8 Peculiar Things About Chinese Apartments That Lead to One Question, “How Can They Live There?”

China has always been a distant and rather unusual country for many of us. There, you can stumble upon something weird every day, even in an ordinary apartment. A bathroom, for example, looks like a hygienic room in a hospital, you can’t walk barefoot on the floor, and the Chinese are ready to carry their favorite kitchen device across the world.

At Bright Side, we talked to a girl who moved to China and learned about the unusual things that can be found in Chinese homes.

No bathtub

People who like to spend time in a bathtub will be unpleasantly surprised in China — usually a bathtub can be found only in luxurious hotels. Ordinary apartments are equipped with a simple shower that looks like a hose mounted to the wall and a drain in the floor.

You won’t be able to have dinner in the kitchen.

Unlike our kitchens, where people gather for breakfast, dinner, or just to hang out with their guests, in China this room only performs its direct function — it’s a place for cooking. Therefore, the kitchen there is a rather small workspace with no dining table (which is often located in the living room).

The floor in the entire apartment is tiled.

While we think that tile only works for bathrooms and kitchens, they are good enough for the entire apartment in China. And, yes, they are cold. It’s unpleasant to walk around on them without slippers or socks. But in new buildings, they found an excellent solution. They build radiators right into the floor, not into the walls.

Furniture and home appliances might be covered with something “pretty”

The Chinese like to carefully cover their home appliances and other surfaces with different covers and napkins. These covers for washing machines, radiators, TV sets, and anything else can be easily found in any home or online store.

No ovens and an unusual device in the kitchen

You will hardly ever find an oven in a Chinese apartment. But you’ll definitely come across a rice cooker. The Chinese are so fond of this device that they take it along with them even when they go abroad, like for example to study.

Assigning your space

The Chinese will never choose an apartment with a big space that can become a bedroom for a few people. They would rather arrange a few small rooms for each family member.

A water heater is not a luxury, but a necessity.

They don’t have a central heating system in China, so if you want to have hot water at home, you have to buy a water heater.

Your home is not your property.

In China, you will hardly be able to pass on your apartment to your children and let’s not even consider your grandchildren. According to the law, all property there belongs to the state, and the citizens can only own housing for 70 years. It’s still unknown what will happen after this period (this rule was established less than 70 years ago), but by this time there will be nothing left of the house itself.

In China, everything old is being actively replaced with new things, including housing. Nowadays, it’s quite a common practice to demolish buildings that are over 20 years old, and replace them with modern and most likely short-lived ones.

Would you want to live in a Chinese apartment and experience their unusual quirks? Tell us in the comments below.