Dwelling Narrowness

Dwelling Narrowness (Chinese: 蜗居; pinyin: Wōjū), also known literally as Snail House, was a 2009 television series broadcast in Mainland China, based on a 2007 novel of the same name. It depicts two sisters struggling with life in Jiangzhou, a fictional city that strongly resembles present-day Shanghai. The Chinese name is a figure of speech meaning "humble abode".

Because a prominent storyline portrays the difficulties of buying an affordable home in the city, the show has become a symbol of the perceived ongoing real estate bubble in China, generating controversy in the Chinese press and attracting attention from foreign media sources.

Although 35 episodes of the series were produced, only 33 episodes were aired due to censors. The show was also criticized by some officials for its "sex, dirty jokes, and corruption stories", saying that the show had a "serious negative influence" on Chinese society. The series is seen as a running commentary on contemporary social issues in urban China, including the widening wealth gap, real estate prices, political corruption, the breakdown of traditional Chinese family values, foreigners' views of China and Chinese views of foreigners.

Guo Haiping (Hai Qing) is the elder of two sisters, who moves to the fictional city of Jiangzhou to attend a prestigious college there. She and her husband Su Chun (Hao Ping) remain in the city after graduation, living in a very shabby shikumen in order to save money to buy a house. Haiping then convinces her mother (Cao Cuifen) to let Guo Haizao (Li Nian), her younger sister, to come to Jiangzhou for college as well.

Four years pass and the couple still cannot afford the down payment on a house, since property prices have been skyrocketing. After Haizao graduates from college and cannot find a job, Haiping lets her sister live with her and Su Chun in their already very cramped room. Haizao eventually finds a job and meets Xiao Bei (Wen Zhang), a warm-hearted white collar office worker whom she starts dating.

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