Life in a coffin: Soaring house prices force Hong Kongers to live on top of each other

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By CGTN's Han Peng

"I'm not dead yet, but I'm already living in a coffin." At least 200,000 Hong Kong residents now live in homes which measure just 1.2 meters x 1.8 meters and sit stacked one top of the other in sub-divided apartment buildings, according to the Hong Kong government.

The rooms, or in fact just walled bunk beds, are windowless and can barely afford enough space to fully stretch out, in which people sleep curled up in a ball.

A resident stands inside a subdivided flat in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. /CFP Photo

Wong Tai Ming, a 63-year-old retired taxi driver, has lived in a so-called "coffin home" for five years.

All his belongings, including clothes, a small colored TV set, an electric fan, a pillow, some cigarettes and photos of loved ones, are cramped in his room.

"My legs were injured five years ago, and I couldn't drive anymore. I moved here from a bigger apartment, because now I only get a basic living allowance from the government," Wong told CGTN.

Each month, he pays about 2,300 Hong Kong dollars (around 300 US dollars) for the rent.

An occupant's possessions are seen inside a subdivided residential unit, known as a "coffin home," inside a building in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. /CFP Photo

The two-bedroom, single-bathroom apartment has been subdivided by the landlord into 24 homes. "Every night we have to queue to use the toilet or take a shower. It's particularly terrible in summer," Wong said.

As the housing prices in Hong Kong continue to rise, living conditions for the rest of the local residents are not significantly better.

Most middle-class Hong Kong youngsters now live with their parents, brothers and sisters in homes with a space of just around 30-square-meters.

CGTN visited Ms. Cheng's home, where the single mom lives with her two sons in a 20-square-meter home, with kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom all cramped in one small apartment.

With no space to set up a desk big enough for an opened book, her son normally does homework on his bunk bed. "All I want is to live in a bigger home," the little boy told CGTN.

A t-shirt hangs from a subdivided residential unit, known as a "coffin home," in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. /CFP Photo

Local authorities have dismissed calls to pass legislation on the minimum size of homes, arguing that smaller apartments give people a chance to own their own place.

An ordinary apartment in Hong Kong can now be priced at 200,000 Hong Kong dollars per square meter, while the median monthly salary of Hong Kong residents is just above 15,000 dollars. This means an ordinary Hong Kong resident can barely afford one square meter after working for a whole year without any spending.

"The Hong Kong economy now faces bottlenecks. Land and housing is one of them," said Hong Kong SAR's Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam, who will take office on July 1. She told CGTN in an exclusive interview she is "not too optimistic" about solving the housing problems in her term, but will make it one of the top priorities.