Soviet small-sized apartments seem very small by modern standards – their living area usually does not exceed 18 square meters. But, as the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, everything is known by comparison. If you compare such a small apartment with a coffin apartment, an extremely common type of housing in Hong Kong, it will seem like a royal mansion. The fact is that “coffin apartments” got their name for a reason – their area sometimes does not exceed one and a half square meters. A person in such an «apartment» cannot even straighten his legs completely when he lies down on the bed.
The coffin apartment is a small room in which even one person is cramped. Photo source: disgustingmen.com
Contents
- 1 What are coffin apartments
- 2 Who lives in coffin apartments
- 3 Conditions in coffin apartments
- 4 Why there is not enough housing for everyone in Hong Kong
What are coffin apartments< /h2>
Do not rush to blame Hong Kong builders and designers for particular cruelty. Initially, no one built or planned apartments with an area of one and a half to two square meters. They are created from ordinary apartments, which are divided into many mini-rooms using wooden partitions. That is, in essence, they are a communal apartment in which a large number of people live behind partitions – 10-15 people.
Often partitions divide space not only vertically, but also horizontally. People live in similar “boxes” or “closets” in several tiers. Of course, there cannot be any amenities inside such rooms, but, as a rule, the apartments themselves have one common kitchen and one or more common bathrooms.
Sometimes a person cannot even straighten his legs while lying down. Photo source: lenta.ru
Of course, there is no sound insulation in “wooden boxes” either. But when a person’s height is greater than the length of his home, as a result of which he cannot straighten his legs, extraneous noise is perhaps not the biggest problem.
It would seem that there could not be worse living conditions. People live even worse than slaves in ancient Rome. But in fact, there is an even worse option – these are cage apartments, which are often found in the same metropolis, that is, in Hong Kong. They are not much different from coffin apartments, but instead of solid wooden partitions they are made in the form of a cage. As a result, a person does not even have the illusion of personal space.
Residents of coffin apartments have to eat in bed. Photo source: disgustingmen.com
Who lives in coffin apartments
Hong Kong is known for being one of the most expensive cities in the world. Therefore, not everyone can afford a full-fledged apartment. For example, with a conditional average salary of 150 thousand rubles per month, renting housing the size of a Soviet one-room apartment will cost 180-200 thousand rubles per month. Buying such a one-room apartment will cost about one million dollars.
Therefore, according to various sources, from 53 to 200 thousand Hong Kong residents live in coffin apartments. They are typically rented by low-income people, including the elderly and low-skilled or unskilled workers. By the way, according to statistics, up to 250 thousand people are on the verge or below the poverty line in Hong Kong. This means that every thirtieth city resident experiences financial problems.
Some coffin apartments are more spacious than others. Photo source: disgustingmen.com
Conditions in coffin apartments
Most of the space in coffin apartments is usually occupied by a bed, which sometimes, as mentioned above, may be smaller than the height of the person who sleeps on it. But if the apartment is not the cheapest, it may have a full single bed, under which there are usually drawers for things
These rooms also contain shelves. Usually they have a small TV and a fan (in the summer, living in such a “closet” is very stuffy). But in the smallest coffin apartments there is no room for even such a minimal set of things, so they have to be placed on the bed, which makes sleeping space even smaller.
TV and fan — mandatory attributes even in small apartments. Photo source: disgustingmen.com
Standing at full height in an “apartment” is also considered a luxury. As mentioned above, they are often located in several tiers. Therefore, even a person with a height of 170 cm has to bend a little. It’s scary to imagine that tens or even hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers live in such rooms throughout their lives and even manage to start families.
Sometimes coffin apartments have several tiers. Photo source: disgustingmen.com
Why there is not enough housing for everyone in Hong Kong
The reason for the catastrophic housing situation in Hong Kong is that the entire territory of the metropolis belongs to the government, and is under construction only 7% of the land was allocated. It is rented out through auctions, which are won by wealthy foreign or Chinese entrepreneurs. In new buildings, they set high rents for housing, taking advantage of its demand and lack of price control.
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Most often, landlords in new buildings rent out something like dormitories or communal apartments, that is, housing with a shared kitchen and bathrooms. It is much more comfortable than coffin apartments, but the cost of such housing is also very high. Therefore, the situation is unlikely to improve in any way in the near future.