8:48 AM
An egg shaped tiny but compact mobile home built by a Chinese office worker is being touted as an answer to provide affordable accommodation to thousands of migrant labourers flocking to Beijing in search of work.
With the average home in the capital selling for $2,934 a meter in November, a tiny mobile home built by office worker Dai Haifei is creating a stir online.
Dai,24, built the six-squaremeter pad because he could not afford to buy or rent in the capital. Dai's new home costs him $1,000 and he has been living in it for nearly two months in a courtyard. However, the only draw back of his “egg home” is that it has no toilet.
“When the spring comes, my home will grow grass,” he said. He said he is enjoying having a little extra money in his pocket and uses it for swimming and sauna every day. The narrow dwelling has also ended Dai's worries about the commute to work - it takes him less than a minute to cross the courtyard.
The small home has sparked a discussion online. Nearly 1,000 respondents on news portal 163.com commented on his idea. Some questioned security and legality of his home while others suggested it could just be a promotion from the company he works for or a piece of performance art. Many said they liked his spirit but doubted the idea would serve as long-term solution. The project, named “An egg given birth to by the city”, comprised a series of egg-like movable houses, including a karaoke house, chair house and trader's house
