Boom and gloom

After almost four years of desperately searching, Zheng Tianxiao is starting to think he will never find an affordable home in his dream neighborhood. It has even affected his hunt for a girlfriend.

Unable to move out from the apartment he shares with friends in downtown Shanghai, the 28-year-old aeronautic engineer said he is always snubbed by the city's hip, young women because he does not have "a home of my own".

"I don't understand. I am a well-educated professional with a well-paying job. I earn 100,000 yuan a year! So why can't I live where I want to?" he asked as he read the advertisements in the window of a realty company.