"Our research suggests that the vacancy rate for some cities' property projects ranges from 40 to 60 percent. Besides Ordos in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, many other 'ghost cities' have emerged, even in areas between Beijing and Tianjin."

Qiao Runling, deputy director of the China Center for Urban Development under the National Development and Reform Commission, is quoted by the People's Daily website as saying on Wednesday that property supply has outpaced demand in many places. The mass urbanization drive by local governments has led to a large waste of land resources, Qiao told a forum on urban development, held in Yifeng county, Jiangxi province, on Tuesday.