Built for over a million people, the city of Ordos was designed to be the crowning glory of Inner Mongolia. Doomed to incompletion however, this futuristic metropolis now rises empty out of the deserts of northern China. Only 2% of its buildings were ever filled; the rest has largely been left to decay, abandoned mid-construction, earning Ordos the title of China's Ghost City.

In this May 2, 2015 photo, skywriter Nathan Hammond releases smoke as he writes messages of hope and love over New Orleans, during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Hammond was commissioned by local entrepreneur, Frank Scurlock, who said the messages were simply his way of reminding people that goodness can still flourish in a world that seems increasingly marred by violence. (Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)

Two keepers at the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales struggle with Leonardo, an alligator snapping turtle weighing 45 kilos at the park in Gosford, NSW 2 July 2015. The 50cm long Leonardo – who was smuggled illegally into Australia and found in a Sydney sewer in November 2000 – was removed from his tank for an annual health check. And as a gesture to onlooking press photographers demonstrated his strength by snapping a piece of bamboo in half. (Photo by EPA/HO)

A “creuseur”, or digger, a plastic lantern on his head, readies to enter a copper and cobalt mine in Kawama, Democratic Republic of Congo on June 8, 2016. Cobalt is used in the batteries for electric cars and mobile phones. Working conditions are dangerous, often with no safety equipment or structural support for the tunnels. The diggers say they are paid on average US$2-3/day. (Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

An Indonesian woman known as Linda (C) is helped by two Sharia officials after being caned for spending time in close proximity with a man who is not her husband, which is against Sharia law, in Banda Aceh on February 2, 2017. Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes sharia law. People can face floggings for a range of offences – from gambling, to drinking alcohol, to gay sеx. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)

Four pillars of light from the 4 Laser Guide Star Facility on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) are shown reaching into the Chilean night sky in this image from ESO Photo Ambassador Fred Kamphues, on September 2, 2016. The lasers are a key part of the adaptive optics system on the VLT. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to drastically reduce the atmospheric distortion present at even the best sites in the world for astronomy, including Paranal in Chile, the home of the VLT. (Photo by F. Kamphues/ESO)

Participants of the so called “Victorian Picnic” walk in fancy costumes during the Wave Gothic Festival (WGT) in Leipzig, Germany, Friday, June 2, 2017. Approximately 20,000 goths and other dark subculture fans such as cybergoths, metalheads, steampunks, neo- Victorians, dark romantics, dark electro, industrial, medieval and fetish fans are expected to attend the world' s largest gothic and “dark” culture festival until June 5, 2017. (Photo by Tobias Schwarz/AFP Photo)

An Zi, is squashed amongst other commuters in a subway train on his way to work in Beijing, China, November 12, 2015. An, a movie producer, moved to Dongsanqi village in Changping this year. His commute to work can take about 2 hours, with transportation costs topping 200 yuan a month, or about a fifth of his monthly rent. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)