Opuszczone miasto w Mongolii

Exclusive photo feature: Text by: Nahima Saikal 'A Failed Utopia' is the latest photo series by Shanghai-based photographer, Raphael Olivier, who reveals the haunting secrets of a futuristic mega-ghost town in China's Inner Mongolia, Ordos. Ordos was a city constructed in 2004 for a million people and was designed to be the crowning urban glory of Inner Mongolia. The construction lasted until around 2012, but now the city is largely uninhabited. Filling a total of 137 square miles of desert, Ordos covers an area of land larger than Las Vegas, just 350 miles from Beijing. Filled with grand architecture and state-of-the-art infrastructure, property seekers have decided to stay away. Many say the extremely high house prices are the reason for Ordo's lack of popularity, while others say it's the city's isolated location. Ordos's current population is only 100,000 residents and with a city intended to house 1 million people, the settlement has a very post-apocalyptic feel, with creepy deserted streets. In a desperate attempt to build the population, the government have offered local farmers generous compensation and even free apartments. However, their efforts have been unsuccessful, with only 2% of the city's buildings ever filled.