Skip to headerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
The Week Logo
Subscribe & SaveSubscribeSubscribe to The Week magazine and save.
Give a GiftGive a Gift
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Business
  • Speed Reads
  • Cartoons
    • Tech
    • Photos
    • Puzzles
    • Books
    • Instant Opinion
    • Pros and Cons
    • Where They Stand
  • Magazine
  • Newsletters
Skip advert

The unbelievable misery of Hong Kong's coffin homes

Skyrocketing housing costs have forced some residents to live in stacked, coffin-sized compartments

Picture of Kelly Gonsalves
by Kelly Gonsalves
June 14, 2017

A residential and commercial building where many "coffin homes" are located in Hong Kong.

(Kin Cheung)With an ever-expanding population trying to cram into Hong Kong's relatively tiny territory, demand for residential space is high — and realtors are milking the market for all its

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)Associated Press photographer Kin Cheung met with and photographed a handful of Hong Kong residents living in these "shoebox" and "coffin" homes.One resident, a single mother, lives in a dim 120-square-foot unit — one of five partitioned out of a single apartment — with her two children, one 6 years old and the other 8. The single-room space contains "a bunk bed, small couch, fridge, washing machine, and tiny table.""The bigger [the children] get, the more crowded it gets. Sometimes there's not even any space to step," she told the Associated Press. "They don't even have space to do their homework."She pays the equivalent of $580 a month in rent, nearly half the monthly income she receives working at a bakery. Another man pays about $310 a month for his 18-square-foot compartment — one of the "coffin homes" — which fits a TV, an electric fan, and a few pieces of clothing on hangers; he sleeps on a sleeping bag.

Skip advert

Kin Cheung

(Kin Cheung)

Skip advert

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)The government has attempted to step in, but no policy has successfully restrained the skyrocketing prices with any lasting results. Public housing is the best bet these shoebox residents have for decent, livable homes. Indeed, nearly half of all Hong Kong residents live in either government-owned high-rises or homes bought with government subsidies. But the waiting list is already a quarter-million residents deep, and people can spend an average of five years idling in the queue.The consequences of such sordid living conditions range from physical to psychological: Some people can't stretch their legs to sleep; sex can sometimes be impossible. The children Cheung met bicker constantly.Take a tour of Hong Kong's heartbreaking "shoebox" homes:

Skip advert

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)

Skip advert
Skip advert

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)

Skip advert

This communal bathroom is shared by two dozen coffin home residents.

(Kin Cheung)

Skip advert

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)

Skip advert

The Associated Press

(Kin Cheung)

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email
  • World

Recommended

Russia hits Kyiv with missile strikes as G7 leaders meet in Germany
A destroyed apartment building in Kyiv.
happening in ukraine

Russia hits Kyiv with missile strikes as G7 leaders meet in Germany

6 dead, 200 injured in Colombia after stadium stands collapse during bullfight
Collapsed stands in El Espinal, Colombia.
under investigation

6 dead, 200 injured in Colombia after stadium stands collapse during bullfight

10 things you need to know today: June 26, 2022
Joe Biden and Jill Biden
Daily briefing

10 things you need to know today: June 26, 2022

Sievierodonetsk falls to Russia
Smoke rising from Sievierodonetsk
russian victory

Sievierodonetsk falls to Russia

Mass shooting at Norway gay club leaves 2 dead, 21 injured
Memorial for victims of Oslo shooting
islamist connection suspected

Mass shooting at Norway gay club leaves 2 dead, 21 injured

10 things you need to know today: June 25, 2022
Pro-life protesters celebrating outside the Supreme Court
Daily briefing

10 things you need to know today: June 25, 2022

What's going on with Kaliningrad?
Kaliningrad.
Briefing

What's going on with Kaliningrad?

European Union grants Ukraine candidate status
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
the first step

European Union grants Ukraine candidate status

Most Popular

What we pay for when we pay for a gallon of gas
Money.
Briefing

What we pay for when we pay for a gallon of gas

Pfizer says Omicron vaccines produce stronger immune response
Man walking past Pfizer ad
another shot

Pfizer says Omicron vaccines produce stronger immune response

Can outlawing abortion infringe on religious liberties?
The Supreme Court.
Opinion

Can outlawing abortion infringe on religious liberties?

Skip to headerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Kiplinger
  • The Week Junior
  • MoneyWeek
  • The Week UK
  • Subscribe
  • Subscriber Login
  • Give a gift
  • Classroom subscriptions
  • Customer Services
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Ad info
  • Newsletters
  • Privacy Preferences
  • Do Not Sell My Information

The Week™ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site at https://futureplc.com
The Week™ is a registered trade mark.
© Future US LLC, 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. All rights reserved.

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter
Skip advert