ENTRY DESCRIPTION
This photograph captures the silence of Cold Lake Oil Town, a ghost town in Qinghai, China that once represented the boom and bust of the petroleum age. Founded in the 1950s during China’s attempt to industrialize, Cold Lake thrived as one of the four biggest oil hubs in China, housing hundreds of thousands of workers and their families in the harsh deserts of the Qaidam Basin. At its peak in the 1980s, it produced over 1 million tons of crude oil annually, fueling the nation’s growth.

However, as reserves dwindled, the town was abandoned in the 1990s, leaving behind skeletal buildings and rusted machinery.

Shot with DJI Air 3, this photograph captures not just a place, but a story of a town that once thrived, yet is now covered in dust and memories from the past.

AUTHOR
Hey! I am Chenhan (Matthew) Qiu, a current high schooler from Shanghai. Through my lens, I take pictures of nature, especially using my drone. My photos help me remember the memories of from the places I went to. Photography acts as a pathway for me to connect with different places and people.

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