Our (Not So) Humble Little City: These Are Some of Beijing's Most Luxurious Mansions
It is fairly common for people to make purchases online nowadays, from snacks to apparel and toys to skincare products, the internet has everything you could possibly want... and then some. Nevertheless, there are a few things deemed too precious to be found in the digital realm, whether it's because their rarity precedes public trading or the sheer value means no one would ever buy it sight unseen. And so it goes for the Beijing mansion, many of which your average citizen wouldn't even be able to afford a garage in.
However, as more and more young folks are beginning to rake in astronomical amounts of money thanks to non-traditional revenue streams (read: live streams), homes like these are becoming increasingly commonplace. Seriously, it's little surprise anymore – for better or worse (probably worse) – when someone buys a mansion worth RMB 30 million for their pets to play around in on the internet. As such, an entirely new evolution in shopping for, and marketing, high ticket items has emerged. To find out more (call it morbid curiosity), we took a look at one of Beijing's most famous online real estate agents 洋房姐姐 (Mansion Sister) to explore the jaw-dropping extravagance our humble – at least we thought it was humble – city has to offer.
Every day, the subway's Batong Line carries millions of people between CBD and Beijing’s new suburban-center, Tongzhou. In fact, it's probably safe to say that Tongzhou has become one of the biggest bed towns for those pursuing their dreams in the capital. Yet, apparently, not everyone who lives there has to squeeze onto a crowded subway train or share their room with multiple other tenants, because the first luxurious house we are going to visit is located along Tongzhou's canal river. Compared to your typical mansion, the design of this estate has made good use of aesthetics and function, with enough smart furniture to ease its owner into relaxation town after a day of work or a long trip overseas. And in a nod to the surrounding environment, the ceiling's tasteful ripple pattern echoes the river on the other side of the window. All in all, this place is for those ambitious young entrepreneurs who would like to evolve with this historic, yet energetic city.
The pandemic hit the movie industry pretty hard this year and cinephiles across the city were left with nothing more than their home entertainment systems. To be sure, even with the largest, flattest screen TV, it's just never the same and the underwhelming stereo quality may not do a film justice, not to mention the complaints from neighbors and roommates if you like to turn the volume up. If you happen to purchase this next mansion on our list, however, all of these worries will be a thing of the past thanks to the 4D cinema in its basement. The 100-inch screen, 7.1.4 surround sound speakers, and 4D synchronized motion seats from D-BOX will get you about as close to the movie action as you could possibly want. Despite being priced at RMB 250 million, it actually breaks down to about RMB 50,000 per square meter, which, frankly, isn't bad for the Beijing housing market.
The list goes on, from a penthouse in the heart of Beijing's CBD to the time-honored quadrangle courtyard worth a staggering RMB one billion. Without a doubt, the price and luxury of Beijing's housing market goes well beyond the imagination of us plebeians and is altogether tragic when compared with the amount of folks left to live in cramped, shabby residences, many of which are unfit for human habitation. The polarization of the housing market is an obvious problem and one that currently plagues just about every country on earth.
As such, we would all do well to keep in mind the traditional Chinese belief, that a person's virtue will truly make up the style of their home. So before you go plastering your name on some villa mailbox, maybe focus on your self for a bit.
Read: Beijing May Soon Rent Out Historical Landmark Buildings
Images: 洋房姐姐, twoeggz
