Zhongxian

THE first plan was for an "eco-city" that would help pull Zhongxian, a remote city on the hilly banks of the Yangtze River in south-west China, out of poverty. But after a dispute with the local government over land rights, the developers pulled out and all that remains of the green-themed project are half-completed structures and piles of rubbish.

Now, Zhongxian's government has seized upon another plan to reinvent its economy: a 1.4 billion yuan (S$286 million) online gaming complex that it hopes will cash in on China's fast-growing e-sports market. When finished, the complex will include a 6,000-capacity stadium and an incubator for gaming startups - all of this in a town that lacks an airport or railway station.