Domestic property and housing class in contemporary urban China

This article examines the division of housing class in the context of Chinese society since the market-oriented housing reform in 1998. Based on data from a recent study, this paper examines three housing classes and their housing situation in four of China’s major urban centers. The results of a multivariate analysis on housing ownership among the three housing classes show that apart from some socioeconomic factors similar to those in the West, institutional factors, such as the hukou system and resident status, are also significant. The results imply that limited housing choices may have caused over privatization and, to certain extent, a single urban housing system. This could lead to conflict among people in various housing classes, as a response to the inequality in the urban housing market.