Inner city pressure

A recently-concluded 33-episode TV series titled Dwelling Narrowness (Wo Ju, which literally means "snail home") has become the talk of the town. The hit TV series centers on two sisters' struggles in a fictional metropolis modeled on Shanghai. Guo Haiping is obsessed with buying a house of her own, and her younger sister Haizao tries to help her by becoming a government official's mistress.

It strikes a chord with viewers by putting several sensitive issues under the spotlight. Of these, soaring housing prices triggers the most passion. Many sympathize with Guo Haiping's monologue:

"Each night I sit at the window and stare into the street lights. I cannot help but marvel at the various lives people live in this wonderful metropolis.