You are here: Home > China > Features

Adjust font size:

For many people, housing in the Tiantongyuan area is relatively affordable. Located in northern Beijing's Changping District and built around an original group of small villages, it epitomizes urban development in the capital over the past several decades, the Southern People's Weekly reported on Tuesday.

The Tiantongyuan community is shrouded in fog and haze. [Photo/ Southern People's Weekly]

Tiantongyuan – a city built on villages

The construction of Tiantongyuan started in 1999 around an existing group of suburban villages. It has now become the largest apartment complex in Beijing and is even dubbed the "largest community in Asia."

Built over an area of about 480,000 square meters, it had a permanent population of 400,000 and a floating population of 600,000 in 2013. Given that the capital's total population was 21 million at that time, this meant that one in every 21 people in Beijing had a connection with Tiantongyuan.

The residential area lies only three kilometers from the Olympic Park and less than 20 kilometers from Tian'anmen Square. Its main transportation links are the expressways to Badaling in the west and Chengde, Hebei Province in the east, subway Lines 5 and 13 (which intersect in the area) and a number of bus lines passing through the community.

The housing price in Tiantongyuan averaged 2,650 yuan per square meter in 1999 and remained almost flat in 2004, when the average housing price in Beijing proper had risen to 7,000 yuan per square meter. As a result, Tiantongyuan attracted many low-income earners and families.

Home to migrants and natives

Many migrant workers and commuters in Beijing see an affordable residence as one of their key needs and desires, and Wu Yang was no exception.

Wu came to Beijing in 2007 and worked at a company with offices near the Ciqikou Subway Station in Dongcheng District. Three years later, he was earning only 3,000 yuan (US$483.7) a month. Given the cost of transportation and rising housing prices, moving to Tiantongyuan seemed a natural choice for him.

Wu's apartment, which was rented for 300 yuan per month, only had the simplest of furnishings - a bed, a wardrobe and a dining table. After a day's work, he returned to his apartment to cook dinner, surf the Internet and sleep.

"Young people like to come to Beijing to advance their career. Many of them are rich and powerful people and even come from middle-class families," Wu said. "This place is relatively cheap, and even though it's on the periphery, it is still Beijing."

Wu also described Tiantongyuan as "a haven for grass-roots people."

"Most people tend to live here only for one or two years. When their wages rise, they'll leave. There are few recreational activities in the community, so we have to travel into the city center."

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:    
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.