China keeping rent low and housing affordable is the reason why the West thinks China's economy is collapsing. They can't comprehend a world where the economy doesn't prioritize the rich.
China keeping rent low and housing affordable is the reason why the West thinks China's economy is collapsing. They can't comprehend a world where the economy doesn't prioritize the rich.
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I would argue that statement here is misleading.
Popular Chinese movies acknowledge high price of real estate in large cities. All theses movies are available in US, have subtitles in English and can be accessed using popular streaming services.
Examples:
Some of dialogue involving parents, if i recall right:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_O2O_(TV_series)
In the following show lower income aerospace engineer and high income actress. They directly state that he could not afford small apartment if not for money grant for being the best:
The dates on the shows are 2016 and 2021, and as we can see the real estate really starts winding down around 2022. The housing prices are naturally going to lag as well. So, I don't think there's any contradiction here.
Movies aren't the same as reality, you know.
But they're based in it. Especially dramas or soap operas which work because people relate to the characters or at least realize that what they're going through can happen in the world. A silly example: a Cuban wouldn't make Breaking Bad because why would the protagonist need to find cash for his treatment or kids, when healthcare and education are free?
So while we can't tell how widespread the issues in those dramas are, it's valid to say that they do appear in China (or appeared when they were created).
Because of the low rent and easy access to housing in New York City, maybe I should move there with my $40,000/year self-employed job.
In the Chinese shows mentioned, high rent is explicitly mentioned in the series, while in your example it is implied that they make ends meet with their low-income jobs. It's not the focus of the series.
Luckily there is an easy way to find out if the situation is getting better or worse.
I don't disagree with that, all I said was that tv shows are based on reality. Of course that reality is changing...
Tier 2 and even tier 3 cities in China seem pretty liveable from the vlogs I have seen. Cities having high costs/rents is a problem but it's not a problem as bad as in, say, India where the urban-rural disparity is much more stark.
Tier 1 is fine too, rent in Shenzen is 80% lower compartively to London, and its larger than London too.
The 'for living' doesn't mean free, means affordable for the average person/family living there.
But yes, dense city centres all over the world have about the same problem (since ancient times, up until railways & commuting, when for a bit poor/working class people lived outside the city).
Even in sci-fi movies the top few hundred floors are nice, all the other floors never get daylight or even a sense of where the sun is. Especially if there are roads/allies/"streets" between floors on various levels.