Rising incomes fuel 'sense of gain'

Despite rising housing prices, Han Jianhua, an assistant director of a furniture company in Fuzhou, Fujian province, feels confident he can buy a home in the near future. "A bicycle was all I owned when I started working five years ago. Now I drive my own car to work. My next plan is to buy an apartment and settle in the city," he said.

Han's monthly pay was about 3,000 yuan ($440) when he started as an ordinary employee. Thanks to multiple promotions, his income has doubled.

"With the addition of my wife's salary, and after some time, we believe it will not be a problem to buy a home," he said.