Those Years When Buying a House Was No Easy Task

China's commercial housing market began to take shape in the 1980s. By 2017, it had been growing for more than thirty years, creating wave after wave of tycoons and countless tales of sudden wealth. Many people became winners in life by buying property, while others rued the opportunities they had missed, slapping their thighs in regret. Whether or not someone owns a home has become an important measure of success for individuals and families alike.

There was once an advertisement that went viral across both the property market and the advertising industry: “Has your mom made you buy a house yet?”

Gou Shuhan didn't have a mother with that kind of foresight. Ten years ago, when he had his first bit of capital and was preparing to buy a home, his mother told him, “You'll end up going back to western Hunan sooner or later. Why buy a place in Shenzhen?”

Mrs. Gou never pressured him, and he had always lived by the motto “Happiness first, freedom above all.” He didn't pressure himself either. At worst, he could go back to the countryside in western Hunan and build a villa. So he used the money he'd saved for a home to start a company. But life has its ups and downs, and sometimes luck just isn't on your side. Gou Shuhan's business failed.

Gou Shuhan still remembered how, when he first arrived in Shenzhen, the slogan “Once you come, you're a Shenzhener” was everywhere. But then, for all kinds of reasons, renting a place, not having a school spot for his child, expenses piling up, his business failing and leaving him in debt, reality drove him out of Shenzhen. When he left, he wasn't heartbroken like a lover after a breakup, nor torn apart as if saying goodbye forever. He felt only the wistfulness and goodwill of an old friend taking leave.

In the end, Gou Shuhan never became a Shenzhener.