Published : 08/04/2026
Abandoned villages are usually associated with ruin, neglect and a certain sense of loneliness. Yet in Shengshan township, Shengsi county, in Zhoushan, there is one deserted village that nature has remade into a scene resembling a fairy tale.
That place is Houtouwan Village, widely known as China’s most beautiful "uninhabited village".
The rise and fall of Houtouwan Village
Houtouwan Village, located on Gouqi Island of the Shengsi Islands in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, saw its villagers make a living from fishing from the 1950s onwards; at its peak, the village's population reached more than 3,000, making it one of the most prosperous fishing villages on Shengshan Island.
As Houtouwan Village became increasingly affluent, the local villagers began to build various small Western-style houses and villas in the village, which continued until the 1980s.
However, the good times did not last. By the 1990s, due to the gradual depletion of marine resources near Houtouwan Village, coupled with inconvenient transport, many villagers moved with their families to seek opportunities in the city, putting an end to their generations-old way of life as fishermen.
Over time, more and more villagers relocated, and Houtouwan Village gradually became a "uninhabited village" in the truest sense of the word, with only about two or three households remaining to live there.
The once pre-eminent prosperous fishing village gradually faded into the river of history.
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Recast as a real-life fairy tale
It was a happy accident; perhaps no one had ever imagined that Houtouwan Village, abandoned by people, would be quietly transformed by the forces of nature.
The once-bustling fishing village was transformed into a natural botanical paradise.
Plants grow rampantly in Houtouwan Village; the mottled stone walls and the scattered Western-style buildings of varying heights are all covered in dense green vines.
As far as the eye can see, it looks like a dreamscape from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," utterly magical.
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The Shengsi Islands have long been one of Zhejiang's better-known travel destinations, yet few visitors realised that such a fantastical landscape lay hidden here.
It was only after a photographer happened upon the site and posted images of it online that people were captivated by its strange blend of abandonment and vitality, and by scenery that seemed lifted from a fairy tale. Houtouwan Village quickly shot to fame and became one of Zhejiang’s most talked-about places to visit.
Houtouwan’s striking beauty has attracted not only Chinese photographers and urban explorers. It also caught the attention of Britain’s Daily Mail, which included it among 28 of the world’s most beautiful, abandoned places.
Today, the village has been formally branded as the "Green Wonderland Uninhabited Village" scenic area, drawing a steady stream of visitors eager to catch a glimpse of its uncanny beauty for themselves.
In this way, the long-abandoned settlement has acquired a new, if unexpected, lease of life.
Would you be tempted to make the trip and see this dreamlike, mysterious village for yourself?
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