Chinese mother spends savings on tiny flat to escape hectic home, work twice a week, resonates with many women
- Woman gets idea during Covid-19 lockdown with family, wants own place
- Flat is only 25 metres square, spaces for work, reading, yoga, tea with friends
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A mother in China who paid 500,000 yuan (US$69,000) for a 25-square-metre flat as a sanctuary for herself, has attracted empathy on mainland social media.
Gong Yan, in her early 30s, from the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu province, eastern China, is a married mother of one son.
She spent her savings on the little home where she enjoys being alone two days a week, Toutiao News reported.
Gong, who runs a finance company, got the idea of owning her own place during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when she shared a 130-square-metre flat with her husband, son, and parents-in-law.
During that challenging time, as she catered to the needs of others in the multiple roles of wife, mother and daughter-in-law, it made her think about what she wanted for herself.
She made the decision to create a personal space by spending her savings on a tiny flat in 2021.
“On the day I picked up the key, I sat on a stool in the flat, ordered a takeaway and looked out of the window. I felt very happy,” Gong said.
Although it is only 25 square metres, the flat is equipped with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and storage space that Gong was satisfied with. Later she spent 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) renovating it.
Photos in the report show that the interior is decorated in warm shades of brown, and the main open-plan area is divided into small spaces for work, reading, and leisure.
Gong also enjoys practising yoga and having tea with friends in the flat.
“This is completely my own home. I can just be myself,” she said.
Taking one or two days a week away from her busy work and family life to be in her own space is now part of her routine and has been good for Gong’s mental health.
“In my married life, I can still occasionally enjoy carefree solitude,” she said.
Her decision was supported by her family. Her husband and son, who do not have a key, are welcome by invitation only.
She says spending time alone has given her more energy for her family and work.
“I really like my life now because I’m happy, I can deliver to others,” Gong said.
Inspired by Gong, one of her female friends, who is planning to marry, is also thinking about buying a flat for herself.
The story has resonated with many people on mainland social media.
“It’s a fantastic idea,” one online observer said.
“That is also my plan,” said another.
The problems working women face in China include drastic changes to the socioeconomic environment, financial insecurity, and health issues.
The stresses and strains have resulted in falling marriage and childbirth rates in China.
In October 2021, an official survey showed that 44 per cent of 3,000 unmarried people between 18 and 26 years old who did not want to get married were women, compared with 19 per cent of men.
In September 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics released data that showed mothers in China gave birth to 10.62 million babies in 2021, an 11.5 per cent fall from 2020.
The country’s seventh national census showed that its 2020 fertility rate was 1.3 children per woman – below the replacement level of 2.1 required for a stable population.
