The schools of hard knocks for parents

Will you buy a 10-square-meter hallway in Beijing for 1.5 million yuan ($224,300)?

This seemingly absurd price was actually listed on the website of Homelink, the largest real estate agency in the capital. But why?

The hallway in Beijing's Xicheng district was shabby but it had independent property rights - and the children of the hallway's owner could seek admission to Beijing First Experimental Primary School, one of the best in the city.