Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 3rd that a small apartment in Shanghai, China, was quickly traded for 300 yuan a month, despite its poor structure with a bed right behind the toilet.
The apartment is reportedly only 5 square meters (53 square feet) in size, and the kitchen is separate, but the bathroom and bedroom are structured in the same space, so be careful not to get your bedding wet while taking a shower.
Nevertheless, the apartment’s monthly rent was so low that it went out in a flash as soon as a video advertisement was posted on the Internet.
This is because the driver of the car-sharing company Didi (滴滴) liked the advertisement as soon as he saw it and signed the contract immediately.
SCMP pointed out that the apartment is bringing back expensive housing prices and rent issues in Shanghai and other large Chinese cities.
The apartment ad also resonated heavily among young people struggling to make ends meet in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, among other top-tier cities where house prices are sky-high.
According to the real estate rating agency, the average rental of a one-bedroom apartment in Shanghai is more than 5,134 yuan per month.
But half of Shanghai’s population earns less than 6,000 yuan a month.
In particular, the average monthly salary of service workers such as waiters and cashiers is only 3,500 to 5,000 yuan.
For this reason, any sale with a monthly rent of less than 1,000 yuan runs out as soon as it is released, a real estate agent said.
Even though the toilet is directly behind the structure, it is hard for young people to buy it. They can hardly afford to live on low salaries. The government should help young people whose main focus is consumption to run the country. The government should come up with various policies to help young people.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
