property

The Creative Ways China’s Homes Are Being Sold 

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

With China looking to kickstart its real estate industry once again, here are some of the creative ways that properties are being sold across the country.

Ye Zhanhang

Jiang Zuer

Homebuying Yet to Heat Up in China’s Smaller Major Cities 

In two Chinese cities desperate for real estate to pick up again after a difficult few years, real estate agents say the latest loosening of homebuying restrictions has yet to make a substantial impact.

He Qitong

China Loosens Homebuying Policies — Will Buyers Bite?

The policies arrive just in time for “golden September and silver October,” the traditional peak season for property sales.

Li Xin

China Used to Be an Architect’s Dream. Now, It’s Becoming a Nightmare.

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

A few years ago, architecture was among China’s most popular and glamorous careers. But as a decadeslong construction boom fizzles, the profession has been plunged into crisis.

Wang Lianzhang

Xu Cen

Looking to Buy a Home in China? It Might Come With a Gold Ingot.

In China, real estate companies are often banned from lowering prices too sharply. So many are using creative means to entice reluctant buyers, offering free cars, phones, parking spaces — and even 1 kilogram of solid gold.

Ni Dandan

Homebuyers Beware: Scalpers Cash In on Shanghai Real Estate Craze

Shanghai uses a scoring system to determine eligible buyers, but scalpers are manipulating the numbers for buyers who fall short of the requirements.

Jiangsu City Punishes Property Developers — For Selling Too Cheaply

Favorable discounts have been offered by developers in smaller Chinese cities where there is relatively more pressure to sell new apartments.

Illegal Gym Construction Leaves 240 Families Homeless in Harbin

A 31-story building was declared unsafe after a tenant demolished load-bearing walls to build a new commercial gym. Authorities have launched a probe.

China Unveils Real Estate Data System, Opens Door to Property Tax

The project to unify all property registrations across the country began in 2013 and is aimed at bringing more transparency to real estate.

China’s Downturn Fuels a Worrying New Trend: a Surge in Foreclosures

Home repossessions have more than tripled in China since 2019, leaving families in dire situations.

Chang Minxiao

Fan Yiying

Chinese Courts Require Divorcing Couples to Report Marital Property

The proper valuation of non-cash property could make it challenging to enforce the order.

Chinese Cities Offer Second-Hand Trade Sites to Allay Housing Glut

Regional housing regulators are going to extra lengths to connect property owners with prospective buyers.

‘No Way Out’: Why China’s Mortgage Strikers Refuse to Back Down

Homebuyers involved in China’s mortgage boycott movement are facing harassment, punishment, and threats of legal action. But they say they can’t afford to give up.

Luo Meihan

Upgrading Demand Will be Key Driver for Housing Market: Experts

Analysts predict that housing upgrades are expected to become a crucial driver for the property sector.

Sixth Tone

Chinese Cities Offer Huge ‘Group Buying’ Discounts on Unsold Properties

In a desperate bid to revive the property market, more than 20 cities have launched schemes encouraging groups of state-sector workers to buy up new apartments at discounts of up to 30%.

The Winners of China’s Housing Bust: Burnouts and Beach Bums

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Situated in scenic towns and all but free, they’re the perfect flats for lying flat.

Jiang Xinyi

Life in One of China’s Unfinished Apartment Complexes

Construction on the Jinling Apartment building ground to a halt when the developer ran out of funds. Residents moved in anyway.

Wu Huiyuan 

‘We Own It’: The Chinese Homeowners Squatting in Unfinished Buildings

Across China, failing developers are halting construction on new housing complexes. Desperate buyers are moving in anyway.

Wu Peiyue

Dali Encourages ‘Joint Property’ Model to Boost Sales

Local governments have ramped up efforts to boost the real estate sector over the past months.

Food Safety, Real Estate Top China’s Consumer Complaint List

The six-month review from the country’s consumer rights watchdog saw more grievances than the same period last year.