Housing “‘Hello!’ is all I can say now to my neighbors when I meet them around our courtyard because I do not know their names anymore.

Ms. Lingling Liang City: Gaoyou Province: Jiangsu Birth: Jan. 16, 1965 Map of China (29KB JPG)

“About ten years ago, I lived in the same courtyard where people in the neighborhood knew each other very well. Every time when we saw each other, the normal conversations were, ‘Hi, Mary, how are you doing today? Have you had your breakfast/lunch/dinner? Would you like to visit our house to have some fun (e.g., chatting, playing cards) today?...’

“At that time, the houses people lived in were usually controlled by the local government. People might live in houses in one courtyard for more than twenty years. They lived like a big family in which they shared their spare time, cooking, and so on, and sometimes even fought. People used to pay the equivalent of only a couple of U.S. dollars every month (about one tenth of their salaries) for rent. The facilities provided in a typical house were very simple — no toilet, no shower, no kitchen. People who were skilled in construction usually built a nice small room for their cooking stove. At that time, it was normal for three or four people to squeeze into one bedroom.

“In the last few years, however, the situation has significantly changed. Most people who are senior workers in their companies or factories have moved into new apartments built for them by the government or their companies. The new apartments are usually well-built and equipped with all the basic utilities. People may choose to pay the rent monthly (again, only several U.S. dollars) or to pay a few thousand dollars to get ownership of the apartment. For example, when subsidized by the government or private company, $3000 is the average for the purchase of a three-bedroom apartment. Young people or junior employees, on the other hand, are usually not as lucky as their senior counterparts. They can only expect to be assigned an old house with few or no supplies, unless they have enough money to buy a commercial apartment. The typical price of a non-subsidized three-bedroom apartment now is about US$15,000.

“You may understand now why, today, I do not know my neighbors by name. Because of the current housing reforms, more and more people who lived in our neighborhood have moved out into new apartments. People who have moved in are usually young single people or young couples, and they will move out when they are assigned a new place or buy a non-subsidized house. Meanwhile, they can afford to buy such things like refrigerators, TVs, and telephones, and they just enjoy staying at home in their houses.

“I am glad to see the improvement in the housing conditions in my country, but at the same time, I miss the wonderful neighborhood I used to have.