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The sun is shining, the sun is blazing, and the bustling streets of Hong Kong are crowded with people and business is booming. However, behind this seemingly glorious city, there are countless sad stories.
Xiao Li's family of four, who live in a remote shanty town in Hong Kong, is only 7 square meters in size, and the small space is like a "rat cave".
The space in the room is cramped, the house is surrounded by walls, and the furnishings are shabby. His wife, Xiao Wang, was busy cooking dinner in front of the stove, and under the small induction cooker was a cupboard full of various items.
Looking up, the long cabinet for storage is full of clothes, kitchen utensils and daily necessities, all of which are crammed into this cabinet dozens of centimeters long.
Next to the induction cooker is a renovated toilet, and if the lid is lifted, this is the place where the family can solve their daily needs; With a lid, it can be used as a makeshift table for dinner.
The mother, Xiao Wang, had already prepared a simple meal, and the three of them squeezed into a space of less than 2 square meters and sat on a small foldable bench for dinner.
Although there was a faint smell of toilets in the air, it was quickly masked by the aroma of the food.
The root cause of the fact that Xiao Li's family was forced to survive in such a cramped environment for a long time was Hong Kong's dense population and lack of land resources. According to relevant data, Hong Kong's population density is staggering, making the city a "red and black" area.
With an area of only 1,100 square meters, more than 7 million people live, which shows how crowded the living environment is.
Hong Kong's current real estate market is like a huge bubble that could burst at any time. So, how exactly did this bubble inflate to this point?
Looking back at the last century, Hong Kong's property development started late, but it developed rapidly. Due to the extreme scarcity of urban land resources and the continuous influx of people and capital from the mainland, the demand for housing is increasing.
The situation of short supply has led to the continuous rise of housing prices since the 80s of the 20th century, and they have remained high.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, Hong Kong's real estate market has become a wild horse. A steady stream of mainland capital has poured into the land, countless investors are vying for a place in this booming market, and ordinary citizens are seizing the opportunity to buy real estate, lest they miss the perfect opportunity to realize their dreams of wealth. However, the international financial crisis erupted in 2008, and the global real estate market was hit hard.
However, it is surprising that Hong Kong's property market has been able to remain strong, and house prices are still at a high level, driven by low interest rates, and hot money is pouring in, further exacerbating the soaring rate of house prices.
Today, housing prices in Hong Kong have far surpassed those of many major cities in the mainland, and for the majority of ordinary citizens, they are already unattainable. Take Xiao Li's family as an example, they work hard and save money, but they still can't afford to buy a snail house of dozens of square meters. For them, having their own cosy cottage is undoubtedly an unattainable dream.
The skyrocketing rise in housing prices has spiraled out of control and is far beyond the reach of ordinary people. The real estate industry, once hailed as a source of pride, has now become the last straw for the people of Hong Kong. In addition to the snaily dwellings in shantytowns, there are many other poignant living conditions in Hong Kong. For example, those widely known as "coffin rooms". These houses are usually only about 6 square meters in size, which is even narrower than Xiao Li's "rat nest".
In such a "room", the inhabitants live almost indistinguishably from the "dead", the interior is airtight, dark and damp, like a small coffin, the air is filled with a suffocating stench, and the living conditions are more miserable than those of the prisoners.
Other poor people in Hong Kong have chosen to build rudimentary shantytowns near subway stations, cobbling together about two square metres of living space out of cardboard. They squeezed all their daily necessities and resting places into this narrow cage, and lived a more humble life than the homeless. Many of Hong Kong's illegal buildings also host a large number of people who are extremely financially disadvantaged. Most of these buildings are made of iron sheets, and the living environment is not much different from that of a "coffin room", which is damp, dark and filthy.
Xiao Li came from an ordinary and ordinary peasant family, and he lived in poverty and embarrassment since he was born. However, he never gave up his yearning and pursuit of a better future, and as a child, he had dreams of the sky, vowing to change his destiny and live a life of prosperity and dignity.
Fortunately, by chance, Xiao Li was introduced by relatives in the mainland and was able to come to the bustling city of Hong Kong in search of development opportunities. Although Hong Kong's housing prices were unattainable at the time, they were still quite affordable compared to today's prices.
Xiao Li originally planned to work hard here for several years and accumulate enough wealth to buy a property in Hong Kong and settle down. However, as he worked hard and lived his life on a budget, Hong Kong's real estate market was rising like a wild horse, and the speed at which house prices soared was jaw-dropping.
Coupled with the continuous intensification of inflation and the increasing cost of living, Xiao Li's hard-earned wealth instantly came to naught. I have to admit that Xiao Li's courage in resolutely crossing the ocean to come to Hong Kong is really admirable! Even his girlfriend Xiao Wang was deeply moved, and finally decided to marry this brave young man and work together to start a new chapter in his life in Hong Kong.
In fact, they could have chosen to return to the mainland to live a relatively comfortable life, but they did not hesitate to give up this opportunity because they had an indescribable love and expectation for this vibrant and hopeful city.
So, the young couple rented a cramped apartment in Hong Kong and began their journey of living on their own. As time passed, they welcomed two adorable babies. Due to the constraints of housing conditions, the two children were malnourished from an early age, and the living environment also made their physique weak.
However, unfortunate things followed. Housing prices in Hong Kong have remained high, rents have risen accordingly, and the family is once again facing huge financial pressure. There was a time when they had to leave Hong Kong temporarily and return to the mainland to avoid the limelight, but the persistence and belief in Hong Kong in the man's heart prompted him to finally choose to return to this land.
In this way, Xiao Li's family has gone through ups and downs in Hong Kong, forged ahead, and has spent a full 20 spring and autumn. Finally, when the rent continued to rise and Xiao Li could no longer afford it, the family had to move into the current "snail house" of only seven square meters.
In the face of such a harsh living environment, Xiao Li's family was not discouraged. On the contrary, they use a firmer will and a more fighting spirit to resist the ruthless tricks of fate.
Xiao Li, a strong and unyielding worker, not only works full-time in restaurants, but also wears multiple hats and engages in various part-time jobs. Whether it is carrying heavy loads or working as a tutor, delivery and other tedious tasks, as long as there is a salary, he always does not hesitate to step forward and do his best to increase the family income and relieve the pressure of life.
In stark contrast, Xiao Wang, the attentive housewife at home, is constantly looking for ways to save. She cooks the ingredients carefully, calculates her expenses accurately, and saves every penny she can to pay the rent. Although everything in the family is as frugal as possible, and even a little tight, she is by no means ambiguous about her investment in her children's education.
The children of these two parents, in such a difficult environment, still maintain their thirst for knowledge and love for learning. They are smart and clever and never give up their efforts even in the face of adversity.
Xiao Li and his wife, no matter when and where, are working hard for the future of their children. Despite the difficulties of life, they have never slackened in the education of their children. They know that only by receiving a good education can they create a brighter future for their children.
Whenever night falls, Xiao Li will always sit on a small bench and continue the work at hand. His wife was already exhausted and fell asleep; The children also snuggled up and slept peacefully.
He devoted almost all of his free time to making money, with his only wish being to raise enough money as soon as possible to move his family out of this humble home.
Time flies, time flies, and Xiao Li's family spends every day with difficulty in this indomitable spirit. They have never bowed to fate, and have always cherished the yearning and pursuit of a better life.
It is this strong inner strength that supports them to overcome many difficulties and overcome all kinds of setbacks.
For Xiao Li, his family is undoubtedly the biggest motivation for him to move forward. In order for his family to live a happy and fulfilling life, he is willing to endure all hardships. And his wife and children are full of 100% trust in him, which is the most important reason why he can forge ahead in difficult situations.