Chinese 'house slaves' grow in booming economy
By Jaime FlorCruz, CNN Beijing Bureau Chief
January 20, 2010 10:47 p.m. EST
Beijing, China (CNN) — As China posts another blistering quarter of economic growth, the property price boom fueled by the economy is causing drama of its own.
Public grumblings over exorbitant home prices reached fever-pitch this year, inspiring a popular television series, "Narrow Dwellings."
Also known as "Dwelling Narrowness" — a Chinese phrase directly translated as "living like a snail" — the 35-episode TV series follows the travails of the Guo sisters, Haiping and Haizao. To save up and buy a home, elder sister Haiping and her husband rent a shabby old attic and subsist on a diet of instant noodles — only to find skyrocketing prices pushing their dreams of a new home beyond their reach.
Haiping finally sets her sights on a flat on the outskirts of the city, even though the couple could barely afford the 900,000-yuan (US$131,800) price tag. Their 20-year mortgage comes to nearly $900 a month, but their combined salary is only around $1300 a month.
The series dramatizes how investing in a home becomes an issue for extended family as well. Haiping's sister, Haizao, steps in to help her relatives pay for the 20 percent down payment by becoming the mistress of a high-ranking official in the city mayor's office. It ends tragically for Haizao when she suffers a miscarriage and her lover commits suicide after being accused of taking bribes.
The TV series has been a big hit among viewers who find empathy with the characters in the drama. "Paying the mortgage and eating [cheap] lunch boxes is a true reflection of the lives of many white-collar youths nowadays," wrote a blogger named Sui Han.
Netizens blame inflated property prices and official corruption for drama's tragedy. "The cruelty of life depicted by the drama strikes a responsive chord among every citizen who is obsessed by the high property prices," wrote Mr. Ying on the Tianya discussion forum.
Still, many urbanites have borrowed from banks, relatives and friends to buy a house, even if they end up as "fangnu", or "house slave, a colloquial term which refers to Chinese who spend a large part of their family income on a mortgage.
To pay off the mortgage, they refrain from changing jobs, spending money on entertainment or travel, and worry about falling ill.
But for the Chinese, worrying about house payments itself is becoming a health risk. A survey on the health of Chinese white-collar workers, released by the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, showed that buying property ranks as the top cause of pressure among 46 percent of the respondents, followed only by parents' health, difficulty in finding a spouse and children's education.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/01/20/china.gdp.narrow.dwelling/index.html
经济快速增长推动中国房奴增加
随着中国对新一季度经济快速增长的报道，由经济推动的房价高攀正自导自演一部闹剧。
公众对高得离谱的房价的不满在今年到了顶点并由此产生了一部流行热播电视剧"蜗居“。
又名“蜗居者”-中文直接翻译为“像蜗牛一样活着”，这部35集的电视剧记载着郭氏姐妹海萍和海藻的艰辛历程。 为了攒钱买房子，姐姐海萍同丈夫租了一个破旧的小阁楼并以吃方便面维生，可结果是他们发现迅速攀升的房价使他们买房的梦想遥不可及。
尽管几乎付不起90万元（13.18万美元）的价格，海萍最后还是看中了郊区的一套公寓。20年的贷款意味着每月900美元的月供，可他们两个人每月的工资加起来大约只有1300美元。
这部电视剧戏剧化地表现了投资房子如何演变成家人的负担。海萍的妹妹海藻为了帮助姐姐付20%的首期变成了市长办公室秘书的情妇。 其悲剧以她的流产和她的情人在被控受贿后自杀结束。
这部电视剧吸引了很多对故事主人公充满同情的观众。一位名字叫Sui Han的网友在其博客中写道：“一边付房供，一边吃（便宜的）午餐盒是当今很多年轻白领生活的真实写照”。
网民们将悲剧归罪于通胀的房价和政府官员的腐败。天涯论坛的Ying先生写道："电视剧所刻画的残酷的生活与被高房价所累的每一个人都产生了共鸣"。
然而尽管最终都会沦为“房奴”（指家庭收入大多用于付房贷的人），很多的市民还是会从银行，亲戚和朋友那里借钱买房。
为了还清贷款，他们不敢轻易换工作，不敢花钱娱乐或旅行并总是担心生病。
对很多的中国人来说，对供房款的担忧正演变成健康隐患。中国医师协会对白领工作者的调查显示：46%的被调者认为买房是压力之首，其次是父母的健康，不易寻找配偶和孩子的教育。
中文译文由【湾区华人论坛】网友小老鼠提供。