“Children of the Dungeon” from China, or How to Save on Walls

China is one of the leaders of the world economy, which does not prevent it from having an army of more than a hundred million poor people. Many Chinese, not having enough income to purchase or build regular housing, are forced to look for non-standard solutions, for example, like the residents of underground villages located throughout the country.

According to statistics, more than 30 million citizens of the Middle Kingdom live in caves, dugouts and other structures unusual for us. When we hear about life in a dugout, the imagination immediately pictures a damp, moss-covered log ceiling, a rusty potbelly stove in the corner and an earthen floor.

But Chinese dugouts differ from the stereotypical underground dwelling, and quite seriously. The inside of such houses is not very cozy and dry, but their owners have access to all the modern utilities of civilization, such as water supply, sewerage and, if they’re lucky, heating.

The main goal of constructing these structures is to maximize savings on building materials. Underground houses do not have external walls or roofs, and their location below ground level provides good thermal insulation. But their main advantage is that they do not formally exist, which means that their owners are free to pay various taxes and fees.

Underground villages are found in all provinces of China, and one of the largest is located on the outskirts of Beijing. There, on an area of 2400 sq. m there are 9 streets and 188 rooms ranging from 5 to 10 square meters. meters. The village is home to 188 families who pay the owner of the complex from 300 to 1000 yuan (from 3 to 10 thousand rubles) per month.

The country's oldest underground village, which is more than 400 years old, is located in Northern China on the so-called Loess Plateau. Life here is significantly different from what can be observed in a village near Beijing. People whose income is less than $1 a day live here, so not all homes have doors.

There are many elderly people on the Loess Plateau who have known no other life other than living in a dugout. Residents of underground houses lead a simple and understandable peasant lifestyle, which they inherited from their grandfathers and great-grandfathers - they work in their gardens and devote a lot of time to maintaining their houses in a habitable condition.

The Chinese authorities are well aware of the existence of such illegal settlements, but are not yet ready to fight them.