Chinese worker builds "egg" house to beat high cost of living
Dai Haifei, a 24-year-old architect in Beijing, China, found an ingenious solution to live rent-free. He built himself a mobile egg-shaped house that is powered by the sun.
The 6-foot-high structure, which is small enough to fit on a sidewalk, is made of bamboo strips, wood chippings, sack bags, and grass seed that’s expected to grow in the spring.
The pod features a solar panel on the roof that powers a lamp in the cozy space. The house cost around $1,000 to build (6427 yen), according to China Daily.
It seems Haifei has taken the trend of living in tiny spaces to a whole new level.
By living in this cabin next to his office building, the young man was quite pleased with the money he saved from house rent. "although I still spend all I earned every month, my living standard is greatly improved," He said, "now I can even afford going to cafe from time to time to enjoy some leisure moments."
With an area of 6 square meters and a height of 2 meters, the "egg" can accommodate one single bed and a small bedstand.
A water tank is hidden under the bed, adequate to three days' water use. A solar panel on the roof supplies electric power. Wheels at the bottom make it mobile.
Though lovely in appearance, it is not as comfortable to reside as it looks. Without heating system, the indoor temperature is only 5 degrees Celsius, and even lower in Beijing's freezing winter night.
The appearance of "egg cabin" aroused heated discussion among public. Most people showed sympathy on Dai, but some eyed this as a performance art. A few even doubted that the whole thing was a plot of Dai's company aiming at raising their fame.
On the whole, people who also bear the brunt of the soaring real estate price of Beijing were more willing to believe Dai's story.
Dai's worries came true after he was interviewed by media. His cabin was noticed by city administrative authority, who said that according to regulation of urban residence administration, the "egg cabin" was an illegal residence.
Perhaps very soon Dai has to move out from the "egg cabin" and find a place to rent again. By then the "egg cabin" may indeed become an outdoor artwork, like one of the fairy tales.
