Essay Question (Yao Xiaoxiao)

Based on Li Zhang’s article ‘private homes, distinct lifestyles’, my essay question is: To what extent does real estate advertising in Ningbo build the imagination of a ‘new middle-class’?

Li Zhang considered the real estate developers in China are not only selling the house to people but also constructing new notions of ‘the middle class’, especially through advertising. By investigating a number of advertising of housing in Ningbo, I want to explore whether there exist a distinct so-called middle class culture conveyed by real estate advertising.