How the Chinese Buy Houses - 中国人怎么买房子

When I was in China last month, I made a trip to the Olympic Stadium in Shenyang, where a three-day real estate fair took place.

The fair was like a county fair in the US. Many buyers and onlookers rushed in. There was an opening ceremony, a band and many VIPs.

People came here to look and pounce on deals. In picturesque Hangzhou (near Shanghai), people grabbed several really expensive units within hours.

In China, people buy houses like buying turnips.

I guessed there were several obvious reasons behind this madness: no other investment gained value as fast as housing; no sales tax and capital gain taxes; low interest rates...

It was a freezing cold day but people were not deterred:


Red carpet treatment


Many buses ready to take potential buyers to see the buildings


People started to file in


Facing the entrance, was a supermarket, whose parking lot was completely full


The band


People lined up for ... a deal? a counselor?


Where to start?


People distributed leaflets


Inside the showrooms


A model building


And the sale women


all dressed to the ninth


By the time I left, more people were coming in

美国梦 - American Dream

美国人喜欢吹嘘美国圆梦, 中国人爱说来美国寻梦, 尤其是来美国读书然后留下来的大陆人士, 很注意 "成就感" 或者 "失落感".

迄今, 我的人生大致是一半在中国, 一半在美国度过, 有我的成功和挫折, 但从没有太在意过 "成就感", "失落感" 或者美国梦.

我从来没有什么美国梦 -- 那是美国人自欺欺人的神话. 对我来说, 大陆来人的 "成就感", "失落感" 是指他们在他人眼里的价值, 由世俗的金钱功利决定, 与个人的成长发展毫无关系.

放弃所谓的美国梦, 追求个人解放, 才是真的方向.

Americans love to boast their American Dreams; Chinese immigrants love to talk about their seeking dreams in America, especially those came from mainland China to study and then stayed on. They pay particular close attention to the sense of achievement or defeat.

Up to now, roughly my led my half life in China and half in the USA. I had my success and frustrations but never paid much attention to the sense of achievement or defeat, or American dream.

I never had American dream - that was a self-deceiving myth created by Americans. To me, the mainland Chinese's grave " sense of accomplishment" or "sense of loss" means their value in the eyes of others, gauged by the weight of money, and had nothing to do with personal growth and development.

To abandon the so-called American Dream, and to pursue personal liberation, is the true direction.