China: more than 400 people were discovered in the basement of a residential complex. What they were doing there?

World News Nilgun Salim
https://stocknewsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/80910749_107950813.jpg

Shocking discovery in the basement of a Beijing residential complex

Following an “underground raid” more than 400 tenants were discovered cramming into the basement of a block, China’s national radio station announced.

In the Chinese slang, these tenants are called ‘shuzu’ (or the “rat tribe”).

They live in bunkers built in the underground network of Beijing in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Owners of the “Julong Gardens” became suspicious after seeing more and more strange faces appearing daily in the residential complex.

Eventually, they discovered the ‘shuzu’ tribe in the basement of one of the tower blocks, the BBC reports.

The underground space had been divided into several “working rooms”, with kitchens and even a smoker.

Most tenants are migrant workers and it is unclear whether their presence in the basement is legal.

According to the national radio station, the underground of the complex is owned by government authorities, but it is unlikely to have been sub-leased, even though in 2015 the Beijing officials have offered the use of bunkers for real estate purposes.

Two years ago, due to various security issues in underground homes, Chinese officials have launched a massive eviction campaign.

How much does a month’s rent cost in the underground network?

Apparently, the ‘shuzu’ community pays less than $20 a month per member. Migrants and students are the standard clientele for such claustrophobic spaces.

A recent analysis of China’s real estate market reveals a real explosion in the rent price.

In 2016, the average monthly rent in Beijing rose to about 523 pounds, 60% more than in 2010.

Another housing dystopia also takes place in Hong Kong, where poor people live in more subdivided units than a coffin.

According to official figures of China’s Census and Statistics Department, in 2015 approximately 200,000 people lived in 88,000 subdivisions, also known as “coffin-suites.”