Cloudy in Beijing Blogging about my time in China

Waiting

Next to my apartment I caught this scene. Dozens of people were waiting outside the office of a new residential complex going up.

I was wondering what was up. Maybe a protest of some kind? But as I approached I knew exactly what was happening: these people were waiting to buy a condo.

My aunt in Beijing told me about this. New housing is in huge demand in China, what with the large populations. So waiting in line for a home is common.

At 8 a.m. tomorrow, the office to the new complex will open for potential customers. People, however, had begun waiting outside since yesterday.

"These people will wait through the night," a man walking past me said.

The interesting thing is that the new apartment is not even near being finished yet. Construction on the complex began only about a few months ago.

When I first came to Xi'an, there was an open field, with a few abandoned brick buildings sitting on the land. Soon, there will be three villas built on the land, each towering up to 32 floors. "Shopping, fine cuisine, entertainment, recreation and service," will be included.