Photo Essay: China’s Vast Covid Quarantine Facilities Torn Down and Sold Off

Two major Covid-19 quarantine facilities in Guangdong province, South China, are currently being dismantled and sold off, marking the end of an era of strict pandemic controls that were abruptly lifted in late 2022 [para. 1]. Guangzhou’s Nansha Health Station, the largest quarantine site in the city, illustrates this shift. Completed in November 2022 with a massive capacity of 20,000 rooms and 80,000 beds, the facility was rendered obsolete less than two weeks after its inauguration when China suddenly relaxed most of its Covid policies in December that year. This resulted in the facility never being utilized as originally intended [para. 2].

In April 2024, the process of dismantling began at the Nansha Health Station, with on-site sales of cabins and equipment such as water heaters, fans, folding chairs, and drying racks. The prefab cabins are priced at about 3,000 yuan ($411) each, attracting buyers interested in repurposing the solidly built units for storage or retail use. Other bargains include 6-liter electric water heaters for 300 yuan, stainless steel drying racks for 40 yuan, and folding chairs for only 14 yuan. While most buyers are locals, some have traveled from afar to capitalize on these deals. Transactions generally take place on-site [para. 3][para. 4][para. 5][para. 6][para. 7].

The dismantling of Nansha Health Station follows a two-stage process: first, internal equipment like air conditioners and toilets are removed and placed outdoors. Next, cranes lift the emptied containers onto trucks for transport and sale or repurposing [para. 8]. This process is being mirrored across China, where many makeshift quarantine facilities are now being sold or demolished as their original purpose has evaporated [para. 9].

Another example is the Dongguan Eco-Industrial Park Health Center, also in Guangdong, which began the process of asset liquidation and dismantling after infection control measures ended. Starting in late 2023, the facility’s assets — such as wiring, conduits, and 12 electrical substations, along with over 200 trees and 332 square meters of bamboo — have been auctioned off. Despite multiple attempts, some assets, like the prefabricated units and certain machinery, have yet to find buyers [para. 10][para. 11][para. 12].

Constructed in November 2022, the Dongguan facility included 36 two-story prefabricated buildings, totaling 1,745 rooms and a capacity to accommodate about 5,000 patients. As of April 4, 2024, 15 of these buildings had already been dismantled. Items like air conditioners, solar panels, fire extinguishers, and bed frames are being stacked and prepared for disposal or resale. Workers removed over 10,000 meters of cable as part of the dismantling process [para. 13][para. 14][para. 15][para. 16].

Remaining parts of the Dongguan center still house beds, air conditioners, bedside tables, water heaters, toilets, and unused nucleic acid testing kiosks [para. 17][para. 18]. The site is set for redevelopment, with part of it sold for 48.01 million yuan to a semiconductor company in May 2023. This transition underscores the rapid repurposing of pandemic infrastructure now that China has shifted away from mass quarantine strategies [para. 19].