TV Report Spotlights Hong Kong’s Coffin Apartments and a Deepening Housing Strain

Overview

• Fantástico’s Oct. 19–20 coverage shows thousands living in micro-dwellings as small as 3–9 square meters, some narrower than a bed and five times smaller than a solitary prison cell, often without windows and with tiny or shared facilities.
• Residents describe emotional distress and isolation, with Miss Lee paying about R$1,400 per month for a space where she can barely stretch and Gam‑Tin Ma saying neighbors avoid forming ties.
• Experts, including University of Hong Kong professor Betty Xiao Wang, characterize the phenomenon as a structural outcome of real-estate speculation and insecure, low-paid work.
• The report documents clandestine conditions, with a landlord ejecting the TV crew and a social worker noting many units lack registration or licenses, and temperatures inside reaching around 40°C.
• Coverage highlights stark contrast with the city’s luxury skyline of more than 4,000 skyscrapers and notes vulnerable users such as elderly men and women fleeing domestic violence, with no new government response reported.