This is a colloquial term which refers to Chinese whose mortgage is more than HALF of their salary. But in actual fact, many of them spend far more than that.

To pay off their mortgage, they refrain from changing jobs. They also spend very little on entertainment or travel, and worry about falling ill. But Li Man is used to that.

Li said, "Pain with happiness, maybe that's the reason why people rushed into becoming a mortgage slave. C'est la vie (She said that)."

She says this is the life for a large number of Chinese youngsters. Real estate experts suggest young people, especially post-1980s, should not only act in accordance with their current income, but should consider the increase of consumption in the future for a long-term plan.

Everyone is hoping for a bright future, but that maybe hard to achieve with all the uncertainties in the Chinese real estate market.