2010-06-24

Scott Sumner on farmers' apartments in China

Interesting post from Scott Sumner.
Farmer’s apartments in China
Yes, I understand that Huaxi is the richest village in China, and is hardly typical. But I also think that there is far more wealth being accumulated in the rural parts of eastern China than many people realize.

When I used to hear about 800 million “rural Chinese” I pictured dusty little villages in western China. I may need to re-adjust my mental images.

What does this all mean? I have no idea. I’m sure you guys will inform me in the comment section. The only thing I am willing to predict is that if Tyler Cowen ever does a post on this, the term ‘Austrian’ will appear at least once.
In the post, he first shows the cramped living quarters of some migrant workers in Chongqing, a major city in China. These guys are poor and cannot afford much space.

Then there are the rural Chinese homes on the route between Shanghai and Hangzhou. These are supposedly poor farmers. And then there's the big tower being built in the village of Huaxi.




Huaxi is a special case, read about it here: In China's richest village, peasants are all shareholders now - by order of the party

Check out Sumner's post for links to more of these photos and further discussion of these areas.

As Sumner says, there's obviously wealth accumulation taking place in the rural areas. My quick take is that perhaps its from people who left for jobs in the cities. Many Chinese still have a strong connection to their hometown and land is cheaper in rural areas. Building a nice home in the rural area is probably done for the same price as a mid-level apartment in a big city.

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