THE LOOK OF HEAVEN: Chen Liying sits in her home in the Gaolin Community (WEI YAO)

Chen Liying remembers the slummy conditions of her previous home. "The roof of the dormitory was so thin that I could hear mice crawling on top every night. It was like they were dancing over my head while I was sleeping!"

Chen used to work for a construction company in Xiamen, southeast China's coastal Fujian Province. She lived with her husband—a driver who worked for the same firm—and her daughter in the company dorm for 15 years. The dorm was 20 square meters and the three shared a single bedroom, with a curtain for separation. The bathroom, kitchen and toilet were all shared with other families.

"I had to rush out of my dorm to use the public toilet in the middle of the night even during the chilly winters. It was killing me," said Chen.

Because the company so frequently moved to be closer to its construction projects, employee dorms were quickly built and ill-suited for a decent living, especially for a family.

Good news found its way to Chen when she was selected to move into the Gaolin affordable housing community in March 2010, a low-income housing project comprised of a series of high-rise apartment buildings subsidized by the Xiamen Municipal Government. She had waited for the news for three years.

She moved into her new home—a 62-square-meter two-bedroom apartment—weeks after at a monthly rent of 314.5 yuan ($50.51).

"It's like going from hell to heaven," said the 55-year-old, who retired from the construction company in 2007.

Xiamen has erected several low-income housing projects in the past few years. There are 11 low-income communities in Xiamen that provide reasonably priced and decent living spaces for the city's less-well-off residents. In addition to the housing, the Xiamen Municipal Government is also trying to ensure the dwellers have a sense of belonging in the community. But challenges persist in maintaining a quality livelihood in these communities, keeping the government here on its toes.

Better home, better life

Xiamen began constructing affordable housing in 2006. So far, the city has built 53,204 units of low-income housing and 40,223 more units are coming. By the end of September, the city had received applications from roughly 37,000 families for housing and approved 23,000, according to data from the Xiamen Construction and Administration Bureau.

Construction on the Gaolin Community started in 2006 and, according to the government blueprint, the community will offer over 9,800 units of low-income housing. So far, 5,100 units have been put to use and the community has provided homes to over 15,000 residents.

For low-rent housing, the Xiamen Municipal Government subsidizes 90 percent of the rent for families that receive a minimum living allowance, 80 percent of the rent for families with an annual income of less than 25,000 yuan ($4,015), and 70 percent of the rent for families with an annual income of between 25,000 to 50,000 yuan ($4,015-8,030).

For families who are qualified for housing in the Gaolin Community, the average housing price is only 4,200 yuan ($674.52) per square meter, in sharp contrast to the 20,000 yuan ($3,212) per square meter for nearby commercial property.

Ever since the first batch of residents moved into the Gaolin Community, the Xiamen Municipal Government has built other amenities to improve the lives of residents. The community now has a food market, a kindergarten, a clinic, a library, a youth center, a basketball court and a table tennis room. Recently, the local government invested 300,000 yuan ($48,180) to build a 24-hour book lending and returning machine.