Translated with AI
In the village of Nancun, located in the Shandong province in eastern China, there is a unique practice: every resident who has reached the age of 22, regardless of gender, is provided with an apartment, Renmin Ribao reports, citing the Huanquwan website.
On May 26, 22-year-old demobilized soldier Li Kechen received the keys to a 100-square-meter apartment for free. "As soon as I returned from the army, the village gave me a free apartment. This apartment has significantly eased the financial burden of our family," the young man rejoices.
On this day, six young people received new apartments as part of the 11th housing distribution. Since 2009, Nancun Village has been implementing a free housing distribution program for young people. Over the past 16 years, 218 apartments have been distributed.
The conditions for receiving housing are simple: you must be a local resident and be at least 22 years old. The distribution procedure is as fair as possible – a double draw is held. First, the order is determined by date of birth, then by apartment number.
The economic foundation for this generosity was laid in 2005, when former soldier and entrepreneur Li Fengde became the village's mayor. Under his leadership, a strategy of developing a collective economy was adopted. The village built 100,000 square meters of retail space, generating more than 20 million yuan (US$2.78 million) in rental income annually.
Today, Nancun Village's assets exceed 2 billion yuan (US$277.80 million), its collective income is over 100 million yuan (US$13.91 million), and its per capita disposable income is 39,000 yuan (US$5.42 thousand).
In addition to free housing, residents receive a host of other benefits: citizens over 60 receive an annual dividend of 7,000 yuan (US$973.53), while others receive 4,000 yuan (US$556.30). The village also provides free medical checkups, holiday gifts, and modern infrastructure. Over the past years, 300 million yuan (US$41.57 million) has been allocated for social needs.
(Editor: Chu Mengqi, Yang Qian)
