Inside abandoned Chinese-made ghost city where hundreds of empty skyscrapers are left to rot in Malaysia

It was dubbed as the “dream paradise for all mankind”, but instead — this mammoth resort-like billion-dollar city is a ghost town.

Luxury skyscrapers in southern Malaysia developed by the Chinese were on the way to become “a dream paradise for all mankind”.

But that promise was never delivered and the multi-billion estate sits empty on the coast of the sea, surrounded by only nature.

The Forest City looks like a lavish resort and is only a stone’s throw away from bustling Singapore.

At a first glance, it appears to be a regular metropolis with hundreds of high-rise buildings, villas and paved roads.

But upon closer inspection, visitors might notice how eerily silent the “ghost city” is with the only sound coming from birds’ chirping.

You can’t hear drivers frustratingly honking at traffic jams – in fact, you can’t see cars at all.

There are no neighbour noise complaints as only a few hundred people live in the numerous skyscrapers.

A general view shows condominiums at Forest City. Picture: Mohd RASFAN / AFP.

The only signs of life can be found on a handful of flats that lit up at night and have their laundry hung on the balconies.

Most of the opulent apartments and villas are left to rot in the estate built by Country Garden – China’s largest property developer – under Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The ambitious project was being built in 2016 during China’s real-estate boom.

The developers blew a staggering $US100 billion ($150 billion) on the property in a bid to attract middle-class buyers who live abroad.

The idea was to construct an eco-friendly resort-like city including a water park, golf course, offices, bars, and restaurants.

The Chinese company planned for 1 million people to live in Forest City, which would spread across thousands of acres of land.

The developers believed that investors would flock to the area next to Asia’s financial hub, Singapore, for great opportunities.

Closed shops are seen inside the Forest City Outlet Mall. Picture: Mohd RASFAN / AFP.

While a house in Singapore costs an eye-watering $4 million on average, the typical condo in Forest City retails for a fraction of that and is just across the water.

Although 80 per cent of units have been sold, most of them stayed unoccupied after Malaysia’s then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad restricted visas for Chinese buyers.

After eight years, Forest City is now merely a deserted ghost town beside a river rife with crocodiles.

Only a few hundred people reside in the high-rise structures, and just 15 per cent of the project has been completed.

On top of that, Chinese government introduced strict laws which barred its citizens from spending more than $50,000 abroad.

The selling prices of the residential units were also much beyond the means of the average Malaysian, despite the Chinese developers’ claims that it was designed with the middle class in mind.

The development project launched under China's Belt and Road Initiative in Gelang Patah in Malaysia's Johor state on September 1, 2023. Picture: Mohd RASFAN / AFP.

In the complex, the typical condo currently retails for about $US1.14 million ($1.73 million).

The largest city next to the development, Johor Bahru, has an average sale price of $US141,000 ($213,000) for a similar property.

This means that a large portion of the grand project is empty, with just 9,000 people dispersed around the metropolis built to inhabit 1 million.

Residents are a rare sight in Forest City where the majority of people you encounter are staff from the premises.

The city’s mall has a working restaurant, a shop and a duty-free store with the rest of the shops closed due to slow business.

Inside, the interiors of the unoccupied shops lay bare and construction materials are scattered around.

When the night falls, the city immerses into pitch darkness with no more than a dozen apartments having their lights on.

But cheap rent, around $US800 ($1210) a month for a brand-new unit, has duped some people into moving to the abandoned city.

A general view of condominiums (back) at Forest City. Picture: Mohd RASFAN / AFP.

The resort-like development is like a ghost town. Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

The 30-year-old IT engineer, Nazmi Hanafiah, rented a one-bedroom flat overlooking the sea but soon regretted his decision.

He told BBC: “To be honest, it’s creepy. I had high expectations for this place, but it was such a bad experience.

“There is nothing to do here.

“It’s lonely around here – it’s just you and your thoughts.”

Joanne Kaur and her husband live on the 28th storey of one of the tower blocks – and are the only ones on the whole floor.

She told BBC: “This place is eerie. Even during the day, when you step out of your front door, the corridor is dark.

The chilling reality inside this almost-abandoned city. Picture: Roslan RAHMAN / AFP.

“I feel sorry for people who actually invested and bought a place here.

“We are looking to move out as soon as possible.”

According to the BBC, some analysts criticise the decision of building such a huge project in a country where the economy and politics are unstable.

Travel lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic also hampered many overseas projects, including the Forest City.

But the Country Garden remains “optimistic” about the future of their brainchild despite struggling to repay its $US190 billion ($290 billion) debt.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission