The bizarre coffin-sized homes in one of world’s biggest cities that cost £200 a month | World | News
Hong Kong is a huge city of 7.5million people and one of the wealthiest on Earth.
Known as a business hub, the city attracts some of the wealthiest and most talented people to work in its huge economy.
But this doesn’t mean that the city doesn’t have some people living in poverty, as shown by the coffin-sized apartments that have attracted some controversy.
In recent years, images have emerged of these tiny homes where an estimated 200,000 people have lived.
Pictures show people lying on beds with all sorts of items piled on either side of them, including appliances such as fridges and microwaves.
The rooms are roughly 24 inches wide (60cm) and 67 inches long (170cm).
But despite the lack of space, people were still being charged as much as HK$2,400 – or around £240 – a month.
The rooms posed great risks to their inhabitants because of the lack of cleanliness and fire safety.
One resident told Sky News in 2019: “No-one cares about us. We are just forgotten.”
Last month, it was reported that Hong Kong will pass a law to phase out any flats less than eight square metres (86 sq ft).
But many “coffin homes” will be unaffected by the change.
When a video of the homes was shared on TikTok, many were left shocked by what they saw.
One person said: “I’ve never been more grateful for my home than after seeing this. This is so sad.”
Another wrote: “When I see things like this it makes me wish I had superpowers and I could help everyone around the world.”
While a third posted: “We’re so blessed, and most of us take it for granted.”
While Hong Kong remains an expensive city, the average price of a home there has dropped to its lowest level in five years.
The average property now costs more than HK$7.69 million (£780,000).