Meaning:

    “鬼” means “ghost,” and “城” is a “city” or “town.” The term originally refers to Fengdu City, a tourist destination featuring ghost-related folk culture in the Three Gorges region along the Yangtze River. However, Chinese people have also use the term to refer to neighborhoods with massive new buildings not inhabited by any people. “Ghost town” became a recent buzzword after “60 Minutes” ran a feature titled “China’s real estate bubble.”

    Example:

    A: 最近网上热传的中国城市“鬼城”指数排名你怎么看？

    Zuìjìn wǎngshàng rèchuán de zhōngguó chéngshì “guǐchéng” zhǐshù páimíng nǐ zěnme kàn?

    What do you think of the “ghost town” index ranking of Chinese cities that is a recent hot topic online?

    B: 这个根据的是人口和建成区面积的比例，对警示房地产泡沫有一定意义。

    Zhège gēnjù de shì rénkǒu hé jiànchéng qū miànjī de bǐlì, duì jǐngshì fángdìchǎn pàomò yǒu yīdìng yìyì。

    The ranking is based on the ratio of a city’s population to its completed building area. It is a meaningful warning sign for the housing bubble to some extent.

    A: 三亚也榜上有名呢。

    Sānyà yě bǎngshàng yǒumíng ne。

    Sanya is on the list.