"welling Narrowness," hit TV series about the struggles of two sisters to make it in the dynamic metropolis of Shanghai,focuses on a decidedly less glamorous aspect of in the big city: rising property prices, and they havoc this wreaks on youthful ambitions.

　　正在中国走红的电视连续剧《蜗居》(Dwelling Narrowness)描写了姐妹两人在繁华的大都市上海经受的各种困难，将镜头对准了大城市中不那么光鲜的一面：房价的上涨、以及由此给年轻人的理想造成的巨大打击。

Over the past month, the TV drama has drawn a great deal of attention from young Chinese who discuss the program online. Many argue that Shanghai's rising property prices are at the root of the tragic events in the storyline, and the term "house slaves" has become a popular slang term to describe people like Haiping.

　　在过去一个月里，这部电视剧引起了很多中国年轻人的关注和网上的热烈讨论。许多人说，上海房价的上涨是故事情节中悲剧性事件的根源，“房奴”一词已成为描写海萍这类人的常用词。

In a recent (unscientific) survey by Chinese Web portal, more than 60% of 15,000 voters agreed with the statement that "the drama reflects the public's sentiment on house slaves." Another poll by Tencent drew more than 360,000 votes, with most agreeing with the statement that "happiness is closely related to owning a home."

在不久前中国门户网站的一次调查中，在15,000名投票者中有60%以上的人认同“这部电视剧反映了房奴的心态”的说法。在腾讯网一项有36万多人参加的投票调查中，大多数人认为“幸福与房子关联密切。”

"Paying the mortgage and eating [inexpensive] lunch boxes is a true reflection of the living status of many white-collar young people nowadays," wrote blogger "Sui Han" (literally translated as "cold years") "The heroes' struggle for a home on this show gives voice to the conundrum faced by many people who don't have their own homes in cities…The speed of making money is lagging far behind the speed of rising home prices."

一位名为“岁寒”的博客作家写道，“还房贷、吃盒饭”，已经成为房价飙升年代对白领生存状况的一种直白描摹。主人公一波三折的买房奋斗史，道出了都市无房族的困惑：攒钱的速度永远赶不上房价上涨的速度。

Another commenter on Xinhua's property forum wrote, "I found our own lives depicted in this drama, everything is exposed under the sunlight. There is no way out. In the face of housing and reality, we are seriously hurting."

新华网房地产论坛的一位网民写道，我发现我们自己的生活就像剧中描写的一样，一切都暴露在了阳光下。没有其他出路。面对房屋和现实，我们很受伤。

According to the latest report from China Index Academy, a domestic real estate research institute, as of October this year, the average house price in Beijing has reached 16,057 yuan per square meter, a 54% increase from the average price of 10,403 yuan in January. In Shanghai, the average residential price for October was 16,954 yuan per square meter, up 22% since January. Despite new measures by the Chinese government to emphasize construction of low-cost houses, the new report on housing by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences warns that low and middle-income families are "not well-covered" by the existing residence-guarantee system, which is intended to provide a type of rent and housing price-control. The report concluded that supporting policies haven't been well implemented.

根据中国房地产研究机构中国指数研究院的报告，截至今年10月，北京市的平均房价已达到每平米16,057元，比1月份时10,403元的平均价涨 了54%。在上海，10月份的平均住房价格为16,954元，自1月份以来上涨了22%。尽管中国政府采取了加强限价房建设的新措施，但中国社会科学院在 一份住房研究报告中警告说，中低收入家庭并未得到由廉租房和限价房组成的现有住房保障体系的良好覆盖。这份报告的结论是，支持性的政策并未得到有效实 施。

In a post on a Tianya discussion forum, the author, Mr. Ying compares current housing price to a "wild and unpredictable horse." The current situation "has pushed the social problems resulting from the housing issue to their peak. The cruelty of life depicted by the drama strikes a responsive chord among every citizen who is obsessed by high property prices."

在天涯论坛，作者应先生将目前的房价比作“一条脱缰的野马”。剧中把房子带来的社会问题推上，这种演绎的残酷生活直抵每一个因房价而困扰生活的市民。

Others say it's a bit extreme to regard housing prices as the source of all sins, and that it's unfair to use property prices as a proxy for all social problems. On a Xinhua property forum, a commenter called jiangjun32 wrote that "the home is just a fuse for the ensuing tragedies" on "Dwelling Narrowness", but the underlying cause of the troubles is the character's greed and desire.

也有人说，将房价看做一切罪恶的根源有些夸大，将房价作为所有社会问题的替身是不公平的。在新华网房产论坛，一位名为“jiangjun32”的网民写道，房子只是这些惨剧发生的导火索，而真正让剧中人物灭亡的则是每个人被房子引发出来的强大“欲望”。