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A family of eight in China say they are planning to stay in a hotel suite for the rest of their lives due to cost and convenience benefits, dividing opinion of mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

High life: China family of 8 pays US$140 a day to live in luxury hotel, saying price and comfort mean they might stay forever

  • Hotel gives family special room rate based on length of stay
  • Family says cost, comfort, and convenience could see them stay for life

A family of eight who lived in a plush hotel suite room for 1,000 yuan (US$140) per day for 229 days has gone viral on mainland social media.

The unidentified group, from the city of Nanyang in the central province of Henan, gave up living in a flat and decided to make a hotel their home.

For the past 229 days, the family of eight shared a suite with a living room and two twin rooms. They have enjoyed their new way of life so much that they are now planning to spend the rest of life in luxury, Sina News reported.

A viral video shows the hotel living room equipped with a TV, sofas, chairs, and tables. The room can be seen filled with daily life supplies like clothes, food, and water.

Several family members are seen standing around a table sharing fruit.

The family of eight shares a main suite and two connected rooms, adding that they find the arrangement convenient and cost-effective. Photo: Haokan

“Today is the 229th day of our stay at the hotel,” a member of the family, Mu Xue, says.

“The room costs 1,000 yuan per day. Our family of eight lives very well,” she said, adding that it was a long-term rental rate given by the hotel.

Due to the fact that the price was all-inclusive, there were no extra charges for parking, heating, water and electricity.

“We feel happy living here, so we plan to live in a hotel for the rest of our lives,” said Mu.

In a separate clip from Star Video, Mu said that her family has owned six properties and they are in good financial health.

Screenshots revealed that Mu has completed several deposits including ones of 100,000, 35,500, and 50,000 yuan.

The cost of living in Nanyang is unclear, but according to the mainland real estate information platform, Anjuke, the average rent for an apartment with two rooms in Shanghai has reached 20,000 yuan a month.

“I never thought this way of living would help save money. I just feel that it makes everything convenient,” Mu told Star Video.

The story sparked a heated discussion on mainland social media.

Some people were captivated by their unconventional lifestyle, while others could not understand their choice.

One person said: “As long as they are happy, that’s fine.”

“I would also want to live in a hotel if I was rich,” said another.

“Eight people squeezed into such a hotel suite, is it really comfortable?” Asked a third.

While another online observer said: “This is ridiculous.”

The family’s lifestyle choice has divided opinion online with some people offering plaudits while others describe it as “ridiculous”. Photo: Haokan

Stories about people living an unconventional lifestyle often divide opinions in China.

In May last year, the story of a 29-year-old man in southwestern China who lived in a tent in an abandoned car park reignited a debate about the “lying flat” culture and its growing appeal among the country’s young people.

Tang Ping, or lying flat culture, is one which involves a personal rejection of societal pressures to overwork and over-achieve

In September 2022, a young couple in southern China who gave up renting an apartment to live in a camper van went viral.

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