It's hard to start a life in city without hukou
Source: Xinhua |
May 4, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOARING prices and a complicated household registration system are preventing many young Chinese from obtaining their first home, with many expressing worry about their futures.
Chen Yu, 31, a program editor at a state-run TV station, is one of them. The significant expense of purchasing a home, as well as Chen's lack of a Beijing hukou, or urban household registration, have prevented him from acquiring his own house.
"I can't imagine what I will be like in 10 years, when I still won't be able to afford a house or even a car," Chen said.
In China, social benefits such as education, medical treatment and the ability to purchase a home are tied to the hukou. A person with a Beijing hukou, for instance, is not able to buy a home in Shanghai without a Shanghai hukou.
Chen's worries are shared by many others. A 2010 report issued by China Everbright Bank and Home Link, a Beijing-based real estate agency, stated China has the youngest "mortgage slaves" in the world, with 27 being the average age for acquiring a first mortgage.
While most young Chinese are feeling incredible pressure to buy a house, get married and have children, their European peers are spending their time traveling the world and exploring different opportunities.
"In Europe, college graduates have a gap year after graduation and they can make full use of this period of time to think about what they want to do next," said Zhang Zhongwen, a 24-year-old employee of a foreign embassy in Beijing who recently returned from Scotland. "I can't accept a rigid job with no passion. Working like a machine would kill me," said Zhang, adding that he is ready to quit his embassy job.
Born to a well-off family, Zhang had more time and money to spend before entering the working world. Zhang said he was amazed that many Europeans in their 30s do not own their own homes. "That's not acceptable in China. If you live in a rented room, you feel ashamed," Zhang said.
The fact that he has had to rely on his parents has made Zhang dissatisfied. Many young Chinese are in the same situation, receiving handouts from their parents well after graduating from college.
"They have no other choice but to become boomerang kids," Chen said.
Chen thinks he has a last chance to stay in Beijing. He plans to take a PhD exam, as graduates can apply for jobs allowing them to get a Beijing hukou. "If I fail, I might just pack up and go home," he said.
Chen Yu, 31, a program editor at a state-run TV station, is one of them. The significant expense of purchasing a home, as well as Chen's lack of a Beijing hukou, or urban household registration, have prevented him from acquiring his own house.
"I can't imagine what I will be like in 10 years, when I still won't be able to afford a house or even a car," Chen said.
In China, social benefits such as education, medical treatment and the ability to purchase a home are tied to the hukou. A person with a Beijing hukou, for instance, is not able to buy a home in Shanghai without a Shanghai hukou.
Chen's worries are shared by many others. A 2010 report issued by China Everbright Bank and Home Link, a Beijing-based real estate agency, stated China has the youngest "mortgage slaves" in the world, with 27 being the average age for acquiring a first mortgage.
While most young Chinese are feeling incredible pressure to buy a house, get married and have children, their European peers are spending their time traveling the world and exploring different opportunities.
"In Europe, college graduates have a gap year after graduation and they can make full use of this period of time to think about what they want to do next," said Zhang Zhongwen, a 24-year-old employee of a foreign embassy in Beijing who recently returned from Scotland. "I can't accept a rigid job with no passion. Working like a machine would kill me," said Zhang, adding that he is ready to quit his embassy job.
Born to a well-off family, Zhang had more time and money to spend before entering the working world. Zhang said he was amazed that many Europeans in their 30s do not own their own homes. "That's not acceptable in China. If you live in a rented room, you feel ashamed," Zhang said.
The fact that he has had to rely on his parents has made Zhang dissatisfied. Many young Chinese are in the same situation, receiving handouts from their parents well after graduating from college.
"They have no other choice but to become boomerang kids," Chen said.
Chen thinks he has a last chance to stay in Beijing. He plans to take a PhD exam, as graduates can apply for jobs allowing them to get a Beijing hukou. "If I fail, I might just pack up and go home," he said.
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