The Problem
A big problem that prevents Beijing from completely urbanising is unaffordable housing for people with low-income. This especially affects migrants, who make up a third of the population. There are obvious social inequalities between migrants and local residents. The housing system, called Hokou, doesn’t allow migrants to live in government-subsidised houses because they are not seen as legal residents. Urban poor who cannot afford to rent or buy property are forced to live in slum-like communities such as make-shift rooms, containers, shared rooms and underground dorms, sometimes illegally.
A YouTube clip discussing the 'rat tribe' living under Beijing
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Underground dorms are not permitted by authorities, but the vast number of basements/air raid shelters constructed for World War II in the 50s and 60s in Beijing are now being lived in by an estimated 200,000 to 2 million people. These people are commonly called the ‘rat tribe’ and are mostly migrants living temporarily while saving up enough money to move up.
Between the years 2000 to 2010, the government worked to solve the problem of housing shortage by constructing around 50 million houses in Chinese cities. This significantly improved housing conditions in the inner cities, but did little to solve the low-income housing problem as prices were still too high. Moreover, these houses mainly ended up being bought by middle and high-class people who already owned multiple houses. The Beijing government does have a policy that allows people to apply for low-income housing, but migrants must wait several years before they are eligible. Migrants make up a big percentage of the low-income population, so excluding them from any low-income policy immediately makes it unsuccessful and does not bring social justice. |
Possible Solutions
• The Hokou system is outdated and is stopping Beijing from being able to urbanise. Reforms should be introduced that recognise migrants’ rights and allow them to have the same opportunities as local residents.
• Incentives should be provided to all low-income people such as low-interest loans and cheap land and tax breaks. • Underground housing is a possible solution, if the dorms are modified to suit people’s needs. They could be fitted with better facilities such as ventilation and electricity and more space could be made so people are not cramped into tiny rooms. There would better living conditions and more people would want to live underground. |