Room without a view

CHINA'S "BED-RENTING" GROUP

PKG

INTRO

And now we take a look at the life in a "room without a view"...

Which is the reality facing millions of low-income tenant in China' s big cities.

For years, the government has tried to ban the "bed-renting" , referring to tenants got crammed into an apartment and each got a space just enough for a bed.

But it's not an easy task.

PKG

For those who chase opportunities, Beijing is one of the most fascinating magnets.

The Beijing South Railway Station, the city's newest rail hub, welcomes in thousands of people who want a new start in the capital city every day.

Zhang Xiang is one of them. He came to Beijing from his native Shanxi Province seven years ago.

Now, he's a worker at a freight company near the railway station.

To save long distance of commute every day, Zhang moved his home here.

This is the place where Zhang lives now -- a refit closet without a window.

In Beijing's hot summer days, these bottles filled with water help to keep him cool in the night.

Zhang shares the apartment with five other neighbors.

The apartment has been made full use of to accommodate as many tenants as it can.

STANDUP: Feng Shuang

"Zhang told me that this room is originally the kitchen of the apartment. But now it has been rented to a couple as a bedroom. And the wall, you can judge by the sound (knocking), are not made of real cement. Such restructuring is actually banned by the policy."

Zhang and this couple belong to the "bed-renting" group in China's large cities, who have to share an apartment with many others while each got a tiny space that just enough for a bed.

Such apartments are usually restructured to accommodate as many tenants as possible.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) ZHANG XIANG

"I got information of the apartment on the internet. It's near my work place, and it's cheap. But I didn't expect it to be so small."

But all the inconvenience can be overcome when the room costs only 700 yuan, or 114 U.S. dollars per month.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) ZHANG XIANG:

"I've thought about seeking for a better place. But Beijing's home price is too high, so is the rent. I can only afford to rent a room of no more than one third of my salary."

Statistics show that Beijing's average rent has exceeded 3600 yuan, or 590 dollars, per unit per month. The figure has surpassed Beijing's per capita disposable income of some 540 dollars per month.

For Zhang, who earn roughly 3,000 yuan, or 490 dollars a month, a better home in the mega-city is only a dream.

But now, even the current place is at stake.

Since 2009, Beijing's municipal government has launched several campaigns against illegal house renting activities, including illegal restructuring and "bed-renting".

The government believes cramming so many people in a small room would increase safety hazard.

In a latest attempt, the city government issued a new rule that specifies a minimum living space of five square meters per person.

Zhang said he knows the policy.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) ZHANG XIANG

"I've heard of the policy. Rumors say some 20 people share an apartment with three bed rooms and a living room. But I'm not sure whether this room is illegal."

As for the safety issue, Zhang said it's not a big deal if everyone in the apartment could be more careful.x

To stay in the capital city, the young man chooses to compromise on the living conditions.

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE) ZHANG XIANG

"I've thought of going back home. But definitely not now. I still want to try my luck in Beijing for some years."

According to the Beijing Bureau of Statistics, at the end of last year, the city's permanent population was over 20 million.

Of that, about 7.7 million were non-native residents who had been living in the city for more than six months.

Zhang Xu, an analyst at Homelink, one of Beijing's largest property agencies, says the city's bed-renting market has already taken shape, and to get rid of it needs the efforts from all.

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE):Zhang Xu, Housing analyst

"Low-rent houses are in short supply and there's huge demand. But I don't think there are any effective ways to solve the problem and increase supply. The government needs to build more low-cost housing to accommodate the large influx of low-income groups."

With the ongoing migration to the big cities and the still climbing rent, choice are limited to low-income tenants like Zhang Xiang.

But Zhang said he's not worrying about being driven out of the apartment he lives now.

He believes he could always find a cheap place, as long as there're millions who share his need in the capital city.