Center of attention

Many of Beijing's upwardly mobile suburban residents are taking advantage of cuts in interest rates and down payment requirements to move closer to the city's downtown area. Hu Yongqi reports.

When he received the ownership certificate for his new home, Wang Lin took a long, deep breath of relief; the six-month struggle to sell his old apartment and buy a new one had finally come to an end.

The 34-year-old IT engineer bought his first apartment five years ago in the northeastern Beijing suburb of Shunyi, which lies outside the Fifth Ring Road. Wang hoped that the nearby subway line, opened ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, would shorten his daily commute to work.