Chinese Media Spotlight on Shanxi Province Capsule Hotels
20 Capsules in 30㎡ (Approx. 9 Pyeong), 30 Yuan per Night
Chinese media outlet Daily People highlighted individuals who are long-term residents of a capsule hotel in downtown Xi'an, Shanxi Province, China.
According to a report on the 4th, the capsule hotel is located on the 28th floor of a building in downtown Xi'an, Shanxi Province. The 30㎡ (approximately 9 pyeong) space contains as many as 20 capsules. Each stacked capsule has a bamboo foot, which serves as the door. Inside the capsule, there is barely enough room for a single bed.
The room height is less than 120cm, making it impossible to stand, but at 30 yuan (about 5,400 won) per night, it is bearable.
The capsule hotel is mainly inhabited by day laborers in construction, delivery workers, unpopular internet broadcast hosts (BJs), and low-paid education and training instructors.
Lin Hua (a pseudonym), who said he is "alone in Xi'an, leaving his wife and children in his hometown," has been staying at the capsule hotel for two weeks. He confessed that although he tells his family he is "okay" when they talk on the phone, it is actually hard to endure.
He was scammed by a friend three years ago and ended up with a debt of 300,000 yuan (about 54 million won) on behalf of that friend. Recently, he has also experienced wage arrears.
While staying at this capsule hotel, Lin earns about 200 yuan (approximately 36,000 won) a day by moving between part-time jobs and day labor jobs such as screwing screws into cabinets.
A woman in her 20s working at a bar in Wuhan, Hubei Province, also lives in the capsule hotel. She confessed that she feels awkward when tourists staying at the capsule hotel to save on accommodation costs greet her by asking, "Are you here on a trip?" and invite her to hang out.
There are serious safety concerns such as fire hazards due to the cramped space in the capsule hotel. Since there are 20 capsules in a 30㎡ space, the area available per person is only 1.5㎡, which could lead to a major casualty incident if a fire breaks out.
Currently, youth unemployment in China is facing its worst phase. The youth unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 reached a record high of 20.8% in May. It was 10.1% in 2018, doubling in four years. The sluggish economic recovery is cited as the cause. This summer, the number of university graduates will reach a record high of 11.58 million. Unless the economy recovers, the employment crisis is expected to worsen further.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
