Business life stirring in those 'ghost' cities

"I can't see any ghosts," exclaimed Mel Lone, as he looks down out of his 29th-floor offices in Landmark Plaza over Zhengdong New District, the new part of Henan province's capital Zhengzhou.

Human activity can be seen everywhere, with the new highways streaming with vehicles and nearby offices and residential apartment blocks seemingly fully occupied.

Yet just two years ago Zhengdong was dubbed one of China's so-called ghost towns by CBS' flagship current affairs program 60 Minutes, which pointed out empty office blocks and an absence of human existence.