Six Feet Deep Into The Troposphere
The word “coffin” does not invite a positive connotation from the vast majority. Understandably, the majority of people might readily associate the word “coffin” with more deprecating words, such as “death” and “cemetery,” both of which convey quite negative connotations. But what if they discovered the horrors of tight and constricting apartments housing up to two hundred thousand people in Hong Kong every single day?
Many Chinese sought refuge from the Chinese Civil War in the mid-19th century, flocking in vast numbers to Hong Kong. The result was the imperative need for additional housing for the exponentially growing population of Hong Kong, yet both time and costs were (as said in chemistry) limiting reagents. Policies regarding housing were rather lax at the time. Thus, coffin homes, which spanned around five hundred square feet, were built (Chanpongsang). As for the living conditions inside the apartment, well, they were no more desirable than running a marathon wearing six-inch heels with an inflatable pool ring wrapped around your waist. To fully elucidate the extent to which the apartments are structured, it is relevant to mention that the term “apartment” might be too generous of a term to describe the living spaces. Each apartment is divided into multiple living quarters for each inhabitant, thus rendering the tiny living space even more miniscule and difficult to live in. Since they are shared among many, one can expect that these spaces are, in addition to being cramped, also hot and foul in odor (Haas).
A common question that readers might have about this situation would be as to why the inhabitants of the apartments do not simply move out. Surely they have more opportunities to venture beyond what they have? Though this initiative would be ideal, the reality is those who have moved to coffin homes most likely would stay in coffin homes. Many reasons explain this, one of which is the lack of capability to reintegrate inhabitants back into society. For some, having mental issues that were either unable to be duly treated or were altogether untreated would result in their eventual placement into coffin homes. For others, they lack the necessary funds to move out of the apartments, as adequate housing in such a densely populated region as Hong Kong is especially difficult to come by (Chanpongsang).
The effects of such depressing living conditions are unfortunately endless. The cramped space inside these apartments makes it so that the inhabitants receive limited exercise per day, as their choices are limited to tasks that require little physical movement. Hence, many resort to eating, smoking, drugs and television (UNILAD). Not only that, but the lack of mental stimulation from such mundane activities makes the inhabitants more prone to poor mental health (Ndetei). As a result of this, inhabitants are at risk of having much higher mortality rates than those living under more favorable conditions (Otavova).
The problems in this world are endless. However, being knowledgeable is the first step in addressing and evidently understanding these issues. Eventually, if understanding is surpassed, a solution may be formed.
Works Cited
Chanpongsang, Naphat (Belle). “Living in a Box: Exploring Hong Kong’s Coffin Homes amidst the Housing Crisis.” The Union International, 2 May 2023, theunioninternational.com/living-in-a-box-exploring-hong-kongs-coffin-homes-amidst-the housing-crisis/.
Squalid Suburbs. “Life inside Hong Kong’s Suffocating & Decrepit “Coffin Homes”...” YouTube, 28 Sept. 2022, youtu.be/kUK11Yx3ugQ?si=UfsdukIGnvVjXBQQ. Accessed 11 June 2024.
Haas, Benjamin. “My Week in Lucky House: The Horror of Hong Kong’s Coffin Homes.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 29 Aug. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/29/hong-kong-coffin-homes-horror-my-week.
“Around 200,000 People in Hong Kong Are Living in “Coffin Homes.” UNILAD, 12 Nov. 2022, www.unilad.com/news/200000-people-hong-kong-coffin-homes-20221112. Accessed 11 June 2024.
Otavova, Martina, et al. “Inequalities in Mortality Associated with Housing Conditions in Belgium between 1991 and 2020.” BMC Public Health, vol. 22, no. 1, 20 Dec. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14819-w.
Ndetei, David M, et al. “Boredom–Understanding the Emotion and Its Impact on Our Lives: An African Perspective.” Boredom–Understanding the Emotion and Its Impact on Our Lives: An African Perspective, vol. 8, no. 8, 29 June 2023, https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1213190.
Cheung, Kin. The Coffin Homes of Hong Kong, 16 May 2017, cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/y6v9BCQfv9XsZlwj17DB8HH4yuk=/1200x788/media/img/photo/2017/05/the-coffin-homes-of-hong-kong/h01_AP17127166810854/original.jpg. Accessed 17 June 2024.