An empty children's train winding endless circles along the mall looks surreal.

Next door, in the Country Garden exhibition hall, there is a huge model of the city depicting what the completed Forest City would look like. A couple of bored-looking employees sit by a vendor kiosk, with a sign above them reading: "Forest City. Where happiness never ends".

By far the biggest advantage here is the duty-free status. On the beach, you can find plenty of discarded alcohol bottles and wallets of local drinkers, which are a major part of human activity.

When night falls, Forest City is covered in pitch blackness. The huge apartment buildings that tower over the complex contain hundreds of apartments, but no more than ten of them have lights. It's hard to believe that anyone lives here.

Despite having debts of almost $200 billion, Country Garden representatives told the BBC that "they are optimistic" that the plan will be completed.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA showed how Kukes, one of the poorest cities in Albania, looks like, with young people fleeing en masse. The authorities are ready to pay people money for their return.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!