Too scary! The beehive community of 10,000 people feels like a massive cage in the city

This is the beehive community of 10,000 people in Foshan. The housing density rivals that of Hong Kong, and living here feels oppressively claustrophobic. Many communities like this exist across China. This urban village is called Yuling Garden, located at No. 167, Dafenbusha Road, Buji, Shenzhen. It's a small residential development left over from earlier periods of rapid urbanization. The community consists of 23 residential buildings. Each over 20 stories tall, with more than 6,000 households in total. And residents began moving in around 2009. From above, the buildings appear densely packed, almost touching each other. It feels like you could step from one rooftop to another. Let's take a closer look. The taller the buildings, the closer they seem to each other. As you can see, they feel extremely close. With such narrow spacing, natural lighting is limited. I would guess that only the uppermost apartments receive sunlight, while those below remain in shadow. Given the height of these buildings and the number of residents, it's inevitable that items will occasionally fall or be thrown from above. For example, wind can blow laundry off balconies. So the residents installed protective nets below. As you can see, a lot of things have fallen onto the nets, with clothes hangers being the most common. As China continues to urbanize, high-density residential communities are becoming increasingly common. Some communities in Yulin, Guangxi, are typical examples of this trend. And their high-rise architecture has attracted many residents. However, whether living in such environments is beneficial or not often sparks debate. Yulin's dense residential complexes are usually composed of multiple high-rise buildings. Space limitations are apparent. Especially during peak hours, when public facilities like elevators and corridors can become overcrowded. Additionally, high population density can lead to issues like noise and air pollution, affecting the quality of life. More importantly, in emergencies such as fires or earthquakes, escape and rescue operations may become more difficult. According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 2019, there were nearly 900 super high-rise buildings. Over 200 meters tall. In China. Ranking first in the world. Why does China build so many tall buildings? Constructing high-rise buildings can create iconic landmarks that boost a city's image and popularity, driving urban development. Over time, however, it has turned into a competition between cities. If one builds a 400-meter tower, the next city will build a 500-meter one, always aiming to outdo the others. Additionally, with expensive land prices, developers build taller to maximize profit. It's understood that landmark buildings can command rents and sale prices 20% to 30% higher than other properties in the same area and can also drive up the value of surrounding businesses. But is this constant race to build taller really beneficial? Let's look at the data. As of May 2022, China had 81 skyscrapers under construction. According to the Global High-Rise Database, but 66 of them remain unfinished. Moreover, the rise of skyscrapers has led to increasing vacancy rates. In Beijing's Central Business District, CBD, a 260-meter high skyscraper has a vacancy rate close to 50%. In new first-tier cities like Chongqing, Changsha, and Tianjin, the vacancy rate for Grade A office buildings has exceeded 30%. In Wuhan, the vacancy rate for prime office buildings in the city's core business district reached 37.5% in the first half of the year. In recent years, people have become more aware of the downsides of high-rise living, such as the difficulty of evacuation in case of a fire and overall safety concerns. Large communal areas also reduce the size of individual apartments. High maintenance costs, coupled with poor living experiences in aging buildings, further complicate matters. We cannot overlook the long-term consequences of building skyscrapers, especially super-tall ones. The hidden risks are far greater than we often realize. In addition, when a fire breaks out, high-rise buildings face significant challenges, especially in super-tall residential towers, where fire truck ladders and high-pressure water spray equipment often cannot reach the upper floors. In such situations, residents may have to rely on luck to escape. Even with inflatable safety mattresses, jumping from a high-rise remains dangerous and difficult to land safely. High-density residential areas often lack sufficient stairwells and escape routes. In some countries that prioritize fire safety, such as Singapore, buildings are designed with open corridors and multiple stairwells for evacuation. However, in China, many high-rise buildings lack adequate escape stairs, and the corridors are enclosed, making evacuation difficult during a fire. If the stairwells are used and smoke spreads quickly, it becomes extremely difficult for residents to escape. Earthquakes are also among the most terrifying natural disasters for high-rise residents. In densely populated areas, large-scale building collapses, both indoors and outdoors, pose significant risks to people's safety. Reports indicate that living in super-tall buildings in Beijing or Chengdu presents a higher earthquake risk. Historically, Beijing experienced an 8.0-magnitude earthquake during the Kangxi period, and the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which also impacted Beijing, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Many residents in Beijing slept outdoors for fear of aftershocks. During an earthquake, the building structure may deform. Although the building may not collapse, elevators can often become stuck, trapping people inside and putting them in a dangerous situation. In such cases, rescuing those trapped in elevators is extremely challenging, and they face unpredictable dangers. It is worth noting that residential density in the Huaguoyuan community in Guizhou is exceptionally high. The floor area ratio reaches 10, far exceeding that of standard residential areas. Asia's largest residential complex, home to about 500,000 people, is comparable in population to the entire country of Malta. You know, what large communities fear most is a lockdown, especially in densely populated areas, where the likelihood of a lockdown is higher. For instance, the epidemic prevention regulations in some places state that as soon as a positive case is detected, the entire community will be locked down immediately. In a large community with a population of 500,000, the chances of having a positive case are much higher than in a community of only 5,000 people. Once a lockdown is imposed, it is unrealistic to expect food to be delivered to every household, as this would require an enormous service team. The property management company would struggle to meet the material distribution needs of such a large community. Huaguoyuan is like a medium-sized city, and ensuring a steady supply of necessities during a lockdown is extremely challenging. As a result, people living in such large communities typically need to store enough food and daily necessities in case of emergencies. Those without reserves will face great difficulties during a lockdown, and life can quickly become very challenging. Moreover, in high-density communities, the risk of spreading infectious diseases increases significantly. In high-rise buildings, elevators become the primary means of transmission. For example, the 44-story elevators in Huaguoyuan pose a heightened risk. The buttons, especially the first floor and door-close buttons, are commonly touched and can easily spread viruses. Additionally, because higher floors mean longer elevator rides, the chances of infection increase. During peak times, such as when people are going to work, taking children to school, or attending nucleic acid tests, overcrowded elevators further raise the risk of respiratory infections spreading rapidly through densely packed individuals. Fingerprints left by previous passengers or airborne viruses create invisible threats for the next group of elevator users. High-rise buildings also face major challenges when dealing with power and water outages. Imagine climbing 44 flights of stairs during a power outage. It's almost impossible. Similarly, when the water supply is disrupted, carrying buckets of water up multiple flights becomes extremely difficult. For high-rise residents, power and water outages severely affect daily life, especially at night. Flashlight lighting is inconvenient and can increase safety risks. A lack of water also means that toilets quickly become clogged. It's impossible to dig a temporary toilet indoors, and throwing waste from the upper floors is out of the question. A few bottles of mineral water won't be enough to flush toilets, bathe, or wash clothes. In such situations, large water tanks for emergency water storage are essential. China's economy is in serious recession, with Hangzhou Science and Technology City's vacancy rate at 30%, highlighting alarming industrial shrinkage. A company owner who started a business in Hangzhou Yuhang Future Science and Technology City recently discussed the soaring vacancy rate of office buildings and the current state of industrial depression in the Science and Technology City on his social media, which has attracted public attention. His post went viral among netizens. Hangzhou Yuhang Future Science and Technology City is home to EFC, European and American Financial City, and the AUX Center, housing several well-known technology companies such as Alibaba, Kainiao, ByteDance, Oppo, and Vivo. However, the current situation in this park, located in the heart of Hangzhou's high-tech industry, is somewhat bleak. Many companies have either relocated, closed down, or significantly reduced their operations, and about one-third of office buildings are now vacant. A recent post by an entrepreneur in the live broadcast e-commerce industry revealed the current situation in Yuhang Future Science and Technology City and within his company. This post primarily highlighted the following. First, a significant number of companies in Hangzhou Future Science and Technology City have closed down or downsized, leading to a sharp drop in office rents. For example, the rent for the office building housing EFC, European and American Financial City on Chuang Jing Road, has decreased by 57% in the past five years, compared to the current rent of AUX Center in the same location. Second, the vacancy rate of office buildings in many large parks is abnormally high, reaching up to 30%, with some landlords even waiving rent to offset property fees. Third, due to the poor economic conditions, the poster was forced to lay off all 15 members of the company's live broadcast team and six members of the marketing team, retaining only one employee in the design and customer service team. The poster also suggested that other entrepreneurs who rented office buildings in the past few years consider forfeiting their deposits and switching to spaces with lower rents. Over 2 million luxury homes made of tofu drags, Hefei earthquake cracks houses. When it comes to China's shoddy construction, people often can't help but shake their heads. In this era of pictures and truth, various videos circulating on the internet have torn off the fig leaf of the so-called infrastructure maniac claimed by the Chinese government. People live in this world and cannot do without food, clothing, housing, and transportation. If the houses we live in are shoddy, it is almost a disaster for ourselves and our families. On September 18th, 2024, a 4.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Faidong County, Hefei City, Anhui Province. This earthquake also exposed the local shoddy construction. Man, I see that the house opposite seems to be cracked. Is this cracked? Is this place cracked? Look. Man, look at the road downstairs. This road is cracked by the earthquake. This video was shot on September 10th, 2024, showing the balcony of a resident in Nanbaoli Community, Erhei Station East Road, Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, suddenly collapsing. This video shows that in September 2023, an owner of Huafu Mingcheng Community in Weifang City, Shandong Province, spent a lot of money to buy a house for his parents, but found that the concrete floor was loose during renovation. Reporter, why? Man, it can't be fixed. The light is falling down. The construction party asked someone to say, I'll shovel it for you. Maybe some places of cement are not up to standard. But the construction workers shoveled it bigger and bigger. The old man's life is not easy. I bought a house for him, and now he doesn't dare live in it. This cement falls off as soon as it's scraped, which poses a serious safety hazard. The bungalows built at home are much better than this building. This video, shot in August 2024, shows the outer wall of a residential building somewhere in China is cracked, which looks very alarming. Netizens left messages saying, people upstairs and downstairs are in danger. Oh my god, it's very dangerous for things to fall from such a high place. Can everyone sleep in such a dangerous house? Although this is an insulation layer, it really shouldn't fall off. Regarding Chinese people living in such risky buildings, some exclaimed, oh, it's terrible. Escape quickly. While others said, buy a motorhome. It's better to buy a motorhome than to buy this. This video was shot in November 2023 and shows a homeowner prying open the cement wall of a unit door in front of a residential building. The video subtitles read, can anyone tell me why the house I spent more than 2 million on is made of foam? Shoddy construction poses a threat to people's lives and safety. At about 7 p.m. on September 19th, 2024, at Rule of Law Square in Wuyang, Bozhou City, Anhui Province, the outer wall of a building fell and hit an 11-year-old boy, killing him on the spot. This video shows the boy's mother crying in agony and burning paper money for him at the scene. Three policemen were also present. Mother, I can't go back. I can't go back anymore. China's shoddy construction reveals its true colors in the face of natural disasters. On April 26th, 2024, the outer wall of a building in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, was blown down by strong winds, falling to the ground and scaring pedestrians holding umbrellas to flee quickly. The counters, shelves, and windows of a store in Dongguan were also blown down by the wind. In September 2024, Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Hainan Island, revealing the shoddy construction projects there. The video below shows a scene where the typhoon blew away most of the balcony glass in a building. This video shows a woman's balcony being blown away. Woman, it's completely gone. The balcony is all broken and can't hold up. It's all blown away and the glass has all fallen off. This video shows the typhoon blew away all the furniture in a man's room. Man, it's ruined. The outside has collapsed. Everything has flown out. And the furniture is gone. This video shows that on September 6th, 2024, the elevators on the ninth floor of a building in Hainan Province were torn apart by the typhoon, and the building's outer shell and insulation layer were blown away by the wind, leaving only the empty frames. Man, as soon as the typhoon came, the elevator began to tear from top to bottom. All the windows are gone. Look at the building opposite. It's dark because all the windows are gone. I've lived in Hainan for decades, and the locals have never seen such a big typhoon. The video above is about the shoddy construction of buildings, while the videos below are about shoddy roads. This video shows that on August 10th, 2024, the road in Nanyue District, Hengyang City, Hunan Province collapsed, and two cars and a motorcycle fell into the pit. In this regard, a Taiwanese netizen said, there was only one such construction accident in Taiwan, and it led to the Hsinchu County Magistrate corruption case being uncovered. However, such accidents in China are not surprising. The political center of the Chinese government is in Beijing. Even though the top leaders in Beijing are very concerned about their own safety, shoddy roads are still inevitable there. This video shows a bus from Beijing Youyang Taxi Group Kakatusao. It's stuck in a large pit on the road due to the collapse of the road surface. Man, oh my goodness, this big hole is exposed. It must be on the news broadcast. My goodness, my God. It's a good thing there aren't many people on the bus. What would they have done? This video, shot in July 2024, shows a scene in Hainan Province, where the concrete pavement of a road was washed away by a flood. There are also many shoddy bridges in China. Bridges are meant for cars and people to pass over. If there are shoddy construction problems with a bridge, it poses significant safety hazards. This video shows the collapse of the Shuiyan Longting Bridge in Sansui County, Qiandongnan, Guizhou Province on August 8, 2024. This video shows another angle of the sudden collapse of Longting Bridge. Woman, oh my God, oh my God. It's so amazing, so scary. It scared me to death. On September 3, 2023, floods exceeding the warning line appeared at 16 stations on nine rivers in Wuzhou City, Guangxi Province. A local bridge was washed away by the flood. From the video, it's clear that the bridge was very fragile under the flood's impact. Under the rule of the Chinese government, not only houses, roads, and bridges suffer from shoddy construction, but even pedestrians can encounter the consequences of poor construction while walking. This video shows a terrifying scene where a shoddy electric pole on the roadside suddenly fell and almost hit a pedestrian. After the pole hit the ground, the wires caught fire, creating a dangerous situation. Shoddy construction has also affected special places such as hospitals. On February 20, 2024, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province suddenly experienced heavy snowfall. That night, the ceiling of the outpatient hall at the First People's Hospital of Suqian City collapsed. It was reported that the collapsed section was about four or five stories high, and the debris, including rubble, cement blocks, and aluminum alloy materials fell to the first floor. Fortunately, since the collapse occurred at night, no casualties were reported. But how could heavy snow collapse the roof of a hospital? It's not a straw shed. It seems like poor construction was involved. On September 21, 2024, a pedestrian corridor overpass on the second floor of Taifu Times Square in Zhuk Town, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province suddenly collapsed. The scene was chaotic, with glass fragments scattered all over and suspected burst pipes spraying water everywhere. In China, outdoor concrete fences also pose safety hazards. This video, shot in Zhejiang City, Guangdong Province, shows two aunts holding onto a concrete guardrail for exercise, but the guardrail suddenly broke off, injuring the elderly women. This video shows a four- or five-year-old girl walking down the stairs holding the railing when suddenly the railing broke and the child sat on the stairs in fear. Some netizens said, I've never encountered such a fragile project in my life. It must be a shoddy project. Others pointed out, There are shoddy projects everywhere. A little kid actually broke the stainless steel. Isn't that shoddy? Some informed netizens said, I know about the guardrails by the river. Last time I saw workers working on them, they were glued. The proper requirement is to dig trenches and pour cement with steel bars. But now they're cutting corners to save effort. From the above videos, we can see that in mainland China, shoddy projects are widespread in buildings, roads, bridges, and more. The CCP has always advocated the so-called more, faster, better, and cheaper approach, branding itself as an infrastructure maniac. During construction, officials at various levels see these projects as opportunities to make money. After bribing or being bribed, developers are left with an insufficient budget, leading to inevitable corner cutting. As a result, houses, bridges, and roads built in haste are prone to numerous issues that should not exist. Ordinary people spend their life savings to buy houses, only to live in fear. Some netizens even suggested it would be better to buy a motorhome than a house. This reflects the helplessness and sorrow of ordinary Chinese people. It's also clear that from top to bottom, the Chinese government has been reaping benefits at every level, while ignoring the safety of people's lives and property. Only after repeated disasters expose these shoddy projects does the government make public statements, offer empty promises, and continue to spend money abroad.