[2][needs update] Zhengdong New Area was considered by foreign media to be a ghost city throughout its early years,[3][4] but its rapid growth in population and commercial occupants throughout the 2010s has led to outlets to no longer consider it a ghost city.

[5]: 8 In 2001, the city government commissioned Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa to draw up a comprehensive urban plan for Zhengdong.

In a 2006 article by the Wall Street Journal, Zhengzhou's mayor projected the new area to expand to 500 square kilometres (193 sq mi) and a population of 5 million by 2020.

[6][7][8] In September 2012, the Zhengzhou East railway station opened in the new area, linking it to China's high speed rail network.

[4] Zhengdong New Area spans from Zhongzhou Avenue to its west, to Wansan Highway (Chinese: 万三公路) to its east.