Why do so many people experience urgency, pressure, and anxiety when navigating the housing market? What makes homeownership feel like a necessity rather than a choice? In Anxious Homes: Inflexible Demand and China’s Housing Market (Cornell University Press, 2026), Prof. Mengqi Wang draws on fieldwork in Nanjing, to examine how the idea of gangxu (刚需), or “inflexible demand,” has shaped people’s aspirations, anxieties, and everyday decisions around homeownership. Far beyond a financial investment, housing emerges as a key site where questions of family, gender, migration, citizenship, and belonging are negotiated.
At a time when China’s property market is undergoing profound transformation, the book offers a timely perspective on the enduring power of homeownership aspirations. It demonstrates how housing functions not only as an economic asset, but also as a life investment deeply intertwined with marriage, migration, education, family responsibility, gender expectations, and the pursuit of security in urban life. Read More
Junyi Yu is a Class of 2026 student majoring in Arts and Media (Creative Practice track) whose work explores the connections between visual storytelling, cultural preservation, and community engagement. As a student researcher in the Student-Initiated Research and Creative Inquiry Project “Woven Currents: The Mekong’s Flow Through Art and Ecology” and the Community Service Project “Transitions & Traditions in Bacheng,” she uses photography, documentary practice, and creative methods to document communities undergoing social and environmental changes. She also served as the CSCC student photographer during the 2025-2026 academic year.
From documenting disappearing marketplaces in Bacheng to learning traditional weaving techniques in northern Thailand, Junyi Yu approaches research through deep participation and relationship building. Across these roles, she has developed an interdisciplinary practice that combines documentary work, photography, and community engagement. We sat down with her to talk about how both projects came together, what she learned from the people she worked with, and how creative practice can help preserve stories that might otherwise be overlooked. Read More
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