China has made significant strides in strengthening support for affordable rental housing, substantially easing the living burdens on numerous people who have migrated to large cities like Shanghai for work.
Shanghai is a mega-city with a continuous influx of migrant population. Previously, public rental housing and low-rent housing projects were accessible only to those with local household registration or residence permits, which failed to meet the housing needs of new citizens and some migrant workers.
Wu Tao, who came to Shanghai for working in 2017, said that the rent problem brought him a lot of pressure.
"I came to Shanghai in 2017 and first worked as a security guard. For non-locals, the first problem is that it is difficult to find housing. Living close to the working place means the rent will be high, and the houses are old and small. If you want to live in a more comfortable and quieter place, you have to take the bus to work. I remember that I took 21 stops on bus at the beginning," Wu said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said as early as October 2013 that solving the housing problem of the masses is a long-term task. There are still problems such as meeting the basic needs of families with housing difficulties, an overall shortage of affordable housing, and the unreasonable and unbalanced allocation of housing resources.
"There are about 10 million people who rent houses in Shanghai. Many of these people are migrant workers, and their income is not very high. With limited land, it is very difficult to balance the supply of land resources for production and life. Many houses on the market are mainly for families, and they may not match their needs very well. We need a special variety from the perspective of renting and affordability," said Zhang Bing, deputy director of Shanghai Housing Administration Bureau.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (in 2012), General Secretary Xi has always been concerned about whether people live well during his visits to various places and conversations with local people.
"We will adhere to the principle that houses are for living in, not for speculation, and accelerate the establishment of a housing system that ensures supply from multiple sources, provides housing support through multiple channels, and encourages both house purchases and rental, so that all people can have a place to live," Xi said in 2017 during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
At the beginning of 2022, Shanghai issued a set of management measures on affordable rental housing, which stipulates that the supply of affordable rental housing is not restricted by household registration and has no income threshold. As long as the employed person is legally employed in Shanghai and has housing difficulties, he or she can apply.
A government-subsidized rental housing community, located in Shanghai's Minhang District, provides a total of 138 rooms with 440 beds for urban workers.
"We started from the actual situation and designed a rental housing guarantee system of one bed, one room and one apartment. This bed is not just a cold bed, but a home, so we call it the home of city builders and managers. Considering their actual income in Shanghai, housing expenses will take about 10 to 15 percent of their income as we designed. We have many public service facilities and provide the best services at a price of 500 to 1,000 yuan (69 to 138 U.S. dollars)," Zhang said.
On Nov 29, 2023, Xi visited the community during his inspection tour of Shanghai, where he talked to tenants to learn about their living conditions.
"The General Secretary has visited Shanghai many times to inspect people's livelihood and work conditions. In November last year, he visited Shanghai and pointed out that a city should not only have high-rise buildings, and it must also show enough concern for how people can lead a better life. Migrant workers contribute to this city and are also the masters of this city. We must solve their housing problems in a diversified way so that they can come in, stay, live in peace and be able to work," Zhang said.
At present, cities across China are accelerating the construction of affordable rental housing. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 40 key cities plan to build and raise 6.5 million sets of affordable rental housing to help migrant workers, new citizens and young people.
"As the General Secretary said, migrant workers hope to stay in Shanghai, live in peace and be able to work. I think we have achieved these things now," said Wu Tao.
"When I first came to Shanghai, I couldn't imagine living in a house like this. I think the future is promising," said Ning Defei, another migrant worker in Shanghai.
China enhances supportive measures on affordable rental housing
