There are no ghosts in Zhengzhou’s Central Business District, a massive new development on the eastern edge of the city that “60 Minutes’’ called a “ghost city’’ in March. There are plenty of people, though.

In a report by Lesley Stahl, the CBS program used the area to illustrate a story about overdevelopment and a looming housing bubble in China. Indeed, there apparently are ghost cities throughout the country where new skyscrapers, apartment buildings and shopping malls sit empty. But Zhengzhou’s CBD isn’t one of them.

Last night, I went there with Henan University of Technology professor Brenda, her daughter Blair (who goes to college in Canada) and Amber, a Henan University grad student who is working as an administrative assistant for our English program. (I’m using their English names because it’s simpler and they prefer it that way.)

Every Saturday night during the summer, there are outdoor musical concerts next to a man-made lake at the center of the development, which is ringed by two roads that are referred to as the inner and outer circle.  The inner ring is lined by futuristic skyscrapers that are mostly occupied by big financial firms. The outer ring is a mix of businesses, apartments, hotels and shopping centers.  Right next to the lake are an arts center shaped like a basket of golden eggs, an exhibition center that looks like a paper fan and a hotel/office/shopping tower that resembles a cob of corn.

“Many people live and work here,’’ Brenda said. “It is not a ghost city.’’

In the “60 Minutes’’ report, they showed long stretches of empty streets and what they said were miles of unoccupied buildings. Stahl also visited a local mall that had nothing but empty storefronts. I don’t know when the story was filmed or how it was reported, but it’s highly misleading.

During Saturday night’s pop concert, the boardwalk that encircles the lake was filled with young couples, families and children enjoying the music and a beautiful breezy evening. Kids rolled around in what looked like giant hamster wheels that floated on the water.  People strolled on the walkway, eating ice cream cones and cotton candy. Young lovers sat on the edge of the lake, watching a light show from the distant stage.

Before the concert, we ate dinner at one of the many posh restaurants in the area. With its modern décor, imaginative menu and impeccable service, you could have easily thought you were in a gourmet restaurant in New York or San Francisco. In keeping with Chinese tradition, one person (Blair) ordered a variety of dishes for the entire table and they were all placed on a glass turntable so we all could share. The delicious dishes included sweet-and-sour pork, shrimp cooked in tea, garlic-flavored noodles with crab meat, sautéed tofu and a garden salad coated with peanut sauce.  For desert, we had fresh watermelon and slices of honey-glazed lotus cake. I’m no gastronome, but it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

I plan to return to the area on a weekday, and see for myself how busy it is. But from what I’ve seen and heard so far, if this is a ghost town, the ghosts are very much alive. (For an excellent in-depth debunking of the “60 Minutes’’ story,’’ click http://thechinachronicle.com/zhengzhou-zhengdong-china-largest-ghost-city.)

And by the way Lesley, it’s pronounced jung-joe, not jen-jow.