Large banners plastered on building facades in Taipei bearing remarks about the city’s high property prices have gained the attention of Taipei residents, with many people saying that they can relate to the sentiments expressed.
One banner on Neihu Road reads: “I gave up trying to buy a house long ago. Now I just worry about what to have for lunch,” with the caption attributing the message to an advertising assistant named Lee Kuo-hung (李國弘), who has been renting a house in Taipei for 20 years.
The second statement, on Nanjing E Road, reads: “I moved from that landlord’s suite into this landlord’s rooftop addition. I am a nomad chasing after a dream.”
Photo: Sean Lin, Taipei Times
It is credited to a graphic designer named Liao Ching-chih (廖勁智), who has reportedly been a tenant for 10 years.
The third banner, which can be seen on Songjiang Road, bears the words of a design company supervisor named Shih Tsai-chen (石采宸).
“I make NT$70,000 a month. Up until now, I can only afford my own compartment at a columbarium,” it reads.
The man behind the banner campaign, Lee Keng-tsai (李根在), is an assistant professor at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
Lee Keng-tsai said that he teamed up with the firm New Advertising to increase awareness about Taipei’s steep house prices.
He said he has been soliciting short comments from netizens about their housing needs and thoughts about the property market since the beginning of this month through a page he created on Facebook, and select comments that are put on public display.
New Advertising employee Yu Ming-jung (余明蓉) said that building facades have traditionally been used as advertising spaces by real-estate brokers, and the firm seeks to overturn this norm by giving a voice to the ordinary resident.
She said that New Advertising has booked 30 advertising spaces costing between NT$30,000 and NT$100,000 per month for the campaign, adding that the firm does not have any plans to profit from the campaign.
Taipei residents interviewed yesterday said that they sympathized with the sentiments on the banners.
“I think the problem of expensive house prices is out of our hands. When the supply far outweighs the demand, house prices might go down, but that is unlikely, as it is against human nature to lower the price of one’s own property,” a resident surnamed Han (韓) said. “I think government measures are needed to suppress house prices.”
Another resident, surnamed Pai (白), said she would like to buy a house someday, but that until the government steps in to adjust property values downward, she would remain in a “weary state of acceptance” over Taipei’s house prices.
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