'Ask a Laobeijing' is a regular series where we chat with a laoren about their thoughts on different issues. This month, we met Sun, 53, during an afternoon walk in Xizhimen
What do you think about the rising rent prices in Beijing?
“As an ordinary citizen I don’t know much about the housing market, but I have heard about the high rent prices in Beijing and I think that they’re too high – especially for ordinary people. Some laobeijing live in lodgings rather than owning a house, because it’s even more expensive to buy a house than to rent, and it’s too troublesome to wait in line for public housing. I think the housing prices in all big cities will keep increasing.
I’m not a landlord myself, although it is pretty common for laobeijing – especially those with low salaries – to rent out houses to migrant workers. High rents aren’t necessarily a bad thing, as many migrant workers are disorderly and compete with Beijing people for work. They may also have destructive habits, which can harm the original cultural and working landscape of the city. Laobeijing adhere to rules, no matter what the work is. Migrant workers shouldn’t come to Beijing if they can’t afford to – surely working in smaller cities would do.
The government really should do something about the problems brought about by the influx of migrants. They have been taking various measures but ultimately they have been too slow in addressing the problems. When the PRC was founded, our leaders considered making Tongzhou the capital city. It’s apparent they ought to have done this. [ED: The relocation of the municipal government to Tongzhou is now underway, see That’s Beijing’s October 2015 issue.]
High rent may affect people’s ability to spend money on other items but this economic impact is not my business, it’s the government’s business.
My children will go abroad to study and if they want to or are able to live abroad afterwards, it’s up to them. But I hope they can.”
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