Dwelling Narrowness

Dwelling Narrowness
Based onSnail House
by Liu Liu
Starring
Country of originChina
Original languageChinese
No. of seasons1
Original release
Release2009 (2009) –
present
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Dwelling Narrowness (Chinese: 蜗居; pinyin: Wōjū), also known literally as Snail House, is a 2009 television series broadcast in Mainland China, based on a 2007 novel of the same name by Liu Liu.[1] 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".[2]

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,[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.

  1. ^ Zhou Tian (November 2016). "Liu Liu: To Tell the Truth". News China. pp. 48–51. ISSN 1943-1902. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  2. ^ "The soap opera of China's housing boom". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  3. ^ "Chinese soap highlights housing issue". Marketplace. National Public Radio. 19 January 2010.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference WSJ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Gillis, Charlie, and Sorenson, Chris. "The China Crisis". Maclean's. May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.