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Do more dream-seekers in Shanghai have to stay in slum?
Jun 22, 2007 05:19
  • LEONARDO
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As the the price of both renting and purchasing house continues skyrocketing, to find a shelter in Shanhai become the biggest concern for those who worked there, especially, for the new college graduates, the tiny salary can not cover the cost of sheltering.

Several days ago, I met a new graduate who have recently found a job in Shanghai. He said in Shanghai,every inch of room was priceless. The rent for an appartment (two small bedrooms and one lounge) is about 2,000 Yuan, and the extra fees (like electricity and water expenses) are not included. In order to save money, many peole are willing to shelter in the dilapidated slum areas.

Although Shanghai is now an international metropolis, countless Dream-seekers in Shanghai are still living in the invisible corners of this dazzling city.
Jun 24, 2007 20:27
#1  
  • KATRINA
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Shanghai is China's economic and financial center.The robust economy gave birth to many captains of industry. However, the majority is not affluent. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening .
Jun 25, 2007 03:16
#2  
  • KEVIN0518
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Maybe they should rent a house together. Two bedrooms and a lounge can accommodate at least three persons.

If the house price is still rising like this, how many people can afford to buy a house?
Jun 25, 2007 05:01
#3  
  • MAY001
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Does the price of apartment in Shanghai the highest of China? Or Beijing the highest?
Jun 25, 2007 20:06
#4  
  • ZOEY
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If you are not rich enough, you'd better not live in Shanghai. 0r, you will feel alienated from the mainstream society.

Although being poor is not a humiliated thing, the unavailability of the expensive items will make you frustrated.
Jun 28, 2007 04:07
#5  
  • MIRANDAZHAO
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May, yes, I believe the house price of Shanghai is the highest! And also Hangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc..
Jul 2, 2007 20:31
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  • LEOPOLD219
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Shanghai may be a good place to travel , or make money, but not a good place to live in. Many things are terrible: Overcrowded community, the skyrocketting house price, the large gap between the rich and the poor.
Jul 15, 2007 21:03
#7  
  • LEONARDO
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LEOPOLD219, you are right. Shanghai is like New York. The tempo of life is too fast. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. Over-crowded communities and streets. Horrible. Modern buildings scatere around the whole city,but lack cultural elements.
Jul 23, 2007 04:29
#8  
  • JIMMYB
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Shanghai is a dynamic city which provides many opportunities for young people. Although the price is very high, many people are still flooding into the metropolise. "The Oriental Pear are alluring many dream-seekers."
Oct 14, 2007 01:28
#9  
  • LEONARDO
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Once upon a time, Shanghai the financial hub of China was a wonderland for average Chinese. While, this dazzling international metropolis like its counterpart New York wooed thousands out. How about the housing price now there?
Oct 17, 2007 12:15
#10  
  • CLAUDIUS
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LEONARDO, the rental for that apartment you've pointed out (2 bedrooms with a lounge) must be for an area at least 1 to 2 hours of travel (on subway or otherwise) away from city centre. According to an article published in China Times sometime in 2005, Shanghai has the highest GDP and the highest average property prices in China.

I used to stay in a 3 room apartment in Pudong, about 140sq meters which cost around 4300 excluding bills, from October 2003 for a year. The same apartment now cost 6500RMB a month to rent. My next posh new rented apartment, 30 minutes from city center, cost 3800 for 2 bedrooms, living area, dining hall and kitchen (92sqm). It is now going for 5800RMB. Finally I shifted to a pre-war terrace house, built by the British ( my guess ) as a whole apartment of 3 floors. I was told that after the cultural revolution, the house was vacated (forcefully no doubt) by the then-rich owners and now there are 4 families staying in the house, artfully segregated for privacy. I was staying on ground floor, used to be the main living area of the house with a nice front porch and back door. It cost 1600RMB a month for that 26sqm of living space but is only 10 minutes walk from city center. A graduate from zhejiang was staying on the 2nd floor in what used to be a storeroom with only 7sqm and no attached toilet or bathroom. He was paying 800RMB a month and it was taking the majority of his 1500RMB wage to just stay there.

I don't really consider that a slum (I saw at least 3 caucasian families living among the same row of house) but you can't say it was a luxury either. It was the porch which sealed my decision as I was keeping a dog and a cat. The same place is going for 2500 a month the last I checked after I moved out in 2006.

To my knowledge, most of the true blue shanghainese have been staying in such house or apartment and life is frugal at best. I realised Shanghai is a place where all the rich in China would want to come and invest in an apartment, and that sadly, is causing the shanghainese both grieve and consolation as although their property value increases every year, they are unable to get any more apartments from their less than average wages.
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