In Guangzhou, an interesting draft measure for affordable housing has just been announced. The draft measure would allow first-time home buyers, who have fulfilled two requirements, to qualify for low-cost housing. The first requirement is that these would-be buyers must have Guangzhou residence permits. That's normal enough, but the second requirement is that these buyers would have to be of late-marrying age.

In other words, if you are a man more than 25 years old or a woman more than 23 years old, Guangzhou considers you to be a bit old to be single. And the late-bloomers are therefore qualified to buy low-cost apartments. The affordable housing is all less than 90 square meters, and they cost only 70 percent of the market price of property in the same area.

The measure also stipulates that buyers cannot rent or sell their low-cost homes within five years. Guangzhou will be taking comments from the public between now and October 15th.