Subject: Capsule apartments for Beijing residents

Residents of Beijing are being offered the chance to rent tiny capsule-sized apartments, as long as they don't mind sharing, it appears.

While capsule hotels are primarily a Japanese phenomenon, with very few establishments available for visitors to China, one landlord is reportedly renting out rooms for as little as 100 yuan per night ($16; £11), the China Daily newspaper says. Residents get a tiny bedroom, a small lounge and a desk area in an apartment which measures around 160 square metres (1,722 square feet). Residents have got to like the company of other people, as they could be sharing facilities with up to 17 other tenants, Beijing News says.

One 22-year-old student from the northern city of Tianjin, who is staying in one of the capsule apartments while looking for work in the capital, told Beijing News that the best thing about the establishment is the price, as you'd expect to pay 200 yuan elsewhere. However, he says, "The people here are awkward and the environment is not good. It's the same as being in a university dorm, and sometimes I feel like there's no air circulation. But now I've been here a while, I'm quite used to it." It's unclear how long the capsule apartment site will remain open, with China Daily saying that it is operating without a valid licence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-31942764