Check out the picture of "midlevel" apartments in Hong Kong. If you want to know how they get 7 million people in 500 square miles, yet leave most of the territory subtropical jungle... the picture explains it all.
It seems the govt here has decided to "do something" about funny floor numbering systems. Chinese avoid the 4th floor, since it sounds like "death." Also any floor number that ends in "4." So in a 40 story building, there is no 4, 14, 24, 34, 40... and since there might be western buyers too, no 13th floor.
Why stop there? Since 88 is a hugely popular number, one builder decided to skip about 40 floors in numbering and get right to the 80's, so he could offer the Chinese the 88th floor. The price went through the roof.
(The number one most popular wine label in a competition last year was the one with an 88 in the logo.)
Only govts decide "this must be stopped." If buyers did not like it, they would not bid up the price. Nobody is going to think they are putting down millions US$ for a apartment truly 88 stories up. Everyone knows, so there is no fraud. It is pure market demand.
Hong Kong is a beacon of light to the freedom loving world. I am afraid the locals here do not understand what a gift they have. Maybe they do, maybe it is just Chinese modesty.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The 88th Floor in a 30 Story Building
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