Amy Wang was counting on a 100,000 yuan ($13,800) subsidy promised by authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Weifang to fit and furnish an apartment she bought two years ago. Still waiting for the money, she has yet to move in.
The 30-year-old now pays 6,000 yuan of her 8,000 yuan monthly salary on the mortgage for the 1.1 million yuan apartment and another 1,800 yuan to rent another one, relying on her parents for other basic expenses.
"I feel under a lot of pressure," said Wang, who works in electronics manufacturing, and bought the bare shell of her apartment, without floors, interior walls or other fittings — which is common in China.