SHANGHAI/GUANGZHOU/TOKYO -- A popping sound, not unlike the finale of a fireworks show, echoed through the area, and a cloud of dust billowed up into the air. In late August 2021, 14 unfinished apartment buildings were demolished in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

The age of 'Great China'
Concrete 'ghost towns' make China's real estate bubble visible
Land prices over twice those in U.S.; many trapped in unfinished homes