China Memes & Viral

Real-Life Fairy Tale Landscape: Abandoned Fishing Village Houtouwan

What was once a thriving fishermen’s village has now turned into an eerie and lush green abandoned area. The former fishing village of Houtouwan, south of Shanghai, is now becoming a popular place to visit for its unique scenery.

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2017

Manya Koetse

What was once a thriving fishermen’s village has now turned into an eerie and lush green abandoned area. The former fishing village of Houtouwan, south of Shanghai, is becoming a popular place to visit for its unique scenery.

Photographs of the breathtaking scenery of an abandoned fishing village are making their rounds on Chinese social media.

The fairy tale like landscape is located in the village of Houtouwan (后头湾) in the Shengsi Islands (嵊泗列岛)…

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Manya Koetse

Manya Koetse is a sinologist, writer, and public speaker specializing in China’s social trends, digital culture, and online media ecosystems. She founded What’s on Weibo in 2013 and now runs the Eye on Digital China newsletter. Learn more at manyakoetse.com or follow her on X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

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Welcome to China Trend Watch (Week 30–33 | 2026), where I bring you the latest trends, memes, and debates driving conversation across Chinese social media. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

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🔥 China Trend Watch (week 26/27 | 2026) Part of Eye on Digital China, this is my premium newsletter where I explain the stories, memes, debates, and viral moments shaping online conversations in China. This edition was sent to paid subscribers — subscribe to receive the next issue in your inbox.

Here’s your weekly update on what’s been trending. In case you missed it, earlier this week I published a deep dive