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Inside flat from Black Mirror style building where 20,000 people live and never need to go outside

Inside flat from Black Mirror style building where 20,000 people live and never need to go outside

You are still allowed out, but the idea is everything you need is under one roof

Finding somewhere to live can be a bit of a challenge these days as almost everywhere is so chuffing expensive, particularly if it's near things you'd want to be around.

However, some of the attempts to remedy this have come off as more unsettling that useful.

Over in China there are some huge apartment complexes which claim they've got pretty much everything you'd ever need in life all under one roof.

It's the Regent International, located in Qianjiang Century City in Hangzhou, and it was originally meant to be a hotel.

Instead it ended up as homes for 20,000 people and while people are allowed to leave the building it has all sorts of amenities that you'd expect to find on any local high street such as supermarkets, barbers, swimming pools, cafes and even nail salons.

On the inside, the homes seem disappointingly normal. (Plus Housing)
On the inside, the homes seem disappointingly normal. (Plus Housing)

The complex has been likened to something you’d see in an episode of the dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror.

The idea is likely meant to be more utopian than dystopian, built on the idea that you take the stuff people want and need and put it in the place they live.

Perhaps it's the megastructure version of that 15 minute city idea that the conspiracy theorists got themselves in such a twist over.

See, as we keep building new places for people to live there are some folks who reckon that it'd be nice if people's homes were never more than a few minutes walk from most of the stuff you'd need.

Then the conspiracy theorists came along and decided that if you had shops and services within a 15 minute walk the next construction project would be thick walls to keep people in their zones and ban them from getting out.

You'll have to figure out whether those curtains are drawn to keep out light, or to hide the fact there's no windows. (Plus Housing)
You'll have to figure out whether those curtains are drawn to keep out light, or to hide the fact there's no windows. (Plus Housing)

As for the Chinese megastructure, the actual flats inside of them pretty run-of-the-mill.

If you were expecting a dystopian crap-hole to tally with some Black Mirror episode then you'll be a bit disappointed.

Although fairly basic, the flats, much like the complex itself, have just about everything you could need for comfortable living.

An estate agent’s listing for apartments, shows a compact kitchen with fitted units and worktops; three decent-sized bedrooms, with room for double beds; two bathrooms - one with a bathtub and one with a fitted shower; and a multifunctional living space.

The interior is decorated in a fairly neutral style with laminate flooring in the bedrooms and marble tiles elsewhere.

The apartment also comes complete with furniture including, washing machine, dining table, sofa and microwave - meaning renters can move straight in.

The idea is you live here, and pretty much everything you need is somewhere in the building. (Plus Housing)
The idea is you live here, and pretty much everything you need is somewhere in the building. (Plus Housing)

In case you’re wondering what sort of people choose to live there - it’s reported that they’re particularly popular with students, graduates and young professionals.

And if you're curious about how much it costs to live there, small apartments without windows usually go for around 1,500 RMB per month (£167.50), according to local news outlets.

Meanwhile, some of the larger properties with balconies are on the market for 4,000 RMB per month (£441.86).

Yep, you read that price right.

The downside is you'd not see daylight and would have to live in China, which is a bit of an authoritarian place.

Looks alright on the inside, but just hope it doesn't become a ghost town. (Plus Housing)
Looks alright on the inside, but just hope it doesn't become a ghost town. (Plus Housing)

Another problem might be it ending up as a ghost town, as according to Reuters the country's declining population means there are near-empty or even completely abandoned blocks all over the country.

All those shops and services are going to need people to use them, otherwise places like this might go the way of other creepy ghost towns.

There's about 10 million people in Hangzhou, so you'd hope that this place at least wouldn't become a deserted and decaying monument to dystopia.

Additional words by Claire Reid.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@fatheristheone / Plus Housing

Topics: World News, China, Black Mirror, Weird