Chinese apartment living

Our old apartment was in a building that was among the original foreign-approved housing in Shekou in the western part of Shenzhen. These original developments included some apartment buildings and gated neighborhoods of houses (locally referred to as villas) near the Hong Kong/Macau ferry terminal. These properties remain in the ownership of the bank that developed them. After 20+ years of renting to waiguoren (foreigners), the bank has a decent handle on what foreigners want in housing. Our apartment, despite all its shortcomings (like the Chinese kitchen which was difficult for me to use at first; oh, and the bad plumbing and flooding), was equipped with a rare washer/dryer, for instance. Unlike some of my foreign friends who lived in other apartments elsewhere, we did not have crunchy towels! Many of the villas owned and managed by this same bank also have real dishwashers. We did not. We did have hot water going to our kitchen sink and to our wash machine, something not that common in regular Chinese apartments.

Many more foreigners are choosing to live outside of the original developments to which at one time they were restricted. Our old apartment, for instance, is easily half the size of the average high-end Chinese garden apartment at nearly the same rent. Most of these apartments are not owned by institutions but rather individual owners, usually Chinese people. Instead of renting from the developer, as we would if we had remained in the old apartment, we now rent from another family who owns and lives in another apartment in this same garden. Because of this, the apartments are much less standardized. People often buy the empty shell when the buidling is completed and finish it themselves. And by finish I mean install bathrooms, partition rooms if that hasn't been done, install kitchens, etc. No two apartments on any floor of our new building are at all alike.

At one super-high-end garden in Shekou where the apartments are usually Chinese-owned but foreigner-occupied, the equipment in the kitchen reflects the targeted occupants. The kitchens often have dishwashers and stoves installed. Some of the bathrooms have huge tubs and curtained showers. Randy has looked at some of these apartments as potential locations for our move, but with rents running in the 15,000 RMB range, it was hard to argue that the presence of an oven and a dishwasher would warrant such an extreme price.

Where we have ended up is a beautiful garden, one of the largest if not the largest in Shenzhen. There are more than 30 apartment buildings sprawled out over manicured acres of garden and walkways and playgrounds, not to mention tennis courts, swimming pools, and a bajillion other things. This garden is considered among Chinese people to be a very expensive place to live, though, truth be told, it is one half to one third the money for than the equivalent apartment in the immediate Shekou area. More truth be told, our rent in the new apartment is not that much more than it was in the old small apartment. This garden isn't convenient to a lot of the things that the many shades of expatriates want. There aren't raucous bars or nightclubs or barbershops that don't cut hair, nor are there overpriced schools for foreign children and expensive Italian restaurants. There simply isn't a whole lot to do at night outside our door. It is a family-oriented neighborhood!

Our apartment itself is huge and luxurious by local Chinese standards. We have two bedrooms, a study, two bathrooms (one with a tub!), a living/dining room, a balcony, a decent galley kitchen (with central gas!), and an enclosed laundry porch. In addition, the apartment is foreigner-friendly with carpeting in the master bedroom, hot water in the kitchen sink, and a giant refrigerator/freezer. We do not have a dishwasher or a dryer. The dryer will come soon, but not soon enough. We don't like crunchy towels.

Here are some pictures of the new flat (UPDATE 12/31--Some people think that the doors below the stove top lead to a sweet oven. Not so. That is a top-of-the-line UV plate sterilizer. I still have this oven, which is perfect for making one pie at a time). We have only moved in, so it is a little messy and spartan in areas where there should be some decoration. I tried to get some pictures of the various outside views, but this cold, damp, grey weather does not allow for great outdoor picture taking. Also, it seems my practically brand-new camera is beginning to take crummy pictures, so you might notice odd horizontal lines on the pictures.