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‘Container tribe’ takes it one day at a time
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HANGZHOU’S high property prices and expensive rents have driven many migrant workers to live in containers.
The trend has led to the term “container tribe,” which refers to low-income groups who dwell in makeshift containers.
The containers are usually tucked away in inconspicuous places near parking lots or on vacant land. There are several near Qiutao Road Metro Station.
They are designed for residential use and provide a temporary dwelling to numerous migrant workers.
The containers are 3 meters wide, 6 meters long and 2.7 meters high. They have a door, lights, electrical sockets and a tiled floor, but no bathroom. An inside plastic partition divides the 18-square-meter container into a basic kitchen and a bedroom.
Other expenses
When Mr Wang and his wife, who make a living as waste recyclers, arrived in Hangzhou two years ago, they said they were shocked by the sky-high rents. They quickly decided to rent a container without any furniture for 6 yuan (93 US cents) a day. Wang said he later added a bed, cabinets, tables, television, microwave oven, computer, induction cooker and other daily necessities.
“I originally didn’t plan on installing an air conditioner, but the summer heat drove me to buy one. Without it, the container would be too sweltering to live in summer,” Wang said.
However, not every member of the container tribe is so fortunate. Many have no choice but to endure a steamy container during the long, hot summer.
Wang’s wife said her biggest complaint is the lack of a washroom. She and her husband have to walk several minutes to the nearest public toilet.
Their 180 yuan monthly rent isn’t as cheap as it initially seems once other expenses are factored in like the site cost and electricity. The Wangs said their bill averages about 1,000 yuan a month, which is still, in most cases, much cheaper than renting an apartment in Hangzhou. Tenants also have to pay a deposit between 5,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan depending on the container’s age.
Container tribe tenants also face uncertainty about how long they can remain in one location. Last week, Wang and his wife were told they have to move out within 10 days because development will begin on a series of new buildings in the area. It will be their fourth move since arriving in Hangzhou.
Some companies renting out the containers are responsible for transporting them by cranes. Some charge a 500 yuan to 1,000 yuan transportation fee.
Wang and his wife earn less than 1 US cent per kilogram of waste paper. But it is enough to cover their daily costs as well as the expenses of their parents and two-year-old son in Anhui Province. “I am tired of moving here and there,” Wang’s wife said. “I wish we could settle down in a fixed place.”
As long as they continue to live in a container, her wish will likely remain just that.
Space is at a premium in downtown Hangzhou. As vacant lots are scooped up by developers to make way for office towers, apartments or shopping malls, options for the container tribe dwindle.
The city’s urban management department said if a container hampers public infrastructure or impacts traffic, the occupants will be fined according to municipal regulations.
The idea of living in a container started in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It has since spread across the country to places such as Hangzhou and Shanghai.
The Wangs epitomize the upper class of the container tribe. There are some living in rougher conditions.
In suburban Jiubao Town, a row of containers equipped with bunk beds sit along one roadside. A couple of migrant workers share one of the containers. In sharp contrast with Wang’s home, their container looks like a slum as dust swirls around and a cacophony of noise hurts the eardrums.
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