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The Urban Housing Problem in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Yok-Shiu F. Lee
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Extract

The state of housing has a direct impact on a country's level of public health and an indirect effect on labour productivity through the general morale of the workers. Practically all the developing countries face serious housing problems, particularly in the urban areas. China, a developing country that upholds socialist economic principles, is no exception in this regard. One of the purposes of this article is to demonstrate that China shares with many developing countries the same intractable problems – namely, a shortage of housing supply and housing inequality in the urban sector. But having said that China's urban housing problem is brought about by policy directives and institutional arrangements that differ entirely from those in capitalist economies.

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 115 , September 1988 , pp. 387 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1988

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References

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3. Ibid.

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26. This group of Chinese planners are listed supra, fn. 4.

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31. This is not a hypothetical case but an actual account of the commercialization scheme in 1984 Shanghai. See Meijian, Wu, “Qian tan yinhang kaiban zhufang chuxu, zhufang daikuang ruhe wei zhuzai shangping hua fuwu” (“A discussion on how to operate mortgages to help serve the commercialization programme”), in Proceedings of the First Conference, p. 37.Google Scholar

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33. Ibid.

34. Ming Bao (Hong Kong), 1 09 1986.Google Scholar

35. The People's Government of the City of Siping, “Gongyou zhuzhai xiong geren chushou shidian gongzhuo qingkuang” (“The situation on the sale of public residential units to individuals”), Chengxiang jianshe (City and Country Construction), No. 6 (1983), pp. 18–19.Google Scholar

36. Derong, Cai, “Lun fangzhu de ‘anbu’ yu ‘mingbu’” (“A discussion on ‘covert’ and ‘overt’ rental subsidy”), in Proceedings of the First Conference, p. 79.Google Scholar

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38. Cf. supra, fn. 25.

39. Yunchang, Gu, “Gaige chengzheng zhuzhai jianshe he guanli zhidu de tantao” (“A discussion on modifying the construction and management system of urban housing”), Chengxiang jianshe, No. 4 (1983), p. 32.Google Scholar

40. Statistical Yearbook of China 1984 (Hong Kong: State Statistical Bureau, 1984), p. 339.Google Scholar

41. Shijiazhuang Urban Construction Development Corporation, “Kuoda jianfang zhijin qudao de diaocha” (“A survey to expand the sources of housing investment capital”), in Proceedings of the First Conference, p. 177.Google Scholar

42. Figure for 1983 is from Statistical Yearbook of China 1984, p. 453.Google Scholar Figure for 1985 is from Chengxiang jianshe, No. 1 1987), p. 24.Google Scholar A different set of figures for per capita living floor space was reported in another official Chinese publication: 4·89 square metres in 1984 and 5·31 square metres in 1985. The former figure is from China: Urban Statistics, 1985 (Hong Kong: Longman Group; Beijing, China Statistical Information and Consultancy Service Centre, 1985), p. 456Google Scholar; the latter figure is from China: Urban Statistics, 1986 (1987), p. 369.Google Scholar These discrepancies do not, however, weaken in any major way the conclusions reached in the discussion.

43. Zheng, Zhou, “Chu shou zhuzhai de butie banfa ji dai gaijin” (“The method of subsidized sale of housing needs to be corrected soon”), Jingji wenti tansuo, No. 9 (1985), p. 76.Google Scholar

44. Ibid. p. 462.

45. There is a third – but relatively small – group of urban dwellers in China: individuals who finance the total costs of their new housing. Private housing investment was officially sanctioned in late 1982. See Wen Wei Bao, 15 07 1983.Google Scholar In the past several years, private investment in urban housing was reportedly equivalent to 8·77% of the total national investment. See Renmin ribao (overseas edit.), 17 07 1987, p. 2.Google Scholar Because scarcely any data on private urban housing investment have been published, a full-scale analysis of this issue is not possible. A preliminary assessment of the effects of privately-financed housing suggests that it will not become a significant solution to the shortage problem for two reasons. First, the overwhelming majority of the urban population simply cannot afford the full cost of new housing. Secondly, a private individual often faces enormous difficulties in securing the supply of construction materials and a piece of urban land upon which to build his/her house. See Li Guowen, “Yin fazhan chengzhen ‘hezhuo jian fang’” (“Co-operative housing construction should be developed”), Chengxiang jianshe, No. 4 (1986), p. 14. The construction of private dwelling units has, of course, relieved a small part of the state's burden in housing provision. Badcock, Blair, “Land and housing policy in Chinese urban development, 1976–86,” Planning Perspectives, No. 1 (1986), p. 163.Google Scholar This article was referred to the author by Karen R. Polenske.

46. Renmin ribao, 16 01 1987, p. 2.Google Scholar

47. Ibid. 24 December 1986, p. 5.

48. Ibid. 21 April 1987, p. 1.