Ocean Flower Island: Exploring China's Abandoned $25 Billion Artificial Island

I Visited China’s $25 Billion Man-Made Island You've Never Heard Of

Destination:ChinaProvince:HainanCity:Sanya
I Visited China’s $25 Billion Man-Made Island You've Never Heard Of
Cori Ander 2025-06-1239 min

In 2020, Ocean Flower Island opened as the world’s largest artificial island in southern China. The cost? A mere 25 billion US dollars.

Originally planned as an international tourism hub to boost Hainan's appeal for global travelers, Ocean Flower Island consists of three independent islands, multiple hotels and entertainment venues, as well as a water park and a huge theme park. The latter, however, never opened its gates, as the island's development company, Evergrande, filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

When visiting Ocean Flower Island (also known as Haihua / Haihuadao Island), I noticed that not only had the theme park never opened, but large areas of the world’s largest man-made island now sit unfinished or abandoned.

This is part 1 of my visit to Ocean Flower Island.

--- Cori Ander
June 12, 2025, Summer in China

Video Chapters

  1. 0:00World’s largest artificial island
  2. 3:02Artificial Chinese streets
  3. 5:22Artificial European streets
  4. 13:50Why is everything abandoned?
  5. 18:14Unfinished international mall
  6. 19:05Conference center
  7. 25:10Castle Hotel
  8. 28:37Worst electrical tricycle ever
  9. 34:20Unfinished mansions
  10. 36:08Water park & Entertainment
  11. 37:41Unfinished theme park

More about the current video:( 2 / 2 )

I Visited China’s $25 Billion Man-Made Island You've Never Heard Of

Explore the enigma of Ocean Flower Island, a colossal artificial island in southern China, built at a staggering cost of $25 billion. Initially envisioned as a global tourism haven, this ambitious project now stands partially abandoned, a testament to the rise and fall of Evergrande, the company behind it. This video offers a captivating journey through the island's unfinished streets, eerily silent theme parks, and luxurious but empty hotels, revealing the story of a once-promising project left incomplete.

Previous travel video:( 1 / 2 )

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Ocean Flower Island: Exploring China's Abandoned $25 Billion Artificial Island

In 2020, Ocean Flower Island opened as the world’s largest artificial island in southern China. The cost? A mere 25 billion US dollars. Originally planned as an international tourism hub to boost Hainan's appeal for global travelers, Ocean Flower Island consists of three independent islands,...