What you can expect in a Chinese Apartment?

While in search of an apartment in Beijing, what do you want to have in your new apartment? You may like to have a balcony outside your room to sit, a washer or dryer, laundry space, an oven, and a fridge, or a dishwasher. 

If you want to live in Shunyi, an American-style area, or into an advance and high-end expat apartment compound, you may find all facilities you require or at least a few of them. If you are looking for a typical Chinese apartment at a reasonable price, your wish list may not come true. Here is what you will get in a regular Chinese apartment. 

A Chinese Kitchen:

Chinese kitchens usually contain a cooking stove with two powerful gas burners. The burners are excellent for frying dishes. However, if you want to cook a Western meal or some other dishes that are cooked slowly, the burner may not be much convenient. 

Ovens or microwaves may not be included in kitchen items. You have to purchase a small oven or microwave. You can put it on the countertop just as many Westerners do. Furthermore, the Chinese kitchens are not bigger in space, so you have to arrange all the items in sequence. 

However, Fridge-freezers are common in Chinese kitchens. They may not place directly in the kitchen but to be found in the living room, hallway, or in the small space near the kitchen. 

The dishwasher is also rare in Chinese kitchens. In its place, a Chinese kitchen may contain a cabinet with a drying rack. So after washing the dishes you can place them in the dry rack, and take out later.

Another problem in the regular Chinese kitchen is that there is no water heater installed under the sink, so the sink water will be cold. You can request the owner to install the heater but that may not always be possible for every person. So you have to wash the dishes with cold water. 

Laundry – all you get is a Washing machine:

In a Chinese rental apartment, laundry tools are a bit simpler than what you are used to. You will get just a washing machine usually placed in the bathroom. Standard Chinese washing machines are top loaders that are connected to direct tap water without any internal heater. So if you don’t add warm water yourself, you have to wash your clothes with cold water just like the dishes. 

Clothes dryers are not common in a regular Chinese apartment. You have to hand all laundry often on the enclosed balcony, where the laundry lines can be installed. 

Bedrooms and Cupboards:

Regular Chinese apartments are rented furnished, which contain cupboards. The newly constructing apartment may contain walk-in cupboards. Moreover, the bedframe may also have plenty of built-in storage space. 

In a typical Chinese apartment, you may get a very hard mattress and may even feel every spring. For your comfort, you should buy a new mattress. 

The Bathroom with attached shower:

Typical Chinese bathrooms normally don’t have a separate shower cabin. It is usually attached to the toilet area, so when you take shower the whole bathroom gets showery. However, you can add a shower blind to limit the flapping. 

In a newly constructing apartment, you may get a separate shower stall but those are frequently very small. In Chinese apartments, the bathtubs are not common. While everything depends on the landlord, as everyone builds out their apartment in a different way. 

Although the squat toilets are common in Chinese apartments, most apartments have Western-style toilets. So it will be good for you. 

However, the hot water is usually providing by a huge water heater installed underneath the ceiling. You can easily get a shower with warm water. The water pressure doesn’t seem to be a problem. 

Is there a Balcony?

Many Chinese apartments have a balcony, at least the one. It is fully bounded and used for two main purposes, stuff storage and drying laundry. Usually, the laundry lines are mounted on the ceiling with a hand cranks structure to lift or lower the laundry lines. 

Sometimes you find a birdcage and a few plants on the balcony. However, spending leisure time on a balcony is still foreign to Chinese. 

Still, in a foreign area of Beijing, you may not find the real outside space. For spending your leisure time you can put a table and chair on the balcony and even arrange a barbecue. 

Is a Chinese Style Apartment good for you?

It depends on your requirements and budget. You may not have any choice between a typical Chinese apartment, and an apartment with all foreign facilities in the expats area of Beijing. Before start searching for an apartment, it’s better to prepare a list of equipment you want to have in your apartment. 

While looking for an apartment in Beijing, you should always be flexible in your requirements. Maybe you got a bigger kitchen without an oven or microwave, rather than a small kitchen including all equipment. You may have to install a shower blind to separate the shower area from the toilet. You may have to request the owner to add some necessary gears in the apartment, especially when you want to sign up for a longer-term rent.