Marilyn Thipthorpe
At the mouth of the Yangtze River, on the East Coast of China, rests an old and long forgotten fishing village that is being reclaimed by the nature surrounding it. Long, dense vines of ivy have crept into the streets, alleys, and the walls of the buildings, creating this stunning display of the power of nature.
The village, Houtou Wan Village, was gradually deserted half a
century ago when the small bay was no longer a viable fishing source for the increasing number of fishing boats.
Hundreds of these old abandoned villages are found all through out China. Whether it be from a depletion of resources, urbanization, shifts in industry, etc, many old Chinese settlements turned to ghost towns.
Now, these peaceful havens are home to the occasional tourist and the small handfuls of elderly that have refused to leave where they were raised.