Wade Shepard’s Ghost Cities of China  is the latest book in my Asian Arguments series for Zed Books… Featuring everything from sports stadiums to shopping malls, hundreds of new cities in China stand empty, with hundreds more set to be built by 2030. Between now and then, the country’s urban population will leap to over one billion, as the central government kicks its urbanization initiative into overdrive. In the process, traditional social structures are being torn apart, and a rootless, semi-displaced, consumption orientated culture rapidly taking their place. Ghost Cities of China is an enthralling dialogue driven, on-location search for an understanding of China’s new cities and the reasons why many currently stand empty.

The following are the author’s speaking engagements across China this month:

Thurs March 26, 20:00- The Bookworm Literary Festival, Beijing

Sat March 28, 17:00- The Bookworm Literary Festival, Chengdu

Hometowns and Ghost Cities 家园和鬼城-城市变迁的病斑 Ran Yunfei, Wade Shepard

Sunday March 29th, 16:00- The Bookworms Literary Festival, Suzhou

Hometowns and Ghost Cities

Hometowns and Ghost Cities: Perspectives on urbanization and changing concepts of home in China, from non-fiction writer Wade Shepard and a panel of leading thinkers.

The Final Word: BLF Closing Party (Free Event / 免费入场) 19:00

Authors Wade Shepard, Zennon Kapron, Frane Lessac and Bridget Strevens-Marzo will be on hand to bring the BLF to a rousing conclusion!

Tuesday March 31st, 19:00- Royal Asiatic Society, Shanghai