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| A year ago, business was humming for Liang Jiawei, a property salesman in Zhanjiang, a coastal city in southern China. |
| 一年前，中国南方沿海城市湛江的房地产销售梁嘉伟的生意还不错。 |
| He could sell three apartments in a day without much arm-twisting. The apartments were fairly generic, Mr. Liang admitted, but the new building complex — in an up-and-coming neighborhood not far from a high-speed rail station — was enough to entice buyers. |
| 他一天轻轻松松就能卖掉三套公寓。梁先生承认，这些公寓相当普通，但小区所处地段的未来发展前景不错，而且距离高铁站不远，这对买家来说有足够的吸引力。 |
| Then came a sudden reversal of fortune. China’s property sector started to crumble under the weight of its huge debts. What was already shaping up to be the country’s worst housing market in years suffered another blow when a new variant of the coronavirus triggered widespread lockdowns and brought the economy to a standstill. |
| 后来，命运突然发生了逆转。中国的房地产行业在巨额债务的重压下开始崩溃。在新冠疫情导致大范围封控、让经济陷入停滞后，本已朝着多年来最糟糕方向发展的中国房地产市场遭到进一步打击。 |
| The turmoil has touched off a plunge in new home sales and depressed real estate prices for the first time in years, jeopardizing the prospects of an already fragile economy that had come to depend on housing for job growth and business spending, and putting at risk an important investment for millions of Chinese families. |
| 动荡引发了新房销售的大幅下降，房地产价格多年来首次下跌，危及了本已脆弱的经济前景——中国经济的就业增长和商业支出一直依赖住房市场，也让数百万中国家庭的重要投资面临风险。 |
| So far, China’s efforts to revive the housing market with lower mortgage rates, easier credit, subsidies and relaxed regulations have not worked. In April and May, new home prices fell in more than half of China’s 70 biggest cities for the first time since 2016, and sales of such properties tumbled nearly 60 percent. |
| 迄今为止，中国通过降低抵押贷款利率、放宽信贷、提供补贴和放松监管来重振房地产市场的努力并未奏效。今年4月和5月，在中国70个大中城市中，新房销售价格下降的城市自2016年以来首次超过一半以上，新房成交额下降了近60%。 |
| Zhanjiang, a port city of seven million people, had some of the steepest price declines among major cities. Mr. Liang said that he sold only five apartments in April. May was even worse. |
| 湛江是一座有700万人口的港口城市，它是大中城市中房价跌幅最大的城市之一。梁先生说，他4月份只卖出了五套房，5月份的情况更糟。 |
| “Prices have come down, but enthusiasm for buying houses still hasn’t returned,” Mr. Liang said. “The economy is not good, and the continuous impact of the pandemic has completely changed the situation.” |
| “价格是降下来，但是购房热情依然没有一个很大的回暖，”梁先生说。“其实说白了经济不好，后疫情时代疫情的一个持续性的影响，完全改变了消费的整个市场情况。” |
| As China slowly emerges from restrictive lockdowns, the country is focused on preventing an economic slowdown. Last month, its premier, Li Keqiang, called an emergency meeting and issued a grave warning to more than 100,000 officials that businesses and local governments needed to act with “clear urgency.” |
| 随着中国慢慢走出限制性封控，工作重点正在转向防止经济放缓。中国总理李克强上个月召开了一次紧急会议，向10万多名来自企业和地方政府的与会官员发出严重警告，在采取行动上“要有更强的紧迫感”。 |
| The real estate sector is a large and important lever. Ever since China started to roll out reforms in 1988 for commercial housing, property has become a pillar of an ascendant economy. By some estimates, it accounts for about 30 percent of China’s G.D.P. after factoring in related industries such as construction and property management. |
| 房地产业是撬动中国经济的一个巨大和重要的杠杆。自1988年开始推行商品房改革以来，房地产已成为中国经济不断增长的支柱。据估计，如果将建筑和物业管理等相关行业计入的话，房地产业约占中国GDP的30%。 |
| Property also carries a deep significance in Chinese society. For young people who want to marry, owning a home is considered a must before starting a family. Instead of investing in stocks and bonds, Chinese households allocate most of their savings to real estate — at more than twice the rate of Americans. |
| 在中国社会，房产也承载着深远意义。对于想结婚的年轻人来说，拥有一套房子是组建家庭前的必备条件。中国家庭的大部分储蓄不是投资于股票和债券，而是投到房产上——比例是美国家庭的两倍多。 |
| Also, a hit to real estate prices could ripple through the economy by eroding how much Chinese shoppers are willing to spend on appliances, clothes, jewelry or cars. |
| 而且，房产价格的下跌可能会影响中国消费者购买家电、服装、珠宝或汽车的意愿，从而对经济产生连锁影响。 |
| With the economy in limbo, Beijing is trying to get people buying property again. |
| 在经济不稳定的情况下，中国政府正在努力让老百姓重新有购房的兴趣。 |
| The government suspended a trial program to implement property taxes in March. Last month, Chinese banks cut mortgage costs by the largest amount since a new interest rate system was put in place in 2019. |
| 今年3月，政府暂停了扩大房地产税试点的计划。上个月，中国各银行降低了抵押贷款利率，降幅是自2019年新利率体系实施以来最大的。 |
| In addition, various local governments have rolled out dozens of new policies to promote home buying. Meishan, a city in Sichuan Province, said it would offer subsidies for new home purchases before the end of the year. The government of Wenzhou, a city in Zhejiang Province, said it would now permit interest-only repayments for the first three years on mortgages for first-time home buyers. Huainan, a city in Anhui Province, ordered banks to extend more money and shorten loan approval times, as well as lower the mortgage rates and down payment requirements for first-time buyers. |
| 此外，各地政府出台了数十项促进购房的新政策。四川眉山市表示，将在今年年底前为购买新房提供补贴。浙江温州市政府表示，将允许首次购房者在贷款头三年只支付利息。安徽淮南市要求银行延长房贷还款期限，缩短贷款审批时间，并降低首次购房者的房贷利率和首付要求。 |
| For some potential home buyers, the incentives are not enough to offset the risks. |
| 对一些潜在的购房者来说，这些激励措施不足以抵消风险。 |
| Cao Jingyu, who works for an outdoor furniture company in Shenzhen, said a lower down payment would just mean more bank payments over time. Given the economy’s fragile state and the ever-present possibility of being laid off, she said, she doesn’t want to tie up a large chunk of her money in a home. |
| 在深圳一家户外家具公司工作的曹竞宇说，更低的首付只意味着需要更长时间来还清银行贷款。她说，考虑到目前经济不好以及随时存在裁员的可能性，她不想把一大笔钱花在买房上。 |
| Earlier this year, she nearly bought an apartment in the northern part of Shenzhen. After making a deposit on a home under construction, she hesitated when she noticed only 20 percent of the units had been sold. At the last minute, she backed out. |
| 今年早些时候，她差点在深圳北部买房。在为一套尚未完工的公寓预付了定金后，她发现楼盘只有20%的单元已售出，这让她产生了犹豫，并在最后时刻改变了主意。 |
| “I’m still worried about the big risk of buying a home,” said Ms. Cao, 30. “When I want to sell the property, can I get it off my hands?” |
| “现在对于买房这个事情，我仍然是会担心有很大的风险，”现年30岁的曹女士说。“当我想在卖房子的时候，我能不能卖得出手？” |
| A year ago, the concern with China’s real estate market wasn’t reluctant buyers but frenzied speculators. When a property in Shenzhen became available in March 2020, the building’s 288 units sold out online in seven minutes, according to state media. |
| 两年前，人们对中国房地产市场的担忧不是没人愿意买房，而是疯狂的投机者。据官媒报道，2020年3月，深圳一处房产开卖后，该楼盘的288套公寓七分钟内就在网上售罄。 |
| Chinese officials, worried about a housing bubble and its impact on the financial system, enacted the so-called three red lines policy to curb the reckless borrowing habits of the country’s biggest property developers. |
| 由于担心房地产泡沫及其对金融体系的影响，中国官员制定了所谓的“三条红线”，遏制中国最大的房地产开发商不计后果的借贷习惯。 |
| The new rules, which required companies to pay down debt before borrowing more money, started to expose cracks in the property market. In late 2021, China Evergrande Group, the highly indebted property developer, defaulted on bond payments to creditors. Since Evergrande, more than a dozen firms have defaulted. |
| 新规要求企业在借更多贷款之前先偿还债务，这开始让房地产市场的裂缝暴露出来。2021年底，负债累累的房地产开发商中国恒大集团债务违约。自恒大之后，已有十多家公司违约。 |
| Amid the debt woes, Chinese officials pushed developers to prioritize finishing building properties that they had already sold. But the rush by firms short of cash to complete projects has raised a new set of problems: protests over shoddy work. |
| 债务危机下，中国官员迫使开发商优先完成已经售出住宅的建设项目。但是，缺乏资金的公司急于完成项目，已经引发了一系列的新问题，以及对工程质量差的抗议。 |
| When Evergrande began to run into liquidity problems, an estimated 1.6 million people were waiting for the developer to complete homes that they had already bought. |
| 恒大的资金开始断链时，估计有160万人在等待这家开发商完成他们已购住房的建设。 |
| He Qiang, a 27-year-old car salesman, purchased an Evergrande property in 2019 with the expectation that it would be complete in 2021. It has been delayed until June. |
| 27岁的汽车销售员何强在2019年购买了恒大的一处房产，当时预计于2021年完工，现已被推迟到今年6月。 |
| Mr. He said he doesn’t think the latest deadline is realistic. The apartments still do not have electricity. The elevators are not finished, and the wood floors are not installed. |
| 何先生说，他认为新的期限也不现实。公寓都还没通电，安装电梯的工作还没做完，木地板也没铺。 |
| And he has already noticed problems. The windows leak. The outdoor spaces are only wide car lanes, with no sidewalks for residents. There are no bushes or trees, just bare patches of grass. |
| 他已经注意到一些问题。窗户透风。楼外只有宽阔的汽车道，没有供居民使用的人行道。院子里没有灌木或树木，只有光秃秃的草丛。 |
| When Evergrande scheduled a ceremony for the building, residents protested and the event was canceled. The developer told residents that there is no money for anything more. |
| 恒大打算为这个楼盘举行揭幕仪式时，遭到购房者的抗议，活动已被取消。开发商告诉他们，没有资金配置更多设施。 |
| “We’re told not to be too demanding. There are still plenty of people that couldn’t have their apartments finished,” Mr. He said. |
| “他们意思就是不要要求那么多，还有很多人连房都交不了，”何先生说。 |
| Evergrande did not respond to emails asking for comment, and phone numbers listed on its website were disconnected. |
| 恒大没有回复记者请求置评的电子邮件，公司网站上列出的电话号码已是空号。 |
| People across the country are protesting about quality problems and unfulfilled promises. |
| 全国各地都有人在抗议房屋质量问题和未兑现的承诺。 |
| Louis Lee, a 38-year-old administrator at a real estate firm, bought an apartment in 2019 at the “Moon on the Sea” complex by Vanke, one of the country’s largest property developers. She was told that the complex in Guangzhou would eventually include a shopping mall with grocery stores and an international school — a major selling point for Ms. Lee, who has two young children. |
| 2019年，现年38岁的房地产公司管理人员路易丝·李购买了中国最大房地产开发商之一万科楼盘“海上明月”的一套公寓。她被告知，这个位于广州的小区最终将包括一个带超市的购物中心和一所国际学校，这对有两个年幼孩子的李女士来说是个主要卖点。 |
| But more than a year after she moved in, the school building and mall remain empty. Residents said Vanke told them there was not enough interest from businesses to fill the mall, and an application for the school was tied up in government bureaucracy. |
| 但她搬进公寓一年多后，用于盖学校大楼和购物中心的土地仍然空着。住户说，万科告诉他们，没有足够多的企业对在购物中心租商铺感兴趣，他们仍在与政府官僚部门纠缠盖学校大楼的申请。 |
| The local district challenged this version of events. It told residents that Vanke hadn’t paid the rent for the land in recent years because of a financial dispute with the village, which owned the land. After the matter was taken to court, Vanke eventually paid, but there are currently no plans for an international school. |
| 当地政府挑战了万科的说法。政府告诉大家，因为与拥有楼盘土地的村子发生了财务纠纷，万科近年来没有支付土地的租金。在事情上了法庭后，万科最终支付了租金，但目前没有建国际学校的计划。 |
| In April, enraged homeowners hung a banner covering the high-rise’s top 10 floors that read “Vanke false advertising,” based on residents’ photos. Other banners warned people that buying a Vanke home would “ruin their lives.” When police arrived to tell the homeowners to remove the banners, protesters refused and clashed with officers. Vanke did not respond to emails asking for comment. |
| 今年4月，愤怒的业主们在公寓楼顶部10层的外立面挂出条幅，据业主发的照片，横幅上有“万科虚假宣传”的字样。还有一些条幅警告大家，购买万科房产会“毁掉他们的生活”。警察赶来要求房主撤下横幅时，遭到抗议者拒绝，抗议者还与警察发生了冲突。万科没有回复请求置评的电子邮件。 |
| Ms. Lee regrets buying the property. She says the financial problems facing developers are leading to quality issues. |
| 李女士后悔买了这处房产。她说，开发商面临的财务问题导致了品质问题。 |
| “I personally don’t recommend buying apartments now,” Ms. Lee said. “People should really think twice.” |
| “我个人是不建议现在买房的，”李女士说。“还是要谨慎买房。” |
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