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14 Shocking Photos Reveal What It’s Like To Live In Hong Kong’s ‘Coffin Cubicles’
With a population of nearly 7.5 million and very little developable land remaining, Hong Kong has become the least affordable real estate market, making so-called 'coffin cubicles' common. United Nations have condemned these nightmarish living spaces as "an insult to human dignity," but according to the Society for Community Organisation, for some 200,000 people, it's still the only alternative.
"That day, I came home and cried," Benny Lam told National Geographic, describing his experience of photographing said tiny apartments. With his series "Trapped," Lam seeks to illuminate the suffocating local dwellings that stand outside the reach of Hong Kong's glamorous neon lights.
"You may wonder why we should care, as the Hong Kong population isn't a part of our lives," Lam wrote on his Facebook page. "They are exactly the people who come into your life every single day: they are serving you as the waiters in the restaurants where you eat, they are the security guards in the shopping malls you wander around, or the cleaners and the delivery men on the streets you pass through. The only difference between them and us is [the quality of life]. This is a question of human dignity."
"From cooking to sleeping, all activities take place in these tiny homes," said Lam. To create the 'coffin cubicles,' flats are usually illegally divided into 15 - 120-square-foot (roughly, 1,5-12 m²) 'apartments.' To illustrate, Wong Tat-ming, 63, who is on benefits after sclerosis in his leg left him unable to drive a taxi, lives in an 18-square-feet dwelling for about $307 (HK$2,400) a month.
More info: Facebook (h/t: nationalgeographic)
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#1
Rasa Nekrošienė 8 years ago
And I'm b****y about my 'small' 35 square meters kitchen/living room with large windows to city view... 😭 This really makes you appreciate what you have... 😳
Yvonne Bernal 8 years ago
On the up side, you can do your laundry, cook, and eat, all while you're taking a poop!
Lorraine Lau 8 years ago
This is what is gong to happen a lot of places in the future if we don't do something about overpopulation
Zyra Ortiz 8 years ago
I refuse to believe that some lives like this....this is a hidden object game....please tell me is a game.
8 years ago
It does look like one of those 'find the item' game now you mention it!
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TheRubyFalcon 8 years ago
Toilet and kitchen right together? God, combining this tiny space with food poisoning.
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#2
Yvonne Bernal 8 years ago
I cannot imagine what it does to your posture just laying propped up like that
AnikatheUnicorn 8 years ago
The worst part is, it isn't even really cheap. I come from HK and the cost is about a few hundred to 1,000 for a month.
Jill Coert 8 years ago
Just think if there were a fire! It would be horrible with all these people crowded into these tiny spaces. It must be like a maze inside those flats that are divided into these tiny spaces.
DancingToMyself 8 years ago
Where are they going to bathroom, take shower, take care of themselves? They can't have a litter box like cats, this is really something. Wow. I'm really shocked. :/
Stephen Machutta 8 years ago
If they are not sleeping on the streets and being killed and mugged for what they own this is far better than what our homeless have here in the US.
A. Creations 8 years ago
this little space COSTS the same as your apartments. HK has the highest land price in the world, thus fortune favors the owned.
#3
Gayle Warren 8 years ago
I started to get short of breath when I saw the first picture
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Doreen Ball 8 years ago
I can't imagine - between the steel walls and no ventilation
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Amanda Barnes 8 years ago
This makes me sad but it's better than sleeping on the streets. At the very least you have a place to lay your head down.
Rose Jones 8 years ago
This is the worst one I've seen, and without the distraction of all the clutter in the other pics I actually feel deeply ill at ease.
Trish McBride 8 years ago
This one is so small omg I'd have a panic attack. This is really sad, I had no idea it was like this there... :(
#4
Ailin Chen 6 years ago
"Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after Qing China ceded Hong Kong Island at the end of the First Opium War in 1842. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War, and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. The territory was transferred to China in 1997. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems"." "Bedspace apartments started to appear more commonly during the 1950s and 1960s."
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Mark Ginsel 8 years ago
Judging from the mattress burns afraid it's a matter of time before this ends tragically.
Darrien Mae 8 years ago
Could also be dangerous because of all the smoke with no filtration system. Good chance of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Daniel Darko 8 years ago
Damn, after seeing the other ones my first reaction was: Wow, that's actually quite roomy. And not even sarcastically. :O
Mortus Pect 6 years ago
Hong Kong is too small (1108 km2) to support over 7 ml people. This problem is hard to tackle. China should create other economic zones which draw people, but it's still hard to create another zone equal to Hong Kong.
#5
Chris Taylor 8 years ago
S**t just go live in your car at least you'd have windows and a choice of view... actually if you live here I guess you can't afford one
#6
djinnjeannie 8 years ago
It's not really reasonable to call it clutter. It's pretty hard to have clean line type interior decor when your living space is less wide than many people's asses.
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Donna Leske 6 years ago
I see a cigarette lighter. Can you imagine the panic if there were a fire?
Ana Lucia Bertolani 7 years ago
harry potter´s under the stair room was larger than this. #help
Baukje Das 8 years ago
How does he/she make the photo using no hands? Is there room for two persons?
#7
Olia Shevarova 8 years ago
I can't believe their government has no money, Hong Kong is one of the financial centers, where so many oligarchs keeping their money
Carrie Jo 8 years ago
I read somewhere that public housing is given to Chinese coming from the mainland. Not sure if it's true.
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#8
Whitney Hill 8 years ago
Wow. It actually beaks my heart that he has suits hanging up on the side. I can only imagine the type of job he has :(
Donna Oades 8 years ago
Do these people get dressed while in these coffins, or do they go to the weird shared bathroom/toilet/kitchen room to do that? I can't even imagine being able to sit up in one of these, let alone dress myself!
Amy Ferguson 8 years ago
My husband makes fun of me because I say our house is too cluttered. Maybe he is right...
Andrew Gibb 8 years ago
James Comey's new room after being fired from the FBI. Worst part is having Donald Trump on the screen.
#9
varwenea 8 years ago
Ironically, the red sign on the far left is a saying to improve wealth; perhaps he should add a few more of those signs.
Marie-Louise Chenois 8 years ago
That looks like a pretty old guy, he probably doesn't have money to buy anything better, it's so sad ='(
#10
mr toto 8 years ago
is that a giant lighter on the right, or just average size? what`s with all the pots, is he cooking in here? ..and why is he holding that nail clipper for the photo? ..he`s trying to say something.. so many questions
varwenea 8 years ago
These places have shared kitchen and bath. They don't want to leave their cookware, dishes behind as they may be stolen -- including toilet paper.
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Maggie Collins 8 years ago
It is disgusting that humans have to live like this. Four of them should get together, pool their rent money and get a house or apartment with windows and a door? How do you get in and out?
Joe Willis 8 years ago
There aren't any homes or larger apartments to be had.. Thats the point of the story if you read it..
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Ana Lucia Bertolani 7 years ago
he can´t even strech his legs. if he was actually in a coffin he would at least have some more dignity. this is so say and so so wrong.
#11
Carrie Shaw 8 years ago
These people live worse than being a hard-core criminal in a prison (in the States, of course).
Diane Mittelstadt 6 years ago
I don't find these upsetting at all. Have you ever observed how a homeless person lives in America? These coffin cubicles appear to offer a person everything they need. Space to move around, temperature control, electrical power, shared bathing and bathroom facilities etc. This guy looks relaxed and comfortable watching his t.v. He looks well nourished and clean. As a senior, I am 66, I know that I could live there if I had to. To come home to a nice, cozy bed and a little privacy is the best feeling in the world. I am glad these are available.
#12
JillVille Child Care 8 years ago
Forced minimalist living... wow, I couldn't imagine. My heart hurts for these poor souls.
Ana T. 8 years ago
forced minimalist??? no. is poverty and government not helping they own people
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Donna Oades 8 years ago
Look towards the top of the list, there's a tiny room with a toilet, shower head, sink, washing machine etc that they presumably all have to share.
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Anna Wu 8 years ago
Good question. I know women do live in conditions like these. Maybe the photographer was a guy and it was easier to convince other guys?
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#13
Eric Nelson 8 years ago
You know what's crazy? This is normal for some of these people! I don't know if I could ever feel like this could be 'normal' for me. But I understand when you're on a strict budget, you do what you gotta do.
Dakota Zayat 8 years ago
Would you like to live in a place that barely fits your bed? The point is it's not a humane way to live, even for humans.
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#14
Debra Starr Moon 8 years ago
Amelia, I don't think 'boredom' is a primary concern for these poor souls. Lou, where exactly would he put a small dog when there isn't enough room for him? And Tiffany...lotion for a reason? Really? SMH.
M Diane Mattson 8 years ago
Like NY or any big city, living in a cardboard box....on the street. I guess they are better off.
Greg Randles 8 years ago
No females in this series, are only men allowed to live is this squalor?
Mary Dunesby 6 years ago
As it questioned earlier how on earth can they even stand heartbreaking
Karin Morris 6 years ago
If there was a fire in an apartment complex like this, there would be no egress for any of these people.
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What do you think ?
Shirley Richard 8 years ago
Think about this next time you want to complain about what you don't have in life.
Hans 8 years ago
@Rokas L: as discussed on many posts before, please do not forget to add SI units for the rest of us. 15-120 sq ft translate to 1,5-12 m². I needed to calculate this, to get a better idea. Particularly the lower end (1,5 m²) is even more depressing than the photos are. Most civicised countries have a magnitude of that as minimum space for prisoners, as everything else would be considered inhumane...
Rokas L (Post author) 8 years ago
thanks, Hans, i've updated the text to a more metric-friendly one
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Anna Sheridan 8 years ago
Hong Kong is also a very wealthy city, this hideous disparity in terms of wealth needs to end!
June Pixeld 8 years ago
That looks almost unbelievable! There has got to be a way to improve these conditions! I have seen treehouses more luxurious than this
DancingToMyself 8 years ago
My tent is more luxurious, but point is that nothing will change.
Load More Replies... Kevin Camp 8 years ago
This is all too common in many major world cities. The lowest people on the wage earning scale that provide the necessarty labor to maintain simple infrastructure often cannot afford to live in the very cities they work in. I live in the midwest of the US (Oklahoma), where my wages are pretty high and our cost of living is realtively low. Some would say living in a medium city of approximately 1 million in a flyover state must be boring and lackluster, but I have access to the latest concerts and shows, can see world class art on display, in less than one hour be in the country swimming and boating at a lake or just enjoying a drive on an empty rural road... and I do not live in a phone box. The huge cities are a great place to visit but...
Yennefer of Vengerberg 8 years ago
That makes it even sadder... This is robbing them of so much. I'd go nuts living like that. Those poor people :-(
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Nicolas Letarte 8 years ago
Was thinking the same. But... is there an "outside"???
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Flávia Guimarães 8 years ago
It's sad and lonely... But sincerely, I think it's better then live in the streets, completely homeless...
Shirley Richard 8 years ago
Think about this next time you want to complain about what you don't have in life.
Hans 8 years ago
@Rokas L: as discussed on many posts before, please do not forget to add SI units for the rest of us. 15-120 sq ft translate to 1,5-12 m². I needed to calculate this, to get a better idea. Particularly the lower end (1,5 m²) is even more depressing than the photos are. Most civicised countries have a magnitude of that as minimum space for prisoners, as everything else would be considered inhumane...
Rokas L (Post author) 8 years ago
thanks, Hans, i've updated the text to a more metric-friendly one
Load More Replies... Anna Sheridan 8 years ago
Hong Kong is also a very wealthy city, this hideous disparity in terms of wealth needs to end!
June Pixeld 8 years ago
That looks almost unbelievable! There has got to be a way to improve these conditions! I have seen treehouses more luxurious than this
DancingToMyself 8 years ago
My tent is more luxurious, but point is that nothing will change.
Load More Replies... Kevin Camp 8 years ago
This is all too common in many major world cities. The lowest people on the wage earning scale that provide the necessarty labor to maintain simple infrastructure often cannot afford to live in the very cities they work in. I live in the midwest of the US (Oklahoma), where my wages are pretty high and our cost of living is realtively low. Some would say living in a medium city of approximately 1 million in a flyover state must be boring and lackluster, but I have access to the latest concerts and shows, can see world class art on display, in less than one hour be in the country swimming and boating at a lake or just enjoying a drive on an empty rural road... and I do not live in a phone box. The huge cities are a great place to visit but...
Yennefer of Vengerberg 8 years ago
That makes it even sadder... This is robbing them of so much. I'd go nuts living like that. Those poor people :-(
Load More Replies... Nicolas Letarte 8 years ago
Was thinking the same. But... is there an "outside"???
Load More Replies... Flávia Guimarães 8 years ago
It's sad and lonely... But sincerely, I think it's better then live in the streets, completely homeless...
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