New Family and Neighborhood Relations in China
3 min read“On weekends or holidays I often go back to my old neighborhood to have a chat with my former colleagues，or play cards and mahjong.The friendliness and rapport we share，based on long acquaintance，reminds me of the time I was carefree，”admits Qian Yuchen，a common people lives in Beijing.
Qian’s new apartment block incorporates a club where residents meet to chat，have a cup of coffee，go swimming or simply work out in the gym.Qian went there once or twice，but found that most of the other residents wanted to talk about business，whereas he，not being a CEO，just wanted to relax.
The Internet is the main communications channel between Qian and his new neighbors.Each occupant is given an email address on the housing net that acts as a source of service information and also invites house owners’comments and suggestions.It was through Qian’s housing net that he joined in the seven-day May Day holiday car rally to Xinjiang organized by his fellow apartment owners.
The market mechanism’s most obvious influence on Chinese social life is the way house owners of the same income level create their own Internet community.This enables house buyers to choose their neighbors according to their income levels.
Qian chose his present neighborhood because，he states candidly:“As CEOs were the residential subdistrict’s target，I assumed this would mean high-flying neighbors and guarantee first-class property management and service.”
Commodity housing is distinct from multi-household residential courtyards and allocated housing.The latter are homes to residents of various professions，and are generally lacking in public affairs management.The former are run by propert management companies with clear-cut responsibilities that follow strict management guidelines.It seems to be the rule that the higher the house price，the better th service offered.This is because the targeted purchasers are high-income earners at a time of unprecedented housing development.
In recent years there has been greater conflict between house owners and property management companies.Qian explains，”Most problems stem from the fees charged to house owners by property management companies.Others are based on complaints from house owners regarding housing quality，or differences between actual house structure and that shown on the blueprints included in the pre-sale contract.”A responsible person from the China Consumers’Association commented that these are the consequence of inadequate laws and regulations，and is confident that，…following perfected legislation，these problems will just fade away.”
Qian’s greatest recent headache was reaching agreement with his mother on the interior design of their new home.As the new place is spacious，Qian’s mother moved in some of her old furniture，but it looks incongruous in such a contemporary setting.Despite Qian’s hiring carpenters to update the look of these pieces made in the 1960s，they still look clumsy and coarse.Finally Qian and his mother agreed that the old furniture should go in his mother’s bedroom.This is not the only problem that has arisen between them as a result of generation gap type differences of opinion.
Buyers of commodity housing these days are generally young people who expect to move away from their parents and lead lives of their own as they plan an independent future.New houses cater to various tastes，and bring subtle changes to people’slives，relationships and sensibilities.The happy medium between traditional and contemporary accommodation is yet to be found.
