'Old', but difficult to replace

"Old" apartment complexes occupy core downtown areas in many Chinese cities. Although they were mostly constructed in the 1980s and '90s as the first batch of commercial housing, they are old by Chinese standards.

Many of these buildings have been designated unsafe, but demolition and reconstruction is proving a headache for civic decision-makers because the complexes not only occupy good locations, but are also connected to good educational resources, according to Chen Lijun, a professor at the College of Public Administration of Zhejiang University.

"Although these buildings are poor in terms of overall environment and indoor structure, they usually sell for high prices. Therefore, the cost of removing them would be very high," she said.