In the last five years, the Chinese real estate market has been struggling, with various regions continuously introducing new policies to boost the property market, but with less than satisfactory results. Recently, the announcement of offering school admissions with property purchases in Nansha District, Guangzhou, a first-tier city, has sparked heated discussions online.
On April 28, Nansha District in Guangzhou issued a notice to fulfill the commitment made on January 10 this year to provide school admissions with property purchases. It became the first area in a first-tier city to implement such a policy.
According to the notice, parents or legal guardians of school-age children or adolescents who purchased new commercial residential properties in Nansha District from January 10, 2025, onwards, with 100% ownership of the property or jointly with their children; and parents or legal guardians without property in the city, but whose school-age children’s grandparents purchased new commercial residential properties in Nansha District from January 10, 2025, onward with full ownership, and lived together with the grandparents in the same household for more than three years, are eligible to apply for admission to public schools in the district from the beginning of compulsory education.
This notice quickly caught the attention of netizens.
Jimmy Chen, a registered structural engineer, posted on Zhihu, saying, “Nansha was booming back then, and now it’s freezing. Our company also followed the trend and invested in Nansha during the Greater Bay Area concept hype. Five years have passed, and we have only developed the first two phases, with all subsequent land development put on hold.”
Some netizens expressed their views, with one stating, “If the houses could be sold, why would there be so many small favors like this? If buying properties could make money, we, the common people, wouldn’t even have a chance to get in! Whether it’s a market downturn or a slight increase, it’s still a loss! More than two million with daily interest of two hundred yuan! You could live in an economy hotel with an annual interest of seventy-three thousand! After several years of repaying the loan, the interest will amount to tens of thousands! A clear loss! Real estate that doesn’t sell! Negative assets that don’t move!”
“Properties aren’t selling, and all kinds of methods are being used.” “There are not many countries in the world that talk about real estate sales every day. If people have money, they will naturally buy; if not, they will rent without too much pressure.” “They truly can’t sell.”
Chinese commentator and essayist Qiao Zhifeng expressed in a blog post, “Education has become a tool…”