A Home for Northern Floaters outside Beijing

konjaku: I came across Shou’er Tiancheng (Seoul Sweet City) as an example of “education real estate.” Of the three large real estate development projects in Yanjiao, outside Beijing, Shou’er Tiancheng is the only one that plans to provide residents with schools providing a 12 year education on the premises. Here are some reactions to the Shou’er Tiancheng phenomenon.

Blog: “Shou’er Tiancheng, should I fall in love with you?”

http://shouertiancheng010.fang.com/bbs/1010731527~-1/108725046_108725046.htm

I am the proud owner of a residence in Shou’er Tiancheng. I am not from Beijing, therefore I cannot rely on being one of those who had their old residence demolished and has been given a new one elsewhere. I can only sacrifice everything to working and saving up enough, and now I have just decided to entrust my future to Shou’er Tiancheng.

The reason why I chose Shou’er Tiancheng: First, the name is appealing –things Korean are in fashion, and “Sweet City” feels warm and inviting. It is apart from Beijing and vicinity, traffic is convenient, the environment is OK, there is to be a nightlife street, hospital, large shopping center, school, all the basic things I need, but the key point is that I am at last able to afford it.

My photos of my future home I took last week:

Blog:
http://house.focus.cn/msgview/8000/297916134.html

2014-04-26, at 9 AM, the Shou’er Tiancheng sales office is beginning a new round of sales. This time what is offered is the last residential building left, the last not yet offered for sale, the B32 tower. Other than this, one building in the MOBO International Center has not yet been offered.

Previous offerings were priced at 12000 yuan per square meter, but this time, there is a gift of space offered as an inducement, bringing the price down to 11000 yuan.

When I asked whether or not the 86 square meter 2 bedroom unit was being offered again this time, the answer at the sales office was that this unit is in high demand, and there are not many left. The 80 plus square meter two bedrooms are suitable for young married couples, or for a family of three willing to do some renovation after purchase. Most of the people there were interested in this type of residence.

The B32 tower has 33 stories. Upper level residences on the 20th-30th stories are higher in price. There are about 100 of these units.

I talked with a young couple, “after 90s” [born in the nineties, now in their twenties], the husband worked in Guomao [the Beijing central business district in Chaoyang]. They had started employment three to five years ago, their salaries were over 10,000 a month. They had savings, after buying a car they were now preparing to buy a residence. They had been looking at residences for two years. Prices in Tongzhou [closer to Beijing] rose daily, prices in Yangjiao went from 9000 to 12000 per square meter, The wife of this couple was restless and worried. The husband had his permanent residency in Hebei already, therefore as far as rules and regulations went, they had no problem buying here. The husband had flexible work hours, so he did not have to worry about the commute. Considering these factors, Shou’er Tiancheng was at the top of their list, and they considered it worth the price to them.

I noticed that some older couples there too. One couple said Yanjiao was one area that provided well for the aged. They were thinking of moving here, and turning over their residence in the city to one of their children who would thereby have an easy commute to work. By noon 40% of the residences had been sold, and more people were arriving in the sales office all the time.

Blog:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_bff53bed0101cqun.html

Blog: “the home I am thinking of, doesn’t have to be large” –in 2013, the northern floaters are choosing to live in Shou’er Tiancheng.

This picture recalls something I know well, the place where the struggle of the ant tribe occurred

Tangjialing village sign, when the village was being demolished

On 2010-03-29 the project to relocate the population in Tangjialing, a village where the northern floaters congregated, began. At that time the median rent in Beijing was 3500 yuan a month, but outside the rings demand was less and prices were lower.

Well! Because Beijing rents were more than we could afford, the majority of northern floaters and we in the ant tribe chose to settle down and buy places in Yanjiao. Now, in the present, there is Shou’er Tiancheng, for young people, the best of the best, and also “Tianyangcheng 4th generation” (another large real estate project).

“The home I am thinking of, doesn’t have to be large” –even this small desire is difficult to achieve inside Beijing city.

Note: northern floater, ant tribe: college graduates looking for high-tech jobs in the Beijing area. Many come from someplace else.